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Date Posted: 16:13:24 01/28/03 Tue
Author: j
Subject: Ch23 - Industry and Labor

I. Industry and Labor
A. after the war, the gov. was faced w/ the daunting task of quick economic reconversion
B. Post-War Boom
i. lasted for only a few months
a. mostly b/c of the lingering effects of war
- gov. deficit spending continued for a few months after the armistice
- there was a booming market for scarce consumer goods at a home and a strong market for American products in the war-ravaged nations of Europe (known as inflation)
- through 1919 and 1920 prices rose at an average of 15% a year
C. Post-War Recession
i. the after effect of inflation caused devastation in the economy
a. the gross national product (GNP) declined almost 10%
b. 100,000 businesses went bankrupt
c. 453,000 farmers lost their land
d. 5 million Americans lost their jobs
ii. men coming home from home from war found that work was just as difficult
a. 12 hour workdays
b. companies began not recognizing unions
D. The Strikes Begin
i. 1919 saw more than 3,600 strikes involving over 4 mil. Workers
a. a Seattle strike ended w/ the assistance of US marines to keep the city running
ii. Boston Police Strike
a. w/ police refusing to work, violence and looting erupted in Boston
b. eventually, the national guard was called in
c. finally, Boston fired all the strikers and hired an entirely new police force
iii. Steel Worker’s Strike
a. sept, 1919, 350,000 steel workers walked off the job in several eastern and Midwestern cities
-they wanted their employers to give them an 8 hour work day and the recognition of their union
b. employers often hired armed guards to break up picket lines
- one riot in Gary, Indiana: 18 strikers were killed
c. steel executives kept plants running through non-union labor
- the AFL at first recognized the strike, then when it got hostile, they repudiated their support
d. the strike ended in jan. 1920 and the steel workers lost
vi. the wave of strikes was a reflection of high expectations workers had in the aftermath of war
a. it was also a reflection of the power of the forces arrayed against them

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