Global Labour History - Essay Example

Global Labor History The cold war occurred between the years 1945-1947 between the allies which included Britain, United States and France on one side and Soviet Union on the other side. The relations between these two sides led to the Cold War and there was a lot of tension between these two parties, which was not only political but military as well. The reason for the emergence of the Cold War was the conflict between the President of the United States and Stalin regarding their idea about the future of the Eastern part of Europe. Both of the two parties wanted to exercise the control over the Eastern Europe and it led to conflict of interest among these countries. Though the cold war never led to a military combat both the groups engaged themselves in the preparation of nuclear weapons. However the labor market of Russia was influenced during the Cold War. More people were engaged in the military forces and there were a huge number of people who were engaged in the Red Army. The war focused country was less proactive about making any changes in the economic scenario In the post Cold War period there was an attempt on part of Khrushchev to inflict nuclear deterrence on the army. The coexistence of such nuclear weapons with both the parties had brought in capitalism to a large extent to the countries. However the country immediately needed a reconstruction as well as stabilization of the economy. There was a lot of investment in industrial products in the country. This led to generation of huge employment in the country. However, along with Russia also saw an increase in the number of labor unions in the country. Globalization is a phenomenon by which each of the nations of the world is integrated on a single platform due to the exchange of goods and services as well as ideas and cultural diversities. The phenomenon has brought a drastic change in the way in which the nations have developed the relations with one another form the point of view of the economic, social and political perspectives. The changes in the relationships took place both at the global as well as the national levels. The aspects of Globalization had often been one of the main areas which interested Stalin. However, he was of the opinion that with the rise of the multinational organizations there would be increase in the capitalism. Hence there would be more exploitation of the labor class throughout the world. As perceived by Lenin Capitalism had its effect on the people of the world and the power was getting concentrated in the hands of a few people. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there was an increase in the rule of the capitalist classes in Russia. Since most of the elite classes of Russia realized the consequences of the post communism era and hence there was a split into the entire empire of and there was a development of independent states that mainly followed the capitalist structure. These people found that they would be in a beneficial position if there was formation of independent states in the country (Silver 149-178). There was an atmosphere of competition as well as cooperation among the elites of Russia. They intended to have a political and social control over the nation and also bring some kind of social and economic change into the country. This showed the pathway for the formation of Eurasia where there would be political and economic cooperation and hence there would be development in the front of international relations. The political power which was centered in Russia tried to have a control over the other countries of Asia. Thus the communist societies were able to adapt to the changes that occurred due to a transition from the communist principle based Russia to that of the capitalist economy. Thus the countries retained the fundamental features while changing to a new structure of organization. There was the creation of the market economy. Certain concept that need to be distinguished in this regard includes the internationalization which means opening up of the trade relations with the other countries of the world and economic production was shared with the other countries of the world (Price 263-270). Along with this there was an increase in the mobility of labor across the nations. The working class struggle got prominence since the industrial revolution. The condition of the working class had been compared across the countries of the world. There was a surge of the capitalist structure in a number of countries of the world. The mobility of the capital in the world increased with the emergence of international trade. This has both favorable and adverse effect on Russia. While there was improvement in the employment levels of the country due to the rise in the demand from the internal markets, this also posed a threat for the indigenous industries as there was availability of goods at a cheaper rate from the Asian Markets like China. With time as capitalism rose in the country the workers had to submit to the productive forces and had to seek employment in the private capitalistic enterprises in the country (Lundestad 219-238). There was a continuous negotiation between the working class and the owner class and hence there were a number of phases which witnesses the submission and the resistance of the laborers towards the organizations that invested in the different types of projects in the country of Russia. It may be noted in the context of global capitalism that the International Labor Organization has a prominent role in Russia. There were tension between the United States and Russia when one of the chief roles of the ILO was assigned with a citizen of the Soviet Union. However, with time such complications were solved by both the sides (Ostrower 495–504). There were allegations against the organization that instead of being an international organization that would look into all the countries uniformly, the Organization had become biased. However such problems were unraveled. It acted as a body that looked into the interest of the labor class despite the rise of global capitalism and its influence on Russia. Works cited Ostrower, Gary B. "The American decision to join the international labor organization”. Labor History, 16.4 (1975): 495–504. Print. Price, Richard. "Histories of Labour and Labour History." Labour History Review, 75.3(2010): 263-270. Print. Silver, Beverly J. Forces of Labor: Workers’ Movements and Globalization Since 1870. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2003. Print. Lundestad, Geir. East, West, North, South: Major Developments in International Politics since 1945. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005. Print. Read More