Overview

During World War I, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) rose to prominence as an effective, militant union and then was destroyed by a devastating campaign of repression launched by the federal government. This book documents the rise and fall of this important industrial labor organization. The Industrial Workers of the World—or ""Wobblies,"" as they were known—included legendary figures from U.S. labor history. Joe Hill, ""Big Bill"" Haywood, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn have become a part of American popular folklore. In this book, author Eric T. Chester shows just how dynamic a force the IWW was during its heyday during World War I, and how determined the federal government was to crush this union—a campaign of repression that remains unique in U.S. history. This work utilizes a wide array of archival sources, many of them never used before, thereby giving readers a clearer view and better understanding of what actually happened. The book leads with an examination of the three key events in the history of the IWW: the Wheatfield, CA, confrontation; the Bisbee, AZ, deportation; and the strike of copper miners in Butte, MT. The second part of the book deconstructs the IWW's responses to World War I, the coordinated attack by the federal government upon the union, and how the union unraveled under this attack.

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9781440833014

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Reviews

Meticulously researched, Chester's study has a narrow focus and will be of greatest interest to labor historians. Profiles, notes, and a bibliographic essay at the end of the book will assist scholars of the labor movement. However, the book's balanced judgments, indicting illegal and unethical government and corporate actions as well as ill-advised decisions by IWW leaders, will also inform all readers interested in social protest movements. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty. - Choice

Author Information

Eric Thomas Chester, PhD, taught economics at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. He holds a doctorate from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

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