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The Resource Making the world safe for workers : labor, the Left, and Wilsonian internationalism, Elizabeth McKillen

Making the world safe for workers : labor, the Left, and Wilsonian internationalism, Elizabeth McKillen

Creator
Summary
In this intellectually ambitious study, Elizabeth McKillen explores the significance of Wilsonian internationalism for workers and the influence of American labor in both shaping and undermining the foreign policies and war mobilization efforts of Woodrow Wilson's administration. During his presidency, Wilson contended with strong anti-imperialist and antiwar currents that coursed through the U.S. labor movement as well as revolutionary upheavals and labor unrest abroad that undermined his diplomatic initiatives. McKillen highlights the major fault lines that emerged within labor circles as Wilson pursued his agenda in the context of Mexican and European revolutions, World War I, and the Versailles Peace Conference. McKillen's spotlight falls particularly on the American Federation of Labor, whose leadership collaborated extensively with Wilson, assisting with propaganda, policy, and diplomacy. AFL founder Samuel Gompers eventually served as an advisor to the Wilson administration at Versailles and played a leading role in shaping the peace treaty's labor provisions and constructing the International Labor Organization. At the same time, McKillen asserts, other labor groups (and even sub-groups within the AFL) vehemently opposed Wilsonian internationalism. Abroad, the Wilsonian vision faced challenges from both European labor moderates and communists. Among U.S. groups, particularly effective opposition came from the U.S. Socialist Party, which framed the debate over democratic control of industry as an anti-war and anti-imperialist issue. Irish Americans and German Americans, spurred by European labor leaders and seeking support for revolution in their homelands, also joined sides against Wilson, as did the IWW and left-leaning African American and women workers. Even as the AFL leadership toiled on Wilson's behalf, a shifting coterie of these oppositional groups mounted sophisticated critiques. They deconstructed propaganda, staged strikes, and built surprising political alliances; ultimately, they undermined Wilson's agenda to the point that he was unable to realize some of his dearest international ambitions. As McKillen shows, the choice to collaborate with or resist U.S. foreign policy remained an important one for labor throughout the twentieth century. In fact, it continues to resonate today in debates over the global economy, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the impact of U.S. policies on workers at home and abroad --
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xii, 299 pages
Contents
  • Part I Mexico and the Western Hemisphere Chapter 1 The Mexican Revolution as Catalyst 23 Part II World War I and the U.S. Labor Debate over Neutrality and Preparedness Chapter 2 The Outbreak of World War I and the Socialist War on War 56 Chapter 3 Antiwar Cultures of the AFL, the Debate over Preparedness, and the Gompers Turnabout 91 Part III U.S. Belligerency Chapter 4 Dialectical Relationships: Collaboration and Resistance in Wartime 128 Chapter 5 The AFL, International Labor Politics, and Labor Dissent in 1918 152 Part IV Versailles and Its Aftermath Chapter 6 Making the World Safe for Workers? The AFL, Wilson, and the Creation of the ILO at Versailles 181 Chapter 7 U.S. Labor Irreconcilables and Reservationists and the Founding ILO Conference in Washington, D.C., November 1919 208 Conclusion 241 Notes 247 Abbreviations and Primary Sources 287 Index
Isbn
9780252037870
Instance
Label
Making the world safe for workers : labor, the Left, and Wilsonian internationalism
Title
Making the world safe for workers
Title remainder
labor, the Left, and Wilsonian internationalism
Statement of responsibility
Elizabeth McKillen
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
In this intellectually ambitious study, Elizabeth McKillen explores the significance of Wilsonian internationalism for workers and the influence of American labor in both shaping and undermining the foreign policies and war mobilization efforts of Woodrow Wilson's administration. During his presidency, Wilson contended with strong anti-imperialist and antiwar currents that coursed through the U.S. labor movement as well as revolutionary upheavals and labor unrest abroad that undermined his diplomatic initiatives. McKillen highlights the major fault lines that emerged within labor circles as Wilson pursued his agenda in the context of Mexican and European revolutions, World War I, and the Versailles Peace Conference. McKillen's spotlight falls particularly on the American Federation of Labor, whose leadership collaborated extensively with Wilson, assisting with propaganda, policy, and diplomacy. AFL founder Samuel Gompers eventually served as an advisor to the Wilson administration at Versailles and played a leading role in shaping the peace treaty's labor provisions and constructing the International Labor Organization. At the same time, McKillen asserts, other labor groups (and even sub-groups within the AFL) vehemently opposed Wilsonian internationalism. Abroad, the Wilsonian vision faced challenges from both European labor moderates and communists. Among U.S. groups, particularly effective opposition came from the U.S. Socialist Party, which framed the debate over democratic control of industry as an anti-war and anti-imperialist issue. Irish Americans and German Americans, spurred by European labor leaders and seeking support for revolution in their homelands, also joined sides against Wilson, as did the IWW and left-leaning African American and women workers. Even as the AFL leadership toiled on Wilson's behalf, a shifting coterie of these oppositional groups mounted sophisticated critiques. They deconstructed propaganda, staged strikes, and built surprising political alliances; ultimately, they undermined Wilson's agenda to the point that he was unable to realize some of his dearest international ambitions. As McKillen shows, the choice to collaborate with or resist U.S. foreign policy remained an important one for labor throughout the twentieth century. In fact, it continues to resonate today in debates over the global economy, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the impact of U.S. policies on workers at home and abroad --
Member of
Assigning source
Provided by Publisher
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1957-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
McKillen, Elizabeth
Dewey number
331.88097309041
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
index present
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
Series statement
The working class in American history
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Wilson, Woodrow
  • International Labour Organization
  • Labor
  • Labor unions
  • Labor movement
  • International labor activities
  • United States
Label
Making the world safe for workers : labor, the Left, and Wilsonian internationalism, Elizabeth McKillen
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier.
Content category
text
Content type MARC source
rdacontent.
Contents
Part I Mexico and the Western Hemisphere Chapter 1 The Mexican Revolution as Catalyst 23 Part II World War I and the U.S. Labor Debate over Neutrality and Preparedness Chapter 2 The Outbreak of World War I and the Socialist War on War 56 Chapter 3 Antiwar Cultures of the AFL, the Debate over Preparedness, and the Gompers Turnabout 91 Part III U.S. Belligerency Chapter 4 Dialectical Relationships: Collaboration and Resistance in Wartime 128 Chapter 5 The AFL, International Labor Politics, and Labor Dissent in 1918 152 Part IV Versailles and Its Aftermath Chapter 6 Making the World Safe for Workers? The AFL, Wilson, and the Creation of the ILO at Versailles 181 Chapter 7 U.S. Labor Irreconcilables and Reservationists and the Founding ILO Conference in Washington, D.C., November 1919 208 Conclusion 241 Notes 247 Abbreviations and Primary Sources 287 Index
Control code
FIEb17506827
Dimensions
25 cm.
Extent
xii, 299 pages
Isbn
9780252037870
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia.
System control number
(OCoLC)835115172
Label
Making the world safe for workers : labor, the Left, and Wilsonian internationalism, Elizabeth McKillen
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier.
Content category
text
Content type MARC source
rdacontent.
Contents
Part I Mexico and the Western Hemisphere Chapter 1 The Mexican Revolution as Catalyst 23 Part II World War I and the U.S. Labor Debate over Neutrality and Preparedness Chapter 2 The Outbreak of World War I and the Socialist War on War 56 Chapter 3 Antiwar Cultures of the AFL, the Debate over Preparedness, and the Gompers Turnabout 91 Part III U.S. Belligerency Chapter 4 Dialectical Relationships: Collaboration and Resistance in Wartime 128 Chapter 5 The AFL, International Labor Politics, and Labor Dissent in 1918 152 Part IV Versailles and Its Aftermath Chapter 6 Making the World Safe for Workers? The AFL, Wilson, and the Creation of the ILO at Versailles 181 Chapter 7 U.S. Labor Irreconcilables and Reservationists and the Founding ILO Conference in Washington, D.C., November 1919 208 Conclusion 241 Notes 247 Abbreviations and Primary Sources 287 Index
Control code
FIEb17506827
Dimensions
25 cm.
Extent
xii, 299 pages
Isbn
9780252037870
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia.
System control number
(OCoLC)835115172

Subject

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