Labor & The Left

Description

The failure of socialist and radical influences to take hold in the American labor movement is a phenomenon that has intrigued socialists, ex-socialists, and antisocialist critics for many years. Dr. Laslett’s important book, however, is the first to look beneath the surface of the national movement and examine the views and actions of the radical unions themselves. This leads to some major new interpretations. After analyzing the changing views and acts of both the leaderships and rank and file of six carefully selected radical unions during the period of socialism’s greatest appeal, Dr. Laslett concludes that — contrary to the work of Bell, Weinstein, Foner, and others — radicalism in American labor had more to do with domestic political and economic developments than with the immigrant character of the members or the ideological commitments of the leaderships. Front Contents Sleeve