b. The German mass immigration also included experienced labor leaders and intellectuals who were thoroughly familiar with the theoretical and practical aspirations of the labor movement.
c. Having had experience in the fatherland and finding themselves the controlling factor in many unorganized industrial centers and trades they naturally set about to found their own unions, labor press and other educational auxiliaries as well as their own political or socialist clubs.
III.
1. Thus this country witnessed the simultaneous development of an English speaking labor movement featuring pure and simple unionism, and a German speaking labor movement sponsoring industrial and radical unionism, and independent working class and socialist political action.
2. Clashing over ideologies these parallel movements generally cooperated in practical matters.
IV.
1. The recent immigration has in many respects repeated the course of the early immigration.
2. The bulk of the Southern and Eastern European immigration comes from agricultural districts, is of peasant stock and Catholic. They resemble the Irish with the additional handicap of speaking strange tongues.
3. Because of their helplessness they at first became the prey of mercenary fellow countrymen and greedy employers. Unacquainted with modern industry and not knowing anything about labor organization they remained unorganized until the existing unions, of which the United Mine Workers and the I. W. W. are the most notable examples, offered them a helping hand.
a. Once they became schooled in the method of organized labor they remained its staunchest and most progressive adherents. At present they are the backbone of most of the unions in such basic industries as mining, metal branches, railroad shops, meat packing, wood working, textiles, etc.
At first these immigrant workers unquestioningly followed the leaders of the unions which organized them. But after having become orientated they began to assert themselves through their own leaders and press.
5. In the "pure and simple" unions, they generally alligned themselves with those English speaking workers who hold that their unions should supplement their activities for the betterment of immediate conditions with support of causes that advocate the attainment of a new social order.
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