The Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) was founded in January 1905 on the premise that “The working class and the employing class have nothing in common.” It was understood by all who belonged to and were leaders in the I.W.W. that the organization stood strongly for ending capitalism and craft unionism. However, despite the consensus in the I.W.W. that capitalism and craft unionism needed to be eliminated, the organization was greatly divided in two respects: how to do away with the current wage structure and how to get rid of the current capitalistic system in which the employer made great profits at the tremendous expense of the common laborer. Two groups arose out of this debate: the direct actionists and the political actionists. The direct actionists favored change through direct economic action or “action at the point of production.” This meant bringing about an eventual end to capitalism through strikes, boycotts, demonstrations, free speech fights, and industrial sabotage. The other side, the political actionists, believed the goals of the I.W.W. could best be achieved by going the political route. In other words, they advocated using politi

cs as the means for achieving their goals. It is important to note that the debate over how to change the system started with the inception of the I.W.W. in early 1905 and was an extremely contentious issue during the organization’s formative years. The contest of direct action vs. political action isolated many groups and most importantly led to several shifts in the industrial union’s leadership and doctrine.

Following the 1908 convention, the I.W.W. began a campaign that encouraged its members to actively engage in many forms of direct economic action such as strikes, free speech fights, and public demonstrations. From 1908 to 1916, the I.W.W. organized dozens of free speech campaigns designed to instruct workers about the class struggle and to offset community resistance to arranging the formation of the “One Big Union.” Massive strikes began taking place throughout the country as well. The Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912 and the Paterson Silk Workers Strike of 1913 are two examples of major strikes, the likes of which had never been seen before in terms of size. By the second decade of the twentieth century, the I.W.W. had truly emerged as an organization dedicated to bringing about change in society through direct economic action. No longer was the debate of whether change should come through political action or direct action a highly divisive issue in the union.

The shift in leadership at the 1906 convention was an important development in the debate of direct action vs. political action, and the series of strikes that soon followed the 1906 convention reflect a major change in the I.W.W.—the organization was becoming progressively more focused on achieving change through direct economic action. From 1906 to 1908, the I.W.W. was at a crucial stage in its maturity. It was shifting from a more conservative organization dominated by a few powerful unions (such as the W.F.M.) to a more “radical” association in which its leaders were looking out for all industrial workers and making improvements to the capitalist system through direct economic action.

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