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The United States had all the components of the formation of the labor movement and even a revolution:

(1) The radical tradition of the American working class and

(2) The theory of Marxism as demonstrated by the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution.

(3) increased wealth of the capitalists and the grow in the income disparity between the middle, upper and lower (working) class in the country.

(4) Inability to own property, plant and equipment by the majority of the working class.

The revolutionary working class movement began in the United States in the mid-1800s and continued till the mid 1900s. One has to remember that these movements were fueled dramatically by the infusion of Marxist, Leninist, Trotskyist and other socialist refugees from Germany, Russia, France and other European countries after the unsuccessful European revolution of 1848. A great number of those who organized the worker's international (of Karl Marx) moved for good to the USA after being unable to achieve much in Europe (Mantsios, 20).

These people in the United States would organize in groups and stir the population hinting that such income disparity should not exist and that workers must own the means of production. The most well known was the Socialist Labor Party of the USA that was founded in 1876. The party was created primarily by the German speaking immigrants; it was never able to accept many new members and remained an immigrant party (Smith, 89).

After the US communist party was created it was immediately repressed by the US government. The so called "Palmer raids" initiated by the US attorney general contributed to the arrests of thousands of the communists, most of whom were immigrants. A great number of them would be deported to Russia and Germany (like Emma Goldman, who was anarchist communist as well as a strong follower of feminism), while in the USA there would be formed a militant organization called American Legion that just like Ku Klux Klan would attack communists in their houses and homes, publicly tar and feather them as well as oftentimes kill with violence.

Speaking about the actual labor movements and strikes, it should be noted that there were quite a few of them, like Strike of 1877, Pullman Strike, the Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912, the Steel Strike of 1919, and PATCO Strike of 1981 (Smith, 90).

One should draw the reader's attention to the fact, that the strikers and labor movements gradually managed to improve the standards of their living, salaries and social security. The US government understood that the labor unions certainly disrupt the normal work of the US economy and thus stepped in help the workers by establishing minimum wages and social security programs, while in turn expected the dismantlement of the labor unions and socialist parties. It was correct in its actions, and as the workers got an opportunity to work for a decent wage, to get social security and to get an opportunity to own the means of production themselves, the popularity of the socialist/communist organizations and labor unions declined, thus giving more control of the labor to the US government.

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