Challenges of Labour: Central and Western Europe 1917-1920

by Wrigley,Chris

• ISBN13: 9780415076869
• ISBN10: 0415076862
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-03-26
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

From 1917-1920 revolutionary activity and working class unrest pervaded Europe, making this one of the most active periods for the European labor movements and socialists. Yet, with the exception of Russia, the forces of order and property crushed revolutions with renewed strength, and succeeded in largely neutralizing socialist governments.The Challenges of Labourbrings together essays by leading authorities in the field, all published for the first time in English, to provide a fresh look at these critical years. The contributors examine developments in the rural provinces and key cities of both Western and Central Europe which were marked by revolutionary and labor protest in the period after the first world war. Beginning with an introduction which gives a clear account of the principal themes and establishes the comparative structure of the book, the collection goes on to explore the causes and extent of unrest, the factors which contributed to its initial success andultimate failure, and the influence of the propertied classes and reestablishment of the old order. Posing new questions in the context of existing debates,The Challenges of Labourprovides a uniquely comprehensive survey of this important topic.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Revolutionary Berlin 1917-20	p. 24
Munich in Turmoil: Social Protest and the Revolutionary Movement 1918-19	p. 51
Budapest and the Revolutions of 1918 and 1919	p. 72
Vienna: a City in the Years of Radical Change 1917-20	p. 87
The Interregnum: Turin, Fiat and Industrial Conflict between War and Fascism	p. 105
Paris 1917-20: Labour Protest and Popular Politics	p. 125
Working-Class Mobilisation on the Clyde 1917-20	p. 149
Notes	p. 173
Demobilisation in Germany 1918-19: The Gradual Erosion of the Powers of the Soldiers' Councils	p. 176
The Hungarian Peasantry and the Revolutions of 1918-19	p. 196
The Fear of Revolution in Rural Austria: The Case of Tyrol	p. 215
Lenin, Italy and Fairy-Tales 1919-20	p. 229
The State and the Challenge of Labour in France 1917-20	p. 239
The State and the Challenge of Labour in Britain 1917-20	p. 262
Conclusion	p. 289
Index	p. 297
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