Overview
How did organized labor in the United States react to the Mexican Revolution, and what was the effect of that reaction? Gregg Andrews shows that Samuel Gompers and the American Federation of Labor significantly helped to shape United States policy toward revolutionary nationalist movements in Latin America.
Between 1910 and 1924 AFL leaders followed a complex logic that led them to support Mexican workers and yet contribute to Mexico's economic dependence on the United States. The interplay between progressive forces within the AFL—especially trade-union Socialists—and American corporatist elements is a principal focus of this revealing study. Gompers's internationalist policies and his efforts to manipulate U.S. officials, investors in Mexico, and other labor elements while they in turn manipulated him, are an important key to understanding the ongoing relationship between the labor movement and actions of the United States in Central America.