American Government and Politics, Chicagos History - Research Paper Example

American Government and politics Overview Over the years it has been seen that the labor unionshave grown stronger with time because of the different movements that have occurred all over this time. In times when industrialization was taking place in the United States several of these movements were witnessed but not all of them were successful enough to strengthen the labor unions. In 1894 one such conflict took place between the employees of a Car Company and the owner of the company. The Pullman Palace Car Company was owned by George Pullman who had created a residential area for his employees. He laid down his own rules for the employees who stated that they would not complain against the low wages and higher rents. Gradually with time the demand for the Pullman cars decreased and the owner decided to lower the wages of the railroad employees. It was here that the role of Eugene Debs came into play to save the wrath that the employees had to face (Beik 2005). The workers of the railroad company were members of a renowned labor union known as the American Railway Union. Eugene Debs urged the employees to launch a strike against the company so that their wages could be increased and their demands met. The workers then launched a boycott against the Pullman cars and gained a lot of support by joining hands. Debs launched a peaceful strike urging Pullman and the authorities to take the aggravating conditions of the workers into notice. The Union was supported by a number of railroad employees and the number almost reached the mark of 200,000. The Pullman Car Company had the support of the government because of the capitalistic nature of the government. It was because of this reason that the federal government started intervening in the state affairs and an offensive against the labor union was launched. Debs was not successful enough to make the strike successful as the railroads used the government to cut down the strike. Richard Olney interfered and ordered federal intervention for the strike. Federal troops were given the permission to break up the strike as they believed that the delivery of the U.S mail was being affected by the strike. The strike was finally broken down on July 10, 1894 when Debs along with three members of the organization was arrested. Debs was sentenced for six months in the prison and the strike was called off so that the workers could resume their jobs. Although the strike was unsuccessful it proved to be a great event for the labor unions and federal agencies altogether. It had an effect on the national politics of the United States as it favored socialism over the capitalism that was already prevalent in the state. Capitalism and socialism were both affected through the strike. Socialism could not be revived for twenty years after the strike was made unsuccessful by the federal agencies and capitalism was brought down in the next elections. President Grover Cleveland was held responsible for the situation that occurred after the Pullman strike. This essay would further provide an overview of the effect that the Pullman strike had over the national politics of the United States of America (Beik 2005; Salvatore et al 1999). Effect of Pullman Strike The Pullman strike was an unsuccessful venture launched by the labor unions in a time of industrialization. The labor union in those times was not strong enough to fight the capitalist governments and hence they lost to the authoritative powers. The overall effect of the strike was to create a socialist environment in the United States. It brought forward the things that took place against the workers to the attention of people. The Supreme Court also decided against the Pullman Car Company as they violated the charter of companies by providing their workers with the wrong environment and conditions. The strike made the federal government stronger as they were able to launch an offensive against the labor unions. Antitrust laws against the labor unions were formed after the strike was broken down by the federal agencies. Moreover other labor unions all over the United States feared an offensive against them by the federal agencies. In other words the federal agencies got stronger through the Pullman strike and the labor unions got weakened (Almont 1964; Pearson 2009). The Pullman strike was unsuccessful and it somehow forced an end to the movements of labor organizations for two decades. The American Railway Union was no longer strong as it used to be and the capitalist principles were integrated into the labor organizations. In other words both capitalism and socialism prevailed after the strike was carried out. Socialism prevailed in the society through the people who were involved in the strike such as Eugene Debs who became the leader of the Socialist Party in United States. He promoted socialism through the platform and ran as a presidential candidate five times. Capitalism on the other hand prevailed in the labor organizations that were previously unknown in that era. The labor organizations which promoted socialism were no longer seen in America and the movements which challenged capitalism vanished for a while. The labor organization Knights of Labor was finished as it could no longer support the anti capitalistic policies. All these together helped in promoting the conservative labor unions which supported the capitalistic policies. The American Federation of Labor was one of these labor unions which emerged as a big labor union (Beik 2005). Some of the effects of the Pullman strike can be cited in some of the success that it brought with it. The workers of the Pullman Car Company were not provided with the right conditions and the Supreme Court decided against these conditions. The company towns were brought down after the strike and other companies could not form these towns as they feared the federal agencies in a similar fashion. In other words socialism also prevailed in the society. Thus it can be said that two of the major effects of the Pullman strike were related to capitalism and socialism. Eugene Debs became involved in socialism after the strike and became a political leader for the workers after he was released from the jail. The national politics were greatly affected by the strike as the socialistic labor unions were brought down after the strike. The way in which the strike was handled by the government was not appreciated by the citizens and the capitalistic government fell in the next elections. President Cleveland was not elected again because he was believed to be responsible for the mishandling of the situation that arose (Beik 2005; Salvatore et al 1999). Conclusion The Pullman strike was an attempt made by the socialistic labor union to revive the wages of the workers. However the strike proved to be unsuccessful despite of the efforts made by the workers. President Cleveland was held responsible for the mishandling of the situation and he was not re-elected again. The strike had a massive effect on the national politics of the United States as capitalism and socialism both were brought down in the history together. The capitalistic government soon fell whereas socialism started to begin its venture in the United States. For quite some time the labor unions could not launch an offensive like the Pullman strike and it took them two decades to launch a similar offensive against the employers. References Top of Form Beik, Mildred A. Labor Relations. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. Print. Top of Form Schneirov, Richard, Shelton Stromquist, and Nick Salvatore. The Pullman Strike and the Crisis of the 1890s: Essays on Labor and Politics. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1999. Print. Top of Form Lindsey, Almont. The Pullman Strike: The Story of a Unique Experiment and of a Great Labor Upheaval. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1964. Print. Top of Form Pearson, Arthur M. "Utopia Derailed - How the 1894 Pullman Strike Ended One Magnate's Vision of a Working-Class Paradise." Archaeology : a Magazine Dealing with the Antiquity of the World. 62.1 (2009): 46. Print. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More