Foner Labour Movement

The fourth source is a quote from historian Philip S. Foner’s book, The History of the Labour Movement in the United States, written between 1947 and 1994. The labour movement was a push for better working conditions, a reduction of child labour and a fair working wage. This specific quote was an 1870 poem that discusses the idea of fair working hours. The source uses phrases such as “tired of toil for naught” to describe the unrest among the working class. In 1870, the average worker spent 61 hours on the job for very little pay, as seen in the line “bare enough to live on”. In the time period of this poem, the workers were looking to cut their workday to just eight hours. New technology granted this workday change, as workers had the technology …show more content…
It discusses that the only way to produce the necessities of life is through human labour, but the “Left” is not willing to work with that system. When mentioning the “Left”, the source points to individuals that believe in an ideology that falls closer to the socialist side of the economic spectrum. This type of ideology promotes economic equality and more government intervention in the economy. The speaker of the source critiques this, stating that a socialist program can only result in “domestic poverty” and global hunger. The sources argues that a more left government will tax producers for the benefit of their possibly unemployed citizens. Benefiting citizens comes from “subsidizing” or funding in the form of government welfare programs. The source also heavily criticizes this system as they describe that members of this ideology believe that production occurs by “magic”. Capitalists would agree with this source’s perspective, specifically because it aligns with their beliefs in government economic involvement being detrimental to the overall economic health. To defend their beliefs, an individual could point to the downfall of the welfare state during the 1970s. Governments utilized Keynesian economics in the post-war years, choosing to spend revenue on social welfare programs and lowering …show more content…
Emblazoned on the ship is the title “European Welfare State” surrounded by multiple tiny lifeboats. During the post-war years, European nations championed the welfare state model. Many nations focussed on developing “social safety net” programs as wells as cutting taxes to boost economic spending. The welfare state also promoted an abandonment of protectionist policies which resulted in the creation of the European Union. One lifeboat in the cartoon features two American symbols, Uncle Sam and the Democratic Party’s donkey. The donkey appears to be saying “Trust me, it's the best” to sway the American nation (Uncle Sam) into supporting a welfare state model. The Democratic Party is a largely left wing party, advocating for government to play a bigger role in the economy, lowering taxes and increasing social programs. The cartoonist supports a more Republican ideology, as seen through his use of the Democratic symbol attempting to “sell” a sinking ship. Ronald Reagan’s implementation of supply-side, or “trickle-down” economics during the 1980s shows support for the ideology of this cartoon. Reagan’s approach involved reducing government regulation in the economy and increasing military spending. His methods were a reaction to the growing unpopularity of the welfare state model that had been brewing during the seventies. Critics of this source would view Reagan’s methods and supply-side economics as unsuccessful,