History of the Labor Movement in the United States, Vol. 6: On the Eve of America's Entrance into World War I 1915-1916

History of the Labor Movement in the United States #6

by Philip S. Foner

Traces the history of labor unions and the labor movement from America's colonial era, through the Industrial Revolution, to the present

Genres: Labor, History, Nonfiction, American History

254 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1982

About the author

Philip Sheldon Foner was an American labor historian and teacher. Foner was a prolific author and editor of more than 100 books.

Reviews

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this point, Philip Foner (cousin of the more famous Eric Foner) pretty much has his formula for these volumes. Volume 6, like volume 5, is a thinner book than the first four, covering just a two year interval. In his typical style, he broadly reviews major labor struggles of the period in different areas of the U.S. and is often critical of craft unionism (as opposed to industrial unionism) and is also critical of the AFL for lacking a spirit of radical class-consciousness.

A big part of the back half of the book is concerned with railroad brotherhoods and the struggle to achieve the 8-hour workday for railway workers. In this area, Foner expands his usual discussion to rope in the role of the political process.

As in other volumes, there are also chapters devoted to the changing roles of women and minorities in the labor movement. Sadly, the labor movement, despite its progressive values, was generally as slow as other institutions of the time to include more diverse voices in its leadership and membership.

I've enjoyed reading through this series even though the writing is somewhat staid and Foner's views on each issue tend to be fairly predictable. (I'm sure it helps that I am ideologically inclined to share Foner's views.) They remain an excellent compendium of facts about the history of the labor movement and are full of great quotes.