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Older photo of men holding signs on strike.
Labor Unions
  1. U.S. Labor Unions in the 1940s
  2. U.S. Unions in the Cold War
  3. Public worker unions in the United States
  4. Decline in Strike Activity in the US
  5. Union Membership Across the United States
  6. Right-to-Work Laws
  7. Types of Unions in the United States
  8. The AFL-CIO
  9. Labor Contracts in the United States
  10. Strikes in the United States
  11. What Happens During a Strike
  12. Long Strikes and Violence
  13. The 1964 Civil Rights Act
  14. Union Campaign Contributions and Political Influence
  15. Unions and Politics
  16. U.S. Unions in the 90s and Today
  17. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: George Meany
  18. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: John L. Lewis
  19. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Walter Reuther
  20. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: A. Philip Randolph
  21. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Jimmy Hoffa
  22. Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Caesar Chavez
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John L. Lewis shakes his fist while speaking.
John L. Lewis testifies in front of Congress in 1947
Photo from PBS.org.
U.S. Unions in the Cold War
In the late 40s and early 50s the United States became involved in a new conflict, the Cold War. This time the enemy was international communism. Many people felt that the Soviet Union and new communist governments in Eastern Europe, China, and North Korea threatened international security. There was also widespread belief that American Communists and Socialists, many of whom were active in the labor movement, supported world communist revolution and posed a grave danger to democratic government and the American way of life. Congress launched sweeping investigations to weed out Communists in government, labor unions, the entertainment industry and even the army. As a result labor unions were forced to purge anyone who had ever belonged to, or had been sympathetic to, the Communist party.
Special Terms: Cold War  |  international  |  Congress  |  communism  |  world communist revolution

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