Marxist IQ: Spot quiz on labor history

 
BY:Communist Party USA| September 10, 2019
Marxist IQ: Spot quiz on labor history

 

1.  An  early champion of declaring Labor Day a national holiday in the late 19 century was:

a. President William McKinley;
b. Financier J. P. Morgan;
c.  Cigar Makers Union leader Samuel Gompers;
d.  Peter MaGuire, socialist leader of the Carpenters Union.

 

2.  In the U.S.  conservative “business unionists”  led by the American Federation of Labor (AFL) until the 1930s  supported:

a. Organizing skilled workers only;
b.  Accepting  discriminatory policies against minority and women workers;
c.  Opposing the formation of an independent labor political party;
d.  All of the above.

 

3. From the 1920s on, the Communist Party, USA, fought to establish:

a.  One big union;
b.  Cooperation between business and labor;
c.  Inclusive industrial unions open to all workers, regardless of skill, ethnicity or gender;
d.  Unions that stay out of politics.

 

4. Communist Party activists played a leading role in organizing most of  the  major strike  victories won by the American labor movement  in the 20th century. Which of these victories  did not have CPUSA activists playing a major role:

a. The San Francisco General Strike of 1934;
b. The Flint General Motors Strike of 1937;
c. The Ford Motor Company Strike of 1941;
d.  The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1903.

 

 

5.  Perhaps the most telling  example of  the long-term  effects of the Cold War based anti-Communist labor legislation and  purges of Communist and left leadership from unions is:

a. The sharp rise in real wages that American workers have experienced in the last 40 years;
b. The greater income equality that has developed over the last 40 years;
c. The decline in the percentage of unionized private sector workers from 35% in 1947 to  less than 10% today;
d. The improvement in pension and health care benefits that  unions have won in the last 40  years.

 

 

6. Donald Trump giving  a Labor Day speech this year would be as trustworthy as:

a.  Bernie Madoff establishing a new hedge fund;
b.  Confederate President Jefferson Davis proclaiming his support for racial equality;
c.  Publisher Rupert Murdoch proclaiming his support for socialism;
d.  All of the above.

Get your answers here.

 

 

 

Comments

Author
    The Communist Party USA is a  revolutionary working-class  political party founded in 1919 in Chicago, IL. The Communist Party stands for the interests of the American working class and the American people. It stands for our interests in both the present and the future. Solidarity with workers of other countries is also part of our work. We work in coalition with the labor movement, the peace movement, the student movement, organizations fighting for equality and social justice, the environmental movement, immigrants rights groups and the health care for all campaign. But to win a better life for working families, we believe that we must go further. We believe that the American people can replace capitalism with a system that puts people before profit — socialism. We are rooted in our country's revolutionary history and its struggles for democracy. We call for "Bill of Rights" socialism, guaranteeing full individual freedoms.

Related Articles

For democracy. For equality. For socialism. For a sustainable future and a world that puts people before profits. Join the Communist Party USA today.

Join Now

We are a political party of the working class, for the working class, with no corporate sponsors or billionaire backers. Join the generations of workers whose generosity and solidarity sustains the fight for justice.

Donate Now

CPUSA Mailbag

If you have any questions related to CPUSA, you can ask our experts
  • QHow does the CPUSA feel about the current American foreign...
  • AThanks for a great question, Conlan.  CPUSA stands for peace and international solidarity, and has a long history of involvement...
Read More
Ask a question
See all Answer