Apersistent theme that we see in the nineteenth century is that labor movements come in cycles. in other words, they gain steam, only to fall apart by external factors that union leadership was unable to overcome.
the 1850s sees another resurgence in the labor movement, and another potential disaster, the civil war. instead of crumbling during the war, however, labor actually increases.
what was it about the civil war that allowed unions to grow?
secondly, how did the north’s victory lay the groundwork for the first truly national labor movement? what had changed?
lastly, economic stagnation for a third time deals a serious blow to organized labor. why do you think that labor unions in the nineteenth century continuously cannot survive economic depressions?