Book

Labour at the Lakehead : ethnicity, socialism, and politics, 1900-35

Beaulieu, Michel S

Overview

In the early twentieth century, the Canadian Lakehead was known as a breeding ground for revolution, a place where harsh conditions in dockyards, lumber mills, and railway yards drove immigrants into radical labour politics. This intensely engaging history reasserts Northwestern Ontario's rightful reputation as a birthplace of leftism in Canada by exposing the conditions that gave rise to an array of left-wing organizations, including the Communist Party, the One Big Union, and the Industrial Workers of the World. Yet, as Michel Beaulieu shows, the circumstances and actions of Lakehead labour, especially those related to ideology, ethnicity, and personality were complex; they simultaneously empowered and fettered workers in their struggles against the shackles of capitalism. Cultural ties helped bring left-wing ideas to Canada but, as each group developed a distinctive vocabulary of socialism, Anglo-Celtic workers defended their privileges against Finns, Ukrainians, and Italians. At the Lakehead, ethnic difference often outweighed class solidarity -- at the cost of a stronger labour movement for Canada.

• Publisher: UBC Press
• Subject: Labor movement Ontario Thunder Bay History 20th century. / Labor unions Ontario Thunder Bay History 20th century. / Mouvement ouvrier Ontario Thunder Bay Histoire 20e siلecle. / Syndicats Ontario Thunder Bay Histoire 20e siلecle. / Thunder Bay (Ont.) Ethnic relations. / Thunder Bay (Ont.) Politics and government 20th century. / Thunder Bay (Ont.) Social conditions 20th century. / Thunder Bay (Ont.) Relations interethniques. / Thunder Bay (Ont.) Politique et gouvernement 20e siلecle. / Thunder Bay (Ont.) Conditions sociales 20e siلecle.
• ISBN: 9780774820011, 0774820012, 9780774820028, 0774820020

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Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
HD6529.T49 B42 2011	1	BOOK	BUSINESS