The war on labor and the left : understanding America's unique conservatism

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書誌事項

The war on labor and the left : understanding America's unique conservatism

Patricia Cayo Sexton

Westview Press, 1991

  • : pbk.

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注記

Includes bibliographical references (p. 279-308) and index

内容説明・目次

巻冊次

ISBN 9780813310626

内容説明

In many countries, labour has "war stories" to tell, but possibly none are so violent as those of American labour. Although much of the violence occurred decades ago, the author of this book argues that this rich history sheds light on questions that still plague observers of the American political system: why has the United States been more conservative in its domestic policies than other Western democracies?; why is it almost alone among these countries in lacking a mass labour or democratic socialist party - or the kind of social policies favoured by such parties?; and why has American labour unionism been in serious decline in recent decades? The book explores an explanation of American conservatism - that of a literal war on labour waged by unusually powerful economic entities using repressive strategies. Emphasizing the impact on workers, and the Left, of conflict sustained over many years, the author aims to show how the use of power and repression has played out as well in the institutions of law and government, in economic policies and in the media.

目次

  • Conservatism and union decline
  • unionism - strategies of repression
  • labour-Left politics - strategies of repression
  • strategies of economic violence and manipulation
  • the power to repress. (part contents)
巻冊次

: pbk. ISBN 9780813310633

内容説明

In all countries, labour has war stories" to tell, but none are so violent as those of American labour. Since the 1870s at least 700 workers have been killed and thousands seriously injured in labour disputes. Nowhere but in this country have employers so actively fought back against strikes through the use of scabs," surveillance, and mercenary armies.Although much of the violence occurred decades ago, author Patricia Sexton contends that this rich history sheds light on questions that still plague observers of the American political system: Why has the United States been more conservative in its domestic policies than other Western democracies? Why is it almost alone among them in lacking a mass labour or democratic socialist party,or the kind of social policies favoured by such parties? And why has American labour unionism been in serious decline in recent decades?The most familiar answers to these questions involve consensus explanations of what has come to be known as American exceptionalism. America is conservative, observers say, because its citizens have loved" capitalism and supported its political policies wholeheartedly or because the nation's open frontier and early voting rights reduced dissent and class consciousness. Other explanations focus on various internal constraints said to be unique to the American working class or its organizations, such as conflict among diverse immigrants, the sectarianism and blunders of leftist groups, and the conservatism or incompetence of labour union leadership. All of these are said to have prevented labour from carrying out successful conflicts with employers and economic leaders.According to Sexton, these arguments ignore the remarkable record in American history of labour-left struggles: the violent suppression of industrial unionism prior to the 1930s, legal and forceful repression of trade unionism, and destruction by various means of left-leaning unions and political organizations. Her book explores instead a neglected explanation of American conservatism,that of a literal war on labour, waged by unusually powerful economic entities using repressive strategies, often backed by police and sometimes by federal forces.The details of this violent history, familiar to labour historians, are recounted here in a new perspective emphasizing the impact on workers of conflict sustained over many years. But the book is much more than a reinterpretation of this history. Patricia Sexton shows how the use of power and repression has played out as well in our institutions of law and government, in economic policies, and in the media. Making these links and showing how America's conservatism is unique among other Western democracies is the contribution of this ambitious book. For only by coming to terms with this history of repression and its legacy can we fully understand America's conservatism today.

目次

For Brendan Sexton and Michael Harrington in Absentia -- Introduction -- Conservatism and Union Decline -- Conservatism and the War on Labor -- Consensus, Constraints, Conflict -- Unions and Leaders -- Unionism: Strategies of Repression -- Employers, Mercenaries, and Armed Force -- The Legal System: "We Are the Law" -- Steel: 1892 and 1919 -- Critical Conflicts: Railway, Craft, and Industrial Unionism -- Labor-left Politics: Strategies of Repression -- Socialists and Sedition: The World War I Era -- Un-Americanism: World War II and Cold War Eras -- Peculiarities of the American Political System -- Labor-left Politics -- Strategies of Economic Manipulation and Violence -- Subtler Technologies of Subjection: Managing Workers -- Labor Law, the NLRB, and Gentrified Union Busters -- Macroeconomic and Political Manipulations -- The Power to Repress -- That Peculiar Institution, American Capitalism -- The Media Monopoly -- Reprise and Prospects

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