Elizabeth Faue reconsiders the varied strains of the labor movement, situating them within the context of rapidly transforming twentieth-century American society to show how these efforts have formed a political and social movement that has shaped the trajectory of American life. Rethinking the American Labor Movement is indispensable reading for scholars and students interested in American labor in the twentieth century and in the interplay between labor, wealth, and power.

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Origins of Modern Trade Unionism
• Insurgent Labor, 1905–1922
• Rebuilding the Movement, 1922–1945
• Stability and Retreat, 1945–1960: Labor’s “Men of Power,” the Cold War, and the State
• Lost Opportunities, 1961–1981: Labor, New Social Movements, and Economic Change
• Labor’s Strengths and Weaknesses, 1981–Present
• Conclusion: The Legacy of Labor in American Politics
• Bibliography