Leftist Labor History

natehousley
  • 4.9 (7)
  • HISTORY
  • SERIES

This is a multi-part limited series looking at labor history in the United States from 1492 to present day. This series uses a Marxist lens to provide context for the relationship between labor and capital throughout time as well as the highlights of US labor organizing.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Episode 1: American Slavery

    The roots of American capitalism lie in forced labor. Beginning with Native American slavery in Spanish America, forced labor changed shape as British North America came to rely on enslaved people and a violent racial caste system. By the 1800s, one of the cruelest, most gruesome institutions in human history enriched the white Western world.

    36 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Episode 2: Reconstruction

    With chattel slavery abolished, workers and capital grapple over the new form of labor. Centers on an analysis of the free labor ideology.

    33 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Episode 3: The Gilded Age

    The free labor ideology that took hold during Reconstruction led to rampant inequality, workplace abuse and violence, and financial instability. In this era (1869--1886), workers began to organize and fight back.

    36 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Episode 4: Labor Movement and Labor War

    Between the years of 1886 and 1929, organized labor takes on a variety of forms. Craft unionism springs up in the American Federation of Labor, and radicals form the Industrial Workers of the World. Capital responds with both persuasion and violence.

    52 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Episode 5: The New Deal

    Labor movement since the 1880s led to the state recognizing the demands of workers. In this episode I discuss what workers gained and what they conceded to get a measure of protection from the government.

    49 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Episode 6 pt. 1: Labor and the Civil Rights Movement

    This episode examines the impact of the coalition between organized labor and the Civil Rights Movement. It also looks at farmworker organizing in California.

    25 min

  7. EPISODE 6

    Episode 6 pt. 2: Deindustrialization 1947--1981

    After World War II breaking the power of organized labor was a top priority for US companies. Deindustrialization was the process by which firms automated their operations and moved them to parts of the country with no union presence. At the end of the episode I examine some explanations for the decline of Big Labor.

    31 min

  8. EPISODE 7

    Episode 7: Neoliberalism 1980--Present

    This final episode brings us up to the present, examining the neoliberal era. Silicon Valley is a microcosm of neoliberalism, and many boosters point to its successes (or, increasingly, to a lack of an alternative). By peeling back the history of the place, we find that it is founded in a Cold War, anti-labor ideology.

    41 min
See All Season 1 (8)

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

This is a multi-part limited series looking at labor history in the United States from 1492 to present day. This series uses a Marxist lens to provide context for the relationship between labor and capital throughout time as well as the highlights of US labor organizing.

Information

  • Creator
    natehousley
  • Episodes
    12
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Leftist Labor History