The Socialist Challenge Chapter Summary

Zinn opens chapter with the recognition that “war and jingoism might postpone, but could not fully suppress, the class anger that came from the realities of ordinary life”.  Despite the brief interlude that momentarily quelled class conflict, the issues at home had never been resolved and resurfaced with a vengeance.  More and more writers were writing from a Socialist mindset:  Upton Sinclair published The Jungle in 1906, as a commentary on Chicago’s meatpacking industry. In writing the book, Sinclair was influenced by writers like Jack London, a Socialist who had grown up in poverty in the Bay Area.  London publish The Iron Heel in 1906, warning Americans about fascism and indicts the capitalist system” In the face of the

Schweikart and Allen’s focus regarding the Americans was on their successful entrepreneurs and how they created America’s success, along with some mention of the poor Americans working in factories or on farms. They described the immigrants as existing in large numbers and coming from many ethnicities. Some immigrants were poor and took part in illegal activities to support themselves while others made a living in factories. The natives were also poor and often forced to leave their homes to create room for American industrialization. Zinn focused more on the poor Americans, immigrants, and natives, and the difficult conditions they lived in while working on farms and in factories. He illustrated the differences between the rich and the poor. Immigrants from Europe and China were pushed into the labor force, and due to the horrid conditions, the laborers joined unions which led to violence and strikes. As for the natives, he described them as having to abandon their homes in order to build railroads. Overall, their accounts revealed the blunt differences between the rich and the poor, and that no middle ground

During the post Civil War period many capitalists took over and ramped up industry. There were also individuals who took industries and monopolized them. Many historians who look back at these capitalists who shaped the post Civil War industry argue about whether they should be viewed as captains of industry who developed large industry, or as robber barons who used industry and monopolies to achieve wealth and take advantage of the working class. This essay will show why they were captains of industry.

This Era was called the Progressive movement, “The Progressive Era is unique in that this impulse spread to foster an all-encompassing mood and effort for reform”. Theodore Roosevelt was the president for half of the progressive era. Theodore Roosevelt came up many laws to help monitor business work environment and food safety, “the Meat Inspection Act was the beginning of federal regulation of the country’s meat, poultry, and egg products supply” (noto.com). This was big game changer it allows the government to regulate the meat companys, so people won’t get sick. Roosevelt wanted to get rid of the monopolies in America. Roosevelt broke more trusting busting than any other president. As you can see in the progressive era the government was regulating

In the period immediately following World War I, American workers struggled to earn a living as prices rose and wages stagnated, forcing them to seek union support. Labor unions endeavored to represent the working class against their employers and corporations, who refused to increase wages or improve working conditions. In order to combat the capitalist’s immense political clout, unions made their voice heard through strikes. After the war, capitalists linked unions to the mounting communist threat, stressing that strikes undermined capitalism and threatened a republican form of government. As a result, government sided with capital against labor unions and the struggle of the American workers, who had no voice against corporations. This struggle can be exemplified in a correspondence between union leader, Samuel Gompers and bishop William Quayle, published in “The Twenties in Contemporary Commentary: Labor & Capital”. The letters demonstrate that in the 1920’s, labor unions were necessary as a means to overcome capitalist greed and enhanced the ideals of democracy by empowering the working class.

Question 4: Zinn’s interpretation of late nineteenth-century labor unions and strikes differs from Schweikart and Allen’s by Zinn tells all the bad of the labor unions and strikes while Schweikart and Allen tell all the good of the labor unions and

Towards the end of the nineteenth century (1860-1900), America’s economy had gone through a transformation, where industries were developed. The rapid growth of industrialization was caused by many factors, including: abundant natural resources, educated labor force, and the encouragement of technological innovation. Because of new technological innovations, new machines were created for “easier” mass production. The new economy in which industrialization created, resulted in wealth in many Americans; however, there were many downsides to this; factories polluted the air, workers labored in dangerous conditions, and long hours. Because of these downsides to industrialization, labor unions developed: The Knights of Labor, the Industrial Workers of the World, and the American Federation of Labor.

This book has proven to be an enlightening read. It both teaches and inspires. Howard Zinn has offered us a perspective of the real story of American history heretofore unavailable to us – history from the perspective of real people – immigrant laborers, American women, the working poor, factory workers, African and Native Americans.

As Zinn informed, the book is skeptical of governments and their attempts to entrap ordinary people, through politics and culture, in a ‘nationhood’ pretending to be of a common interest (10). He does not only take the side of the oppressed but convey’s history from both sides. Zinn shows us the innocent of the bad, and the bad of the

In chapter “The Other Civil War” of A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn described the underlying class tensions caused by industrialization during the nineteenth century. He claimed that these tensions would have led to radical labor reforms if the working class’s anger had not been directed towards other issues. Zinn used The Age of Enterprise by Thomas C. Cochran and William Miller to show the upper class’s indifference towards the problems of the lower class and to prove that the rich manipulated the poor to promote their own interests. He also used Class and Community by Alan Dawley to offer examples of working class resistance, government oppression, and the effects of the Civil War. While Zinn’s use of Class and

In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, labor was anything but easy. Factory workers faced long hours, low pay, high unemployment fears, and poor working conditions during this time. Life today is much easier in comparison to the late 1800s. Americans have shorter days, bigger pay and easier working conditions. Not comparable to how life is today, many riots sparked, and citizens began to fight for equal treatment. Along with other important events, the Haymarket Riot, the Pullman Strike, and the Homestead strike all play a vital role in illustrating labor’s struggle to gain fair and equitable treatment during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The ensuing conflict, between labor vs. capital, during the late 1800s initiated a struggle of power in the workforce between the rich-industrialists (or corporate leaders) and the middle-class/lower-class workers. The Capitalists had intervened with the protests orchestrated by the workers, ensuring that the power remains with them. The strategies of the industrialists and the unique ways of protesting from the workers, contributes to spur a vigorous argument between the employers and their employees. The workers tried their best to ameliorate their working conditions by forming numerous unions, trying to fix currency (gold to paper) to economically help themselves, refusing to go to work, resorting to violence and non-violence, etc. However, the Corporate leaders kept an upper hand and dissolved the workers’ ambitions by hiring scabs, creating a strong relationship with the military (Pullman strike), controlling and fixing policies at work, hiring immigrants for cheap labor, etc. Throughout the late 1800s, the corporate leaders have been able to successfully prevent workers who had resorted to: forming unions, protests (ex. Pullman strike and Homestead strike), violence (ex. Haymarket Sq. Riot), etc., from achieving a radical solution to the workers issues with the management by using several different strategies including but not limited to: hiring scabs/immigrants in the Homestead strike, using government support in the Pullman strike and keeping the power on their side

Industrialization during the progressive era had rapidly grown and changed the country. Factories had widespread and created many jobs, but at the cost of bad working conditions, harsh hours and unfair pay, including little to no restrictions on child labor. Businesses were huge and greedy, monopolizing the nation and wiping out most small businesses. Muckrakers were artists such as journalists and photographers that tried to expose government corruption and draw attention to society's important issues. Ida M Tarbell was a writer of ´The History of the Standard Oil Company¨ was serialized in McCluresś Magazine. Her piece focused on the monopolization of the oil

Three different types of economic systems used by governments are Communism, Capitalism, and Socialism. Each type of system is unique in different ways. Each has distinct aspects that make it what it is. In communism, the government runs everything and there are no social classes. The government in capitalism doesn’t interfere with any businesses and lets the citizens own and operate them. Socialism is basically a mixture of the two economic systems. The government runs certain businesses, but citizens run the rest. The three economic systems are different in the way they run things and regulate things.

After the end of the Civil War, industrialization and urbanization blossomed and changed the nation. Instead of presidential power, men were aiming to be industrial tycoons for their wealth and power. To the people, these capitalists were regarded as either admirable “captains of industry” or corrupt “robber barons”. Even though to some people they may seem like “captains of industry”, but they were actually corrupt “robber barons” for several reasons regarding corruption, employee issues, and matters of the social classes.