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Lives of the Left
'Big Bill' Haywood
'Big Bill' Haywood was called 'the most dangerous man in America'. Simply and clearly written, this brief biography traces his life from his youth in the Mountain West of the U.S. to his exile and death in the Soviet Union, describing on the way how an ordinary American workingman became the most feared labour radical of his generation.
Based on wide reading about the history of labour and radicalism in the U.S., the biography summarises and synthesises for general readers the best contemporary scholarship on radical labour movements, socialism and syndicalism in the U.S.. It explores how those in power used the law to punish such radicals as Haywood, who fled into exile rather than spend his last years in prison. And it describes Haywood's role in several of the most violent and dramatic industrial conflicts in American history, from the bloody battles waged by workers in turn-of-the-century western mining cities to the massive upheaval of the years 1910-13.
Useful for university and college courses as well as appealing to the general reader.
Based on wide reading about the history of labour and radicalism in the U.S., the biography summarises and synthesises for general readers the best contemporary scholarship on radical labour movements, socialism and syndicalism in the U.S.. It explores how those in power used the law to punish such radicals as Haywood, who fled into exile rather than spend his last years in prison. And it describes Haywood's role in several of the most violent and dramatic industrial conflicts in American history, from the bloody battles waged by workers in turn-of-the-century western mining cities to the massive upheaval of the years 1910-13.
Useful for university and college courses as well as appealing to the general reader.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
184 pages, Hardcover
First published September 25, 1987
About the author
Melvyn Dubofsky
44 books13 followersA leading scholar of labor history, Melvyn Dubofsky is Bartle Distinguished Professor of History and Sociology emeritus at the State University of New York at Binghamton.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2022
Between 1905 and 1917, a new international labor union dominated the attention of the American public. Known as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), it shunned the craft-based approach of the more traditional and elitist American Federation of Labor in favor of a more general “one big union” model open to all workers, including women and minorities. The impressive growth the new union enjoyed during these years, combined with its leaders’ advocacy of syndicalism, gave it a menace out of all proportion to its actual size and the goals of its members. And no member of the IWW appeared more menacing than its leader, whom the New York Times branded “the most hated and feared figure in America.”
That person was William Dudley Haywood. As the IWW’s general secretary, “Big Bill” (as he popularly was known) had done more than any other single person to turn the union into an organizing success. Haywood’s dynamic efforts made him a hero for thousands of workers, who thrilled at his aggressive rhetoric and his utopian vision in which workers would enjoy the full fruits of their labor. As Melvyn Dubofsky demonstrates, though, they also won for him the enmity of employers and eventually the federal government, the latter of whom crippled the IWW and drove Haywood into exile. His overview of Haywood’s life distills these efforts and the motivations behind them into a compact study that interprets it within the context of turn-of-the-century labor activism and the American syndicalist movement.
Dubovsky presents Haywood throughout the book as a man of action rather than thought. This was in part a consequence of the limited education he received growing up in the American West. Forced to work from an early age, by the time he was 15 years old Haywood was already laboring in a Nevada mining camp. It was as a hard-rock miner that Haywood first came into contact with trade unionism, and he became a charter member of the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) Local 66 in 1896. Dubovsky uses the history of the WFM during this period to fill in the many gaps about Haywood’s life during these years, especially as the young Haywood threw himself into union activities, becoming a member of the WFM’s executive board just four years after joining.
Haywood’s experiences with union organizing, particularly with the infamous Colorado “labor wars” in 1903-4, transformed him into an advocate for a single union encompassing the entire working class. This vision became reality the following year when radical unionists established the IWW at a meeting in Chicago, one at which Haywood participated as a delegate. Haywood soon found himself distracted by events, however, as the “confession” of a deranged gunman who assassinated the former governor of Idaho, Frank Steunenberg, led to his arrest as a member of a wide-ranging conspiracy. Acquitted by the jury, the trial turned Haywood into an international figure on the left, and after a disillusioning flirtation with Socialist politics he returned to his work with the IWW.
While possessing only a limited education and easily bored by the endless debates over theory that engaged so many activists on the left, Haywood was a gifted organizer and passionate speechmaker. These skills were put to good use for the IWW in the years that followed, most notably in the Lawrence Textile Strike in 1912. Dubofsky credits the broader economic health as an additional factor in the IWW’s growth during this period, as employers preferred to continue their profitable operations over the income-depriving disruptions caused by a strike. The IWW’s fortunes changed with America’s entry in the First World War, however, as several companies used wartime demands as an excuse to crush union activities. Tried and convicted for sedition along with the rest of the IWW leadership, after the war Haywood chose exile over a debilitating term in prison, fleeing for the Soviet Union where he died in 1928.
As the author of the definitive history of the IWW, Dubofsky brings to this book a thorough understanding of Haywood’s many contributions to the union’s success. This he supplements with the research undertaken by other Haywood biographers, whose efforts Dubofsky generously acknowledges throughout his text. He uses all this to produce an extremely accessible study of Haywood’s life, and one that is full of insights about his beliefs and goals. Dubofsky’s admiration for his subject is evident throughout its pages, yet he does not shy from noting Haywood’s many flaws, including his alcoholism and his abandonment of his wife and daughters. The result serves as an excellent introduction for anyone seeking to learn about the life and achievements of this legendary radical and labor leader.
That person was William Dudley Haywood. As the IWW’s general secretary, “Big Bill” (as he popularly was known) had done more than any other single person to turn the union into an organizing success. Haywood’s dynamic efforts made him a hero for thousands of workers, who thrilled at his aggressive rhetoric and his utopian vision in which workers would enjoy the full fruits of their labor. As Melvyn Dubofsky demonstrates, though, they also won for him the enmity of employers and eventually the federal government, the latter of whom crippled the IWW and drove Haywood into exile. His overview of Haywood’s life distills these efforts and the motivations behind them into a compact study that interprets it within the context of turn-of-the-century labor activism and the American syndicalist movement.
Dubovsky presents Haywood throughout the book as a man of action rather than thought. This was in part a consequence of the limited education he received growing up in the American West. Forced to work from an early age, by the time he was 15 years old Haywood was already laboring in a Nevada mining camp. It was as a hard-rock miner that Haywood first came into contact with trade unionism, and he became a charter member of the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) Local 66 in 1896. Dubovsky uses the history of the WFM during this period to fill in the many gaps about Haywood’s life during these years, especially as the young Haywood threw himself into union activities, becoming a member of the WFM’s executive board just four years after joining.
Haywood’s experiences with union organizing, particularly with the infamous Colorado “labor wars” in 1903-4, transformed him into an advocate for a single union encompassing the entire working class. This vision became reality the following year when radical unionists established the IWW at a meeting in Chicago, one at which Haywood participated as a delegate. Haywood soon found himself distracted by events, however, as the “confession” of a deranged gunman who assassinated the former governor of Idaho, Frank Steunenberg, led to his arrest as a member of a wide-ranging conspiracy. Acquitted by the jury, the trial turned Haywood into an international figure on the left, and after a disillusioning flirtation with Socialist politics he returned to his work with the IWW.
While possessing only a limited education and easily bored by the endless debates over theory that engaged so many activists on the left, Haywood was a gifted organizer and passionate speechmaker. These skills were put to good use for the IWW in the years that followed, most notably in the Lawrence Textile Strike in 1912. Dubofsky credits the broader economic health as an additional factor in the IWW’s growth during this period, as employers preferred to continue their profitable operations over the income-depriving disruptions caused by a strike. The IWW’s fortunes changed with America’s entry in the First World War, however, as several companies used wartime demands as an excuse to crush union activities. Tried and convicted for sedition along with the rest of the IWW leadership, after the war Haywood chose exile over a debilitating term in prison, fleeing for the Soviet Union where he died in 1928.
As the author of the definitive history of the IWW, Dubofsky brings to this book a thorough understanding of Haywood’s many contributions to the union’s success. This he supplements with the research undertaken by other Haywood biographers, whose efforts Dubofsky generously acknowledges throughout his text. He uses all this to produce an extremely accessible study of Haywood’s life, and one that is full of insights about his beliefs and goals. Dubofsky’s admiration for his subject is evident throughout its pages, yet he does not shy from noting Haywood’s many flaws, including his alcoholism and his abandonment of his wife and daughters. The result serves as an excellent introduction for anyone seeking to learn about the life and achievements of this legendary radical and labor leader.
July 27, 2018
Dubofsky wrote with feeling this brief biography of a big-name Wobbly. Haywood's visibility made him face the brunt of World War 1 era Red Scare repression and he died too young, sad and alone, in the Soviet Union. Still there are enough victories and well fought campaigns along the way to keep things thrilling. Dubofsky has also written a general history of the first half century of the IWW and I like how, while being on the side of the Wobblies, he seems to be pretty balanced about the various factions or strategies within the IWW, at least in this book. The only figure he seems to have no sympathy for is Daniel De Leon.
Some of this short book tries to tease out the ideology of probably the least ideological syndicalist, and can only conclude that Haywood just followed his heart. In the back of the book there is an appendix with some versions of the Wobs' preamble plus some awesome songs "to fan the flames of discontent." How come whenever I start belting out stuff like "Solidarity Forever" everyone backs away from me like there is a missile hurtling out of the sky aiming for my head?
Some of this short book tries to tease out the ideology of probably the least ideological syndicalist, and can only conclude that Haywood just followed his heart. In the back of the book there is an appendix with some versions of the Wobs' preamble plus some awesome songs "to fan the flames of discontent." How come whenever I start belting out stuff like "Solidarity Forever" everyone backs away from me like there is a missile hurtling out of the sky aiming for my head?
May 30, 2023
Melvyn Dubofsky wrote one of the great books about the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and followed it up with this short biography of the IWW's most famous leader, 'Big Bill' Haywood. It's a good, concise introduction to the life of Haywood, though one walks away from it wondering what exactly made Haywood into a legend. He moved in and out of the IWW and the Socialist Party, sometimes excelling at leading strikes, sometimes leading them into dead ends. He fled the US at a time when the government was busy jailing or deporting radicals (or worse) and wound up in exile in the Soviet Union. He seemed to be a brilliant administrator, which is interesting, as one imagines him more as a fiery orator than as an efficient office manager. Haywood presided over the militant union at a time of spectacular growth. Had the state not intervened to crush it, one wonders what might have happened. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews