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The Political Economy of Early Southern Unionism: Race, Politics, and Labor in the South, 1880–1953

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2012

Gerald Friedman
Gerald Friedman
Affiliation:
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003. E-mail: gfriedma@lecons.umass.edu.
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Extract

Southern unions were the weak link in the American labor movement, organizing a smaller share of the labor force than did unions in the northern states or in Europe. Structural conditions, including a racially divided rural population, obstructed southern unionization. The South's distinctive political system also blocked unionization. A strict racial code compelling whites to support the Democratic Party and the disfranchisement of southern blacks and many working-class whites combined to create a one-party political system that allowed southern politicians to ignore labor's demands. Unconstrained by working-class voters, southern politicians facilitated strikebreaking and favored employers against unions.

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Articles
Information
The Journal of Economic History , Volume 60 , Issue 2 , June 2000 , pp. 384 - 413
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 2000

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