Alinsky’s innovation was to see the
potential to use aggressive trade union
organising tactics to mobilise a poor
community to fight for improvements
in its terrible living conditions. To do this
he needed to build alliances with the
Catholic Church – the main form of
organisation in the neighbourhood.
Alinsky was also able to bring on board
the diverse ethnic groups in the area and
a range of schools and social clubs, to
create a broad-based local coalition
committed to social change.