Mobilization and strike activity in American bituminous and anthracite coal mining in the late 19th century

The article analyzes the strike activity of workers in two closely related industries, American bituminous and anthracite coal mining in the late 19th century. It shows that the employees of these two branches of industry sho w significantly differing strike activities in spite of their nearly equal position in the class structure. The analysis demonstrates that the most im portant conditions for the mobilization of workers were first the counter s trategies and resources of the firms, second the extent of union organizati on, third the social differentiation of the employees, fourth the dependenc e of wages on the business cycle and their ensuing insecurity, and fifth wo rkplace autonomy and therefore the opportunities for workplace interaction of certain groups of workers. The results support the thesis, that similar class structures do not necessarily lead to similar social and political co nflicts. The mobilization for conflicts depends instead on specific conditi ons, which must be researched in their own right.