Chapter 16: Capital and Labor Practice Flashcards

VOCABULARY style flashcards covering key industrial, economic, and labor terms from Chapter 16 of The American Yawp.

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

A significant turning point in labor conflict triggered by wage cuts during an economic downturn, leading to the deployment of federal troops and over 100 striker deaths.

Taylorism

Principles of scientific management that increased efficiency and productivity by dividing work into simple, individual tasks through task subdivision.

Monopoly

The exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service.

The Great Merger Movement

A wave of consolidations between 1895 and 1904 in which 4,000 companies, representing 20 percent of the economy, merged with their rivals.

Social Darwinism

The theory that humans, races, and nations were in a 'survival of the fittest' competition, used to justify wealth inequality as a natural sign of progress.

The Knights of Labor

A broad union of skilled and unskilled workers, including women, whose vision was a society where labor was rewarded rather than wealth working only for the wealthy.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

A more conservative alternative to the Knights of Labor that advocated for practical gains like higher wages and fewer hours through trade unionism.

Nationalize

To take something that is privately owned and give ownership to the state (government) for the benefit of the whole nation.

Stump Speakers

Individuals who speak to the general public during a political campaign or in support of a cause.

Proletariat

A term used by Karl Marx to describe factory workers and tenant farmers who worked for the wealth of others.