Industrial Workers of the World | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | IWW |
| Founded | June 27, 1905 |
| Newspaper | Industrial Worker |
| Membership | 11,275 |
| Political orientation | Anarcho-syndicalism Libertarian socialism |
| Website | |
| https://www.iww.org/ | |
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is an international leftist trade union. At its peak in 1917, it had 150,000 members.[1] The IWW began as a socialist organization but later shifted to an anarcho-syndicalist position.
History
The IWW was founded in Chicago in June 1905.[2]
The IWW allowed Black workers and women to join at a time when they were still excluded from other unions, including the American Federation of Labor.[3] During a lumber worker strike in 1911 and 1912, half of the strikers were Black.
In 1912, the Syndicalist League of North America, led by William Z. Foster, split from the IWW.[4]
The IWW opposed the First World War. In September 1917, IWW headquarters across the country were raided and 2,000 members were arrested.[5] Unlike the AFL, the IWW refused to take a pledge not to strike during the war.[3]
In 1920, the IWW General Executive Board endorsed the Third International.[6]
The IWW declined after the First World War and had only 11 delegates at its 1925 convention.[4]
Strikes
During the 1910s, the IWW carried out strikes of tens of thousands of workers. They led the "Bread and Roses" strike in Massachusetts in 1912, a strike of silk workers in New Jersey in 1913, and a strike of iron miners in Minnesota in 1916.[4]
References
- ↑ Eric Thomas Chester (2014). The Wobblies in their Heyday. ISBN 9781440833021
- ↑ Nathalie Hrizi (2008-02-01). "Anarchism’s track record: What is militancy without a winning program?" Liberation School. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tom Mackaman (2022-05-25). "The Wobblies (1979): What the IWW means for the working class today" World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 William Z. Foster (1952). History of the Communist Party of the United States: 'The Heyday of the Socialist Party (1905-1914)'.
- ↑ William Z. Foster (1952). History of the Communist Party of the United States: 'World War I: Social-Democratic Betrayal (1914-1918)'.
- ↑ William Z. Foster (1952). History of the Communist Party of the United States: 'The Formation of the Communist Party (1919-1921)'.