The current auto crisis follows decades of plant closings and mass layoffs that transformed Detroit into the poorest major city in America. The rise of the Motor City was synonymous with US industrial preeminence, as well as the improvements in living standards won by the auto workers in mass struggles. The collapse of the Motor City is perhaps the most poignant symbol of the historic decline of American capitalism, its turn to financial speculation, and the unrelenting assault on the working class.

The following photos are by WSWS writer Jerry White.