Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
1917 - 1918
Workers in Wartime
Workers helped the US fight the war
War Department had a work or fight policy; any unemployed male would be immediately drafted (discouraging strikes)
Workers in Wartime
National War Labor Board
Chaired by former president Taft Worked to fix disputes between labor and management that might hurt war production Pushed employers for higher wages and 8-hour days Did not give unions what they most wanted: a government guarantee of the right to organize
Workers in Wartime
Mainstream unions, including the American Federation of Labor (AF of L) under Samuel Gompers, supported the war
These unions were rewarded with a doubling of membership (to 3 million) and real wages (adjusted for inflation) increased 20% over prewar levels
Workers in Wartime
Radical unions (like the IWW) did not support the war
Some in the IWW even carried out industrial sabotage, to prevent production of war goods The IWW represented the poorest of workers, including transient laborers, and worked in the worst working conditions in the country When they protested, many were viciously beaten or arrested
Workers in Wartime
Despite their gains, problems for unions remained
High inflation threatened the wage gains labor had made Over 6,000 strikes, including some violent ones, occurred during the war
Workers in Wartime
1919 - the greatest strike in US history occurred in the steel industry
Over 250,000 workers walked out of the steel mills to force the employers to recognize their union The steel companies resisted, refusing to negotiate and bringing in 30,000 black strikebreakers After some violent confrontations that left some workers dead, the steel strike collapsed, pushing progress back in unionization for over a decade
Workers in Wartime
Tens of thousands of blacks moved northward during the war
Most moved to take advantage of the new jobs available in war industries This movement was the beginning of an explosion of blacks moving north in the next few decades
Workers in Wartime
Blacks and whites moving together in previously white areas caused tensions
July 1917 - riot in East St. Louis, Missouri left 9 whites and at least 40 blacks dead In Chicago, as blacks moved into white workingclass neighborhoods, problems ensued
July 1919 - a bloody riot occurred when a young black man drifted into an area of a swimming area informally reserved for whites; this man was stoned and drowned; rioting then went on for 2 weeks, with gangs of whites and blacks attacking each other; 15 whites and 23 blacks were killed
Increased income taxes (on both individuals and corporations) as well as an increased tax on luxury goods raised about $12 billion and helped pay for the rest of the war The ultimate cost of the war (including interest and veterans benefits) was about $112 billion
Fighting in France--Belatedly
October 1917 - Bolsheviks (Communists) took power in Russia
Early 1918 - Communists withdraw Russia from the war
Germanys eastern front is now secure; hundreds of thousands of Germans can move to the west to fight the Allies there
Germany also planned on the US having problems transporting their army to Europe, which ended up being true
What demoralized and defeated the Germans was the prospect of large numbers of troops from the US, not the actual performance of US soldiers