In the 1950s, the conservatives experienced a schism; Conservatives were divided into “libertarian conservatives” and “new conservatives”. Libertarian conservatives reclaimed the idea of freedom as “individual autonomy, limited government, and unregulated capitalism,” which was favored by businessmen seeking to capitalize on an economy free from government regulation, high taxes, and labor unions (Foner 1004). On the other hand, “new” conservatives opposed “‘big government’ in America, at least so long as it was controlled by liberals who, conservatives believed, tolerated or encouraged immorality”(Foner 1005). New conservatism identified freedom with morality and intellect-the major weapons to combat Communism in the Free World. Many people …show more content…
The 1950s exemplify a “new social contract” with the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 and the coalition of the AFL and CIO as one organization representing 35 percent of all nonagricultural workers (Foner 1008). According to Foner, “Unions signed long-term agreements that left decisions regarding capital investment, plant location, and output in management’s hands, and they agreed to try to prevent unauthorized ‘wildcat’ strikes”(1008). Management was given control over their employees and business/company in exchange for a secure labor force to keep things running. Employers granted their employees “wage increases and fringe benefits such as private pension plans, health insurance, and automatic adjustments”(Foner 1008). Employees, though not all, enjoyed larger economic security and benefits that would enable them to live up to the “American standard of living,” which only continued to rise. The “new social contract” brought some benefits to nonunion workers, but failed to benefit the majority. Eventually, the social contract was weakened as companies shifted to the South in search of more complacent and less-unionized …show more content…
According to Foner, the term, “Third-World”, “was invented to describe developing countries aligned with neither of the two Cold War powers and desirous of finding their own model of development between Soviet centralized economic planning and free market capitalism”(1011). The rival superpowers strived to assert their dominance in these non-aligned nations and sway them to their ideology/agenda. Both, the USSR and the US, put their imperialistic needs as a top priority, and thus seeked to involve these nations in the Cold War politically, militarily, and economically. The US was afraid of the USSR creating “power vacuums” in decolonized nations that were newly granted their independence. According to Foner, “The Soviet Union strongly supported the dissolution of Europe’s overseas empires, and communists participated in movements for colonial independence”(1012). The superpowers were eager to dissolve Europe’s empires in places, such as Southeast Asia, in order to puppeteer these nations. America responded with a policy of containment and viewed any opposition to the government as a threat to American interest, thus causing them to act upon subversion. The ideological conflicts in the Cold War carried on into the Third World as the US and USSR competed for
The alliance formed between the US and USSR during the second world war was not strong enough to overcome the decades of uneasiness which existed between the two ideologically polar opposite countries. With their German enemy defeated, the two emerging nuclear superpowers no longer had any common ground on which to base a political, economical, or any other type of relationship. Tensions ran high as the USSR sought to expand Soviet influence throughout Europe while the US and other Western European nations made their opposition to such actions well known. The Eastern countries already under Soviet rule yearned for their independence, while the Western countries were willing to go to great lengths to limit Soviet expansion. "Containment of 'world revolution' became the watchword of American foreign policy throughout the 1950s a...
Modern democratic ideas were sprouting in America, especially within the organized labor movement from 1875 to 1900. During this period, blue-collar industrial Americans sought to abate their plight through the formal use of collective bargaining and the voice of the masses; seeking to use their strength in numbers against the pocket-heavy trusts. America’s rise in Unions can be traced back to 1792, when workers in Philadelphia formed America’s first union which instituted the avant garde method collective bargaining. It is because of these grass roots that America’s organized labor has continued to grow to this day, however not unchallenged. The challenges unions face today stem directly from the challenges faced in 1875. The organized labor movement from 1875 to 1900 is to blame for the problems unions face today as early labor unions crucified themselves politically, alienated themselves socially and failed to increase the socio-economic position of the worker, and in many cases only succeeded in worsening such positions.
Throughout the history of the United States of America the continuation of misfortunes for the workforce has aggravated people to their apex, eventually leading to the development of labor unions.
In the late1960’s American politics were shifting at a National level with liberalism being less supported as its politics were perceived as flawed, both by people on the left who thought that liberalism was not as effective as more radical political enterprises and by conservatives who believed that liberal politics were ostensibly crippling the American economy.
The 1960s and 1970s helped shape the conservative movement to grow in popularity and allowed conservatives to enjoy modern benefits such as economic prosperity and consumerism without conforming to liberal ideologies. The period of strong conservative support, the 1960s, usually refers to the time frame between 1964 through 1974. The grass roots mobilization started strong with the help of Orange County's middle-class men and women volunteers. The effort and hard work of these people along with economic support from businesses such as the National Review helped to spread conservative philosophy. Other contributions to the effort include community meetings, film showing, handing out pamphlets, and Fred Schwarz's school of anti-communism to inform Southern Californians of communist threat. Among anti-communism, conservatives also believe in the importance of religion, a restrictive government role, upholding traditional American values, and private business prosperity. The ethos upheld by long-time residents along with a heavy migration of people who would later join right-wing conservatism made Orange County the ideal location to enrich and expand the movement.
Beginning in the late 1700’s and growing rapidly even today, labor unions form the backbone for the American workforce and continue to fight for the common interests of workers around the country. As we look at the history of these unions, we see powerful individuals such as Terrence Powderly, Samuel Gompers, and Eugene Debs rise up as leaders in a newfound movement that protected the rights of the common worker and ensured better wages, more reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for those people (History). The rise of these labor unions also warranted new legislation that would protect against child labor in factories and give health benefits to workers who were either retired or injured, but everyone was not on board with the idea of foundations working to protect the interests of the common worker. Conflict with their industries lead to many strikes across the country in the coal, steel, and railroad industries, and several of these would ultimately end up leading to bloodshed. However, the existence of labor unions in the United States and their influence on their respective industries still resonates today, and many of our modern ideals that we have today carry over from what these labor unions fought for during through the Industrial Revolution.
Starting during the 1970s, factions of American conservatives slowly came together to form a new and more radical dissenting conservative movement, the New Right. The New Right was just as radical as its liberal opposite, with agendas to increase government involvement beyond the established conservative view of government’s role. Although New Right politicians made admirable advances to dissemble New Deal economic policies, the movement as a whole counters conservativism and the ideologies that America was founded on. Although the New Right adopts conservative economic ideologies, its social agenda weakened the conservative movement by focusing public attention to social and cultural issues that have no place within the established Old Right platform.
The Industrial Revolution that took place after the Civil War made for a more economically sound country. American workers, however, were becoming more and more dependent upon their wages; a fear of unemployment also stemmed from this. Workers didn’t share in the benefits that their employers reaped. In a chart representing the hours and wages of industrial workers, from 1875 to 1891, it shows that even though their wages were subtly increasing, their 10-hour work day remained the same (Doc. A). Factories were headed by large corporations; this, in turn, meant that new machines lessened the amount of workers in certain fields. As a result of these unsuitable conditions, labor unions were formed. The challenges that these unions faced weren’t easy. If the workers involved in organized labor got too far out of line, these corporations could get federal authorities involved. Moreover, these companies could enforce “ironclad oaths” upon their employees. In a Western Union Telegraph Company employee contract, in 1883, it states that the employee will not be affiliated with any societies or organizations (Doc. E). Despite such setbacks, by 1872 there were over 32 national unions.
Led by Senator Barry Goldwater and exemplified in President Ronald Reagan, the growth of right-to-work laws (where unions could not require an entire workplace to pay dues if they represented the workplace) and the disbandment of large unions (Air Traffic Controller Workers by President Reagan) were policies that favored a more market-controlled economy than one dictated by the demands of organized labor. This mindset can even be seen with the more liberal-minded administration of President Johnson, who was concerned about “inflationary labor settlements” and expressed desire step in among the ILA and New York Shipping Association favoring the needs of the employers rather than the wage increases and other demands of ILA members. While the new conservatives brought important critiques to a highly bureaucratic and inflationary economy, increased globalization saw the closures of many domestic manufacturing plants and, consequently, the loss of US manufacturing jobs. While workers grew more concerned about domestic jobs and the public less enchanted with the welfare state, business leaders formed roundtables and alliances to influence political
The prime example of their success is Ronald Reagan with his mix of conservatism and populism. Rhetoric about morality, freedom and responsibility now resonated in new ways with increasing numbers of white middle-class Americans who were concerned with social changes and the threat to their privileges. Even during the Watts Riots, Reagan landed the 1966 campaign for California Governor. But, conservatives did not ease up on their utter disdain for communism. And it highlights a core aspect of McGirr’s argument: she observes how conservatism pits a white-collar middle class against communism and its sinister plots of
During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.
Throughout American history, labor unions have served to facilitate mediation between workers and employers. Workers seek to negotiate with employers for more control over their labor and its fruits. “A labor union can best be defined as an organization that exists for the purpose of representing its members to their employers regarding wages and terms and conditions of employment” (Hunter). Labor unions’ principal objectives are to increase wages, shorten work days, achieve greater benefits, and improve working conditions. Despite these goals, the early years of union formation were characterized by difficulties (Hunter).
The 1950s was a time when American life seemed to be in an ideal model for what family should be. People were portrayed as being happy and content with their lives by the meadia. Women and children were seen as being kind and courteous to the other members of society while when the day ended they were all there to support the man of the house. All of this was just a mirage for what was happening under the surface in the minds of everyone during that time as seen through the women, children, and men of this time struggled to fit into the mold that society had made for them.
The laws and regulations surrounding Industrial Relations since the 1900’s have, at each reform, placed tighter constraints on the amount of power unions are able to exert. The reforms have also radically increased managerial prerogative, through an increased use of individual bargaining, contracts and restrictions imposed on unions (Bray and Waring, 2006). Bray and W...
Labor relations emerged as response towards combating the economic unrest that accompanied the 1930 Great depression. At this period, massive unemployment, decreasing salary and wages, and over competition for jobs despite poor working conditions, was being experience; especially in the US. In turn employees were aggravated and therefore resorted to labor strike that often escalated to violence. To avoid such incident that could potentially harm further an ailing economy, the US government set precedent by passing their first related Labor relationship act, also referred to as the Wagner act. This act excluded public sector and some employees in the informal sector, farm workers to be specific. However, the progressive change in business and labor environment, necessitated changes in the labor laws to ensure they are more inclusive (Haywood & Sijtsma, 2000).