Why were the labor unions associated with anarachists and socialists?

Answer 1

Because they had too much power and abused it by making themselves self serving without regard for others. Just like the reason they came into existence was because the employers had too much power and abused it by being overly self serving. The only place that unions really work any more is in a monopoly or the government which is a monopoly.

Answer 2

Most labor unions really didn't want the anarchists to be associated with them, though a few unions were started by anarchists, it is just that the anarchists wanted to use the unions for their own needs. The reason that most labor unions were associated with socialists is that they were started by those that were socialist.

The founders of the Knights of Labor, and eventually headed by Terrence Powderly, were very socialist. They believed in a worker cooperative. The founder of the National Labor Union (NLU), William Sylvis, was a follower of Karl Marx. There was one labor union that was started by anarchists. It was the International Workers of the World (IWW). They believed in violence towards authority. Another union started by socialist was the Socialist Party of America. Their approach was different. They believed they could cause change by going to the ballot box, not through violence or strikes. The most conservative union, which is why it still exist today, was the American Federation of Labor (AFL). It believed in caution. It wanted to help the workers, not take over the factories.

I hope this was a good answer. We just studied this in U.S. History class a couple of weeks ago.

Answer 3

Because homies and pimps were already taken as possible associations.