Key Concepts in Labor Movements and Economic Ideologies

Labor Union

An organized group of workers formed to protect and advance the rights and interests of its members in terms of wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Strike

A work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work, usually as a form of protest to enforce demands regarding wages or working conditions.

Lockout

An action taken by employers to prevent workers from entering the workplace, typically used to resist worker demands or to force workers to agree to certain terms.

Knights of Labor

A prominent national labor organization founded in 1869, which sought to include all workers, skilled and unskilled, and advocated for reforms like an 8-hour workday and better wages.

American Federation of Labor

A federation of skilled labor unions founded in 1881 by Samuel Gompers, focusing on immediate benefits such as better wages, working conditions, and hours, and advocating for skilled workers.

Samuel Gompers

A labor leader who founded the American Federation of Labor and promoted organized labor movements, focusing on practical reforms like higher wages and shorter hours.

Haymarket Riot

A violent confrontation in 1886 between police and labor protesters in Chicago, associated with a bomb explosion during a labor rally, which led to widespread public suspicion of labor unions.

Homestead Strike

A major industrial lockout and strike at Carnegie Steel in 1892, which became violent and ultimately resulted in the breakdown of the union involved.

Pullman Strike

A widespread railroad strike in 1894 against the Pullman Company after wage cuts, which was broken by federal intervention and destroyed the American Railway Union.

Ideology

A set of beliefs or philosophies that influences a person's goals, expectations, and actions, particularly in politics and economics.

Capitalism

An economic system where private individuals or businesses own capital goods and production is driven by profit in a free market.

Social Darwinism

A theory applying the concept of 'survival of the fittest' to society, suggesting that the strongest individuals or businesses will naturally rise to power and wealth.

Communism

A political and economic ideology based on the ideas of Karl Marx, advocating for a classless society in which all property and production means are owned communally.

Socialism

A political and economic system where the government controls or regulates key industries to ensure a fair distribution of resources and services, often aiming to reduce economic inequality.

Anarchism

A political philosophy that advocates for the abolition of all government structures, believing that societies can organize themselves without centralized control.