POPULAR BASES OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOR-MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED-STATES AND BRITAIN, 1939-1949

This paper examines the working class in the United States and Britain in order to find a new perspective on the origins and break-up of the World Federation of Trade Unions. While most previous works have focu sed on the roles of institutions and leaders, this research uncovers t he important role played by the thoughts, actions, and inactions of av erage workers in international affairs. American and British workers, as key constituents of two of the most important organizations making up the WFTU, were not passive observers of world events. Rather, they were critical not only of how the world union movement functioned, but also of the process which came to be termed the Cold War.