Overview

The Ordeal of the Jungle boldly revises previous scholarship regarding Chicago's labor movement in the World war I era. It examines the failures of the Chicago Federation of Labor to build a progressive, interracial organization. Following failed strikes and a tumultuous time, the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 shattered the CFL's tenuous interracial alliance.

Full Product Details

9780809337446

Table of Contents

Reviews

Bates offers a vivid account of the Chicago labor movement's failed attempts to promote a progressive brand of interracial unionism early in the twentieth century. Through a masterful synthesis of the 'old' and 'new' labor histories, Bates illuminates how employer predation, union miscues, and rank-and-file conflict worked together to undercut solidarity and with it hopes of racial change and economic justice. A vital retelling with important lessons for both historians and labor organizers. --Kerry Pimblott, author of Faith in Black Power: Race, Religion, and Resistance in Cairo, Illinois

Author Information

David Bates is an assistant professor of history at Concordia University Chicago. He is a regular contributor to the Illinois Reading Council Journal and has also contributed to the Journal of Interdisciplinary History and The Encyclopedia of American Reform Movements.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available