Crisis of Authority: Middle Eastern Conflict and Shuttle Diplomacy
The situation in the Middle East has become more volatile since the Six Day War in 1967. On Yom Kippur, October of 1973, Egypt and Syria coordinate an attack on Israel. As Henry Kissinger, now Secretary of State, attempts to orchestrate a settlement...
New Corporate Order, A: Class Violence--Labor vs. Employer--Breaks Out at Work Sites
Despite the collective efforts of workers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, working conditions do not improve. Frustration grows, relations deteriorate into a series of violent strikes and labor actions in the railroad, garment, and steel i...
New Corporate Order, A: Beginnings of the Union Movement
Working men and women attempt to fight back against poor working conditions by adopting some of the same tactics their employers use, repeatedly trying to organize themselves in order to force change. Some early unions like the Knights of Labor enjo...
Progressive Era, The: Challenging the Capitalist Order
At no time in U. S. history do critics of capitalism attract more support than in the period between 1900 and 1914. Although socialists agree on the need for basic structural changes in the economy, they differ widely on the tactics to use. Among th...
New Corporate Order, A: Plight of the Worker, The
The industrial revolution creates many factory jobs, most of which are occupied by unskilled laborers. These men, women and children earn a very low wage, work long hours and in deplorable conditions. The result is a poor, uneducated working class w...
Hard Times: Ordeal of President Hoover, The
Herbert Hoover begins his presidency in March of 1929 believing, like most Americans, that the nation faces a bright and prosperous future. The economic crisis that begins before the year is over forces him to deal with a very different set of probl...
Hard Times: Election of 1932
The unpopularity of Hoover virtually guarantees a Democratic victory in the election of 1932. Democratic candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt is not the most titanic figure on the political landscape, but he wins the nomination because of powerful su...
America in a World At War: Labor and the War
World War II creates a serious labor shortage as the armed forces take more than 15 million men and women from the civilian workforce. This shortage of manpower solidifies the position of labor unions. Although labor unions pledge not to strike if a...
Chaos of Experimentation, A: Industrial Recovery
In the face of this economic crisis business leaders push for relaxation of antitrust regulations. The National Industrial Recovery Act provides the relief they want, but demands certain concessions in return--the restriction of production and estab...
Chaos of Experimentation, A: Labor's Organizing Battles
Labor leaders, most notably John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers, propose to organize all workers, skilled and unskilled, in a single union to maximize bargaining power. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) staunchly opposes this idea, resulti...