Class struggle and industrial transformation: The U.S. anthracite industry, 1820?1902

A classical Marxian thesis implies that, historically, the centralisation of an industry would homogenise the labour force, and, as a result, labourers would organise an opposition to capitalists. In the case of the US anthracite coal mining industry, however, centralisation was not a necessary cond...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theory and society 1987-11, Vol.16 (6), p.781-808
Main Authors: Wardell, Mark, Johnston, Robert L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Class Struggle
Industrial Development
Mining Industry
United States of America
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:A classical Marxian thesis implies that, historically, the centralisation of an industry would homogenise the labour force, and, as a result, labourers would organise an opposition to capitalists. In the case of the US anthracite coal mining industry, however, centralisation was not a necessary condition for the formation of major working class organisations. The coal miners formed an industry wide union, staged a general strike, and attempted numerous others prior to the centralisation of the industry. These accomplishments by the miners occurred during a period in which two very different and competing modes of possession combined to produce a moment of uneven development within the industry. (CP)
ISSN:0304-2421
1573-7853
DOI:10.1007/BF00138069