I figured that I would capitalize on the attention by sharing some interesting and pretty cool history of politics in SE Wisconsin. :)
I am proud of my state and my soul was crushed this past November. That being said, I wanted to share some highlights of a guy who's work I adore.
http://www.johngurda.com/">John Gurda is a well-know local historian who has written pieces such as
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/42448437.html">Here, Socialism meant honest, frugal government,
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/89804422.html">Socialism before it was a four-letter word and you can read his explanation on
http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/blog-3038-john-gurda-on-how-the-socialists-saved-milwaukee.html">How the Socialists Saved Milwaukee. Here are a few snips from his pieces:
One hundred years ago tomorrow, Milwaukee made political history. On April 5, 1910, we became the first (and only) major city in America to elect a Socialist mayor. A former patternmaker named Emil Seidel won a decisive victory in the spring election, beginning a period of Socialist success at the polls that would last until Frank Zeidler stepped down in 1960.
To those outside the city, Seidel's win seemed positively revolutionary, a bold and abrupt departure from the American norm. The truth is that municipal Socialism had been germinating here for generations. It mattered, first of all, that Milwaukee was the most German city in America and that some of its residents were genuine revolutionaries. An 1848 revolt against the German monarchs had ended in victory for the crowned set and exile for thousands of rebels, many of them well-educated idealists who wanted nothing less than to change the world.
The view from Milwaukee is radically different. I'm not a socialist and never have been, but I can testify that Socialism - with a capital "S"- was one of the best things that ever happened to this city. Without realizing it, even the most red-blooded capitalists are enjoying the fruits of their efforts, from spacious parks to clean streets and from a working infrastructure to an expectation, however frequently disappointed, of honest government.
The key to understanding Milwaukee's Socialists is the idea of public enterprise. They didn't just manage, and they didn't just enforce laws and regulations. They pushed a program of public necessities that had a tangible impact on the average citizen's quality of life: public parks, public libraries, public schools, public health, public works (including sewers), public port facilities, public housing, public vocational education and even public natatoria.
Underlying their notion of public enterprise was an abiding faith - curiously antique by today's standards - in the goodness of government, especially local government. The Socialists believed that government was the locus of our common wealth - the resources that belong to all of us and each of us - and they worked to build a community of interest around a deeply shared belief in the common good.
As it came to life in Milwaukee, the Socialist movement had a moral gravity and a passion for results that still resonate in our civic life. Honesty, efficiency, creativity, frugality? If that's Socialism, let's bring it back tomorrow.
Shepherd: So Scott Walker benefited from the Socialist legacy?
Gurda: Isn’t that ironic? And he proceeds to dismantle their legacy.
Shepherd: The Progressives have captured the affections of today’s reformers. What was the relationship between the Progressives and the Socialists?
Gurda: The Progressives were state and the Socialists were city. They had a lot in common. The Milwaukee Socialists would actually back La Follette in presidential and senatorial elections—Fighting Bob. There was kind of a working alliance on a lot of issues. A lot of legislation from 1910, 1912, workers’ comp, some of the really meaningful social welfare legislation that came out of the state, that was authored by Progressives and supported by Socialists, who would have had a bloc in the state Legislature.
There was a great deal of commonality in terms of what they stood for. In terms of their cultural backgrounds, the Progressives were much more Scandinavian and rural. There was a sociological divide of sorts and perhaps a little cultural discomfort between the two. The Socialists were heavily German and urban, and became multiethnic, and industrial. They were working-class folks, as opposed to farmers. So there was a sociological divide that kept them distinct. Ultimately in the 1930s they pretty much joined forces, sort of like the FLP, farm-labor-progressives in Minnesota. It was an attempt to meld those two constituencies.
In addition, a lesser known event happened here in Milwaukee called the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_View_Massacre">Bay View Massacre:
The Bay View Massacre (sometimes also referred to as the Bay View Tragedy) was the culmination of events that began on Saturday May 1, 1886 when 7,000 building-trades workers joined with 5,000 Polish laborers who had organized at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to strike against their employers, demanding an eight-hour work day.
By Monday, these numbers had increased to over 14,000 workers that gathered at the Milwaukee Iron Company rolling mill in Bay View. They were met by 250 National Guardsmen under order from Republican Governor Jeremiah M. Rusk to "shoot to kill" any strikers who attempted to enter. Workers camped in the nearby fields and the Kosciuszko Militia arrived by May 4. Early the next day the crowd, which by this time contained children, approached the mill and were fired upon. Seven people died as a result, including a thirteen-year-old boy.<1> Several more were injured during the protest.
Since 1986, members of the Bay View Historical Society, the Wisconsin Labor History Society, and other community groups have held a commemorative event to honor the memories of those killed during the incident. The event is held at the State Historical Marker site at the intersection of Superior Street and Russell Avenue, within view of the former rolling mill location.
As you can see, a Governor calling the National Guard on workers fighting for rights here is a touchy subject.
And, On Wisconsin.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
