CHAPTER IX. THE NEW TERRORISM: THE I.W.W.
It was not to be expected that the field of organized labor would
be left undisputed to the moderation of the trade union after its
triumph over the extreme methods of the Knights of Labor. The
public, however, did not anticipate the revolutionary ideal which
again sought to inflame industrial unionism. After the decadence
of the older type of the industrial union several conditions
manifested themselves which now, in retrospect, appear to have
encouraged the violent militants who call themselves the
Industrial Workers of the World.
First of all, there took place in Europe the rise of syndicalism
with its adoption of sympathetic strikes as one of its methods.
Syndicalism flourished especially in France, where from its
inception the alert French mind had shaped for it a philosophy of
violence, whose subtlest exponent was Georges Sorel. "The
Socialist Future of Trade Unions," which he published in 1897,
was an early exposition of his views, but his "Reflections upon
Violence" in 1908 is the best known of his contributions to this
newer doctrine. With true Gallic fervor, the French workingman
had sought to translate his philosophy into action, and in 1906
undertook, with the aid of a revolutionary organization known as
the "Confederation General du Travail," a series of strikes which
culminated in the railroad and post office strike of 1909. All
these uprisings--for they were in reality more than strikes--were
characterized by extreme language, by violent action, and by
impressive public demonstrations.
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