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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] but it was brutally suppressed by the capitalist dictatorship from 1917 to 1924. Although the IWW never collapsed, it lost more than 90% of its members.[2] The IWW began as a socialist organization but later shifted to an anarcho-syndicalist position.
History
Foundation
The IWW was founded in Chicago in June 1905.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5]
First World War
The IWW opposed the First World War. In September 1917, IWW headquarters across the country were raided and 2,000 members were arrested.[6] Unlike the AFL, the IWW refused to take a pledge not to strike during the war.[4]
In April 1918, Chicago charged 113 IWW leaders with a total of over 10,000 charges. The jury only debated for one hour and convicted all defendants on all charges. 35 people were sentenced to five years in prison, 33 to ten years, and 15 to 20 years. Bill Haywood was convicted to 20 years but escaped to the USSR.
26 IWW members from Kansas and 62 from California were sentenced to 1–10 years in prison in late 1918 and early 1919. 64 IWW members were held without trial in Omaha, Nebraska for over a year.[2]
Postwar
In 1920, the IWW General Executive Board endorsed the Third International.[7]
The IWW declined after the First World War and had only 11 delegates at its 1925 convention.[5]
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.[5]
References
- ↑ Eric Thomas Chester (2014). The Wobblies in their Heyday. ISBN 9781440833021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Albert Szymanski (1984). Human Rights in the Soviet Union: 'The Land of the Free' (pp. 167–172). [PDF] London: Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 0862320186 [LG]
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 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.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 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)'.