“Direct action” emerged as a central concept in labour-movement politics in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This article traces and explains that process of invention. In doing so, it seeks to settle three currently unresolved historical problems: the problem of the meaning of direct action; the problem of its relative novelty; and the problem of its relationship to nation. The article draws upon pamphlets and newspapers published on four continents in English, French, Spanish, and German. It argues that the concept of direct action was used in several analytically distinguishable ways: categorical; performative; and strategic. While aspects of direct action were evident in many nations over several decades, French activists played a decisive and catalytic role in the development of the concept. They welded the categorical, performative, and strategic together. They assembled key performances into an agreed repertoire. And they underlined the revolutionary significance of this combination. This new assemblage was then widely taken up across the global labour movement.

“直接行动”成为十九世纪末二十世纪初劳工运动政治的核心概念。本文追溯并解释了该发明的过程。在此过程中，它试图解决三个目前尚未解决的历史问题：直接行动的意义问题；其相对新颖性的问题；以及它与国家的关系问题。本文借鉴了四大洲以英语、法语、西班牙语和德语出版的小册子和报纸。它认为直接行动的概念以几种分析上可区分的方式使用：calcategori；表演性的；和战略性的。虽然几十年来直接行动的各个方面在许多国家都很明显，但法国活动家在这一概念的发展中发挥了决定性和催化作用。他们将明确性、执行性和战略性融合在一起。他们将主要表演汇集到商定的剧目中。他们强调了这种结合的革命性意义。这种新的组合随后在全球劳工运动中得到广泛采用。