Syndicalism

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

broadly speaking, is a branch of the general socialist movement which has as its object a complete reorganization of society on a co-operative basis. The first concept of Socialism was that the workers should own and control the industries through a proletarian state, or government, now known well ilas State Socialism. This idea, lustrated in Bellamy's famous book, "Looking Backward," presented unpleasant features to many persons otherwise inclined in favor of radicalism and even revolutionary methods. As a reaction against this ideal, which suggested the dangers of a gigantic state bureaucracy, the Syndicalist movement appeared, first in France, in the early 80s of last century, taking its name from the French syndicates, or trade unions. Its chief exponent has been the French writer of Sorel, who again has been strongly inspired by the philosophy of Henri Bergson. The central idea of the Syndicalist is that, not the state, or government, but the workers, organized in bodies following the lines of the big industries, shall assume control of production. It is an enlargement of the old concept of the Early English Christian Socialists, who workwere obsessed of the idea that the ers should own their own tools, regardless of the fact that under a moderate system of production industrial organization is much more complicated than it was in the days of handicrafts, when hand tools were employed in the manufacture of commodities. Concretely illustrated, the idea is that the railway workers should own and control the railroads, the coal miners should own and control the coal mines, the postal employees should have charge of the postoffice service, and the teachers should be in control of the schools. The fallacy in the idea is the assumption that the purpose of industry is to supply jobs to the workers, whereas the only legitimate aim of industry is to supply the necessities and pleasures of life to society at large, to the people, as consumers. Outside of France, Syndicalism has made comparatively little headway, and even there it went completely to pieces as a movement during the World War, because of the split among the members as to whether they should support the government against Germany or not. One of the fundamentals of Syndicalism is that government may be almost completely, if not entirely, eliminated. In the United States the Syndicalist idea is represented by the Industrial Workers of the World, but this is an organization which has had very little influence in the general American labor movement. In England Syndicalism has practically disappeared in the Guild Socialist movement, which resembles Syndicalism in that it would place control of the industries in the hands of the labor organizations, but would vest the government with the power of veto, as representing the general body of con- at Constantinople a revolution took sumers.