Womens History Lit Review
Not From Without, But From Within
A fresh, personal, bottom-up approach to the women’s labor movement in the early 20th century
The article From the Russian Pale to Labor Organizing in New York City written by Annelise Orleck reveals how the working class immigrant community played a significant role in influencing women’s labor movements in the early twentieth century. Orleck maintains that as a result of their background, Jewish women had an experience in America different from most women. She posits that since they did not subscribe to the Victorian ideal of a traditional women’s role, Jewish immigrant women were able to form networks which transcended class, ethnicity, and even gender. Orleck’s book is a significant contribution to how labor history is understood and this significance lies in the way she presents her work. Orleck frames the story of the early labor movements of the twentieth century within the personal stories of four Jewish Immigrants: Schneiderman, Newman, Cohn, and Lemlich. These women formulated an “industrial feminism” which was heavily influenced by the class consciousness of socialism, and the unforgiving actuality of industrialized labor. Orleck asserts that their personal relationships and beliefs offer significant insight into the politics and economics which pervaded the women’s labor movement.
To form the basis of her analysis, Orleck looks to the social world of eastern European women in the late nineteenth century. As young girls, Newman, Schneiderman, Cohn, and Lemlich, were exposed to Marxist ideas of socialism and a revolutionary spirit which touted a faith in progress and the belief that political commitment gave life meaning. The girls were also taught that gender, class, and ethnicity were fundamental social categories and are essential building blocks for social change. With this education, came the class-awareness which is inherent in socialist teachings, specifically Marxism. In addition, they were informed by the
A fresh, personal, bottom-up approach to the women’s labor movement in the early 20th century
The article From the Russian Pale to Labor Organizing in New York City written by Annelise Orleck reveals how the working class immigrant community played a significant role in influencing women’s labor movements in the early twentieth century. Orleck maintains that as a result of their background, Jewish women had an experience in America different from most women. She posits that since they did not subscribe to the Victorian ideal of a traditional women’s role, Jewish immigrant women were able to form networks which transcended class, ethnicity, and even gender. Orleck’s book is a significant contribution to how labor history is understood and this significance lies in the way she presents her work. Orleck frames the story of the early labor movements of the twentieth century within the personal stories of four Jewish Immigrants: Schneiderman, Newman, Cohn, and Lemlich. These women formulated an “industrial feminism” which was heavily influenced by the class consciousness of socialism, and the unforgiving actuality of industrialized labor. Orleck asserts that their personal relationships and beliefs offer significant insight into the politics and economics which pervaded the women’s labor movement.
To form the basis of her analysis, Orleck looks to the social world of eastern European women in the late nineteenth century. As young girls, Newman, Schneiderman, Cohn, and Lemlich, were exposed to Marxist ideas of socialism and a revolutionary spirit which touted a faith in progress and the belief that political commitment gave life meaning. The girls were also taught that gender, class, and ethnicity were fundamental social categories and are essential building blocks for social change. With this education, came the class-awareness which is inherent in socialist teachings, specifically Marxism. In addition, they were informed by the