Critical Thinking

RUNNING HEAD: RADICAL WOLLONGONG

Critical thinking: Radical Wollongong.

Name of Student

[Name of the Institution]

Case Study: India

Question 1(A)

Communism: After the two mine blasts in 1887 and 1902, the communist party began to grow in the mining city of Wollongong. The party reached its peak after World War 2 when it harnessed a total membership toll of 23000. The communist party helped the notion of a welfare state grow. They developed strong community cohesion, provided employment and food to the people for about a quarter of a century as well.

Capitalism: The system of Australia at the time was capitalism. The people giving the jobs to miners controlled the finances and provided minimal safety protection wages to the workers. This resulted in the two blasts which ignited the rise of the communist party and the trade unions.

Fascism: Menzie, the attorney journal of Australia was influenced by the way that Hitler’s fascism had the trade unions under control. The way that he tried to stop the coal strike was a prime example of the fascist mentality of Menzie.

The way he tried to ban the communist party by holding a nationwide referendum was a representation of the right-wing conservatism that was ingrained in him.

Question 1(b)

After the two mine blasts in 1887 and 1902, the miner’s association formed and it started to work for the rights and benefits of the workers. At the same time, the idea of communism started to take its roots in the Australian community. The idea of capitalism was frowned upon by the community at the time as they saw the working conditions of the miners as the gauging scale.

Question 2(a)

The Australian labor party can be seen as the party that carries the most after-effects of the historical baggage that Australia has. On the political spectrum, the Australian labor party can be seen as the center left party of Australia. The labor unions found in the 1890’s are seen as the founding fathers of the Australian labor party. The role that industrial workers play in Australian politics can be seen in the Australian labor party. Before the federalization of Australia, the protectionist and the free labor parties were on the forefront of the country’s struggle for the rights of Australian labor.

Question 2(b)

The labor unions began to work in the 1890s after the working condition of the miners worsened due to the strict capitalistic system. The blasts in coal mines resulting in the killing of miners became the trigger for it. The communist agenda came into play when the labour were looking for another ideology to look for an ideology that would improve their working conditions. The communist agendas peaked in the post-world war 2 scenario, when the people saw that the fascist Germany was defeated by a socialist Soviet Union. Afterwards, developments like the coal strike and the cold war saw the demise of the communist party along with the Soviet Union.

Question 3(b)

The industrial workers of the world were an organization that pushed for militant union action and was very closely related to the miner’s association. The miner’s association came into being when the rights of the miners were being subjugated as the working conditions worsened. Menzie, though influenced by fascism was the part of the far right. The communist party which gained roots after world war 2 was a far left organization.

Question 3(c)

A nationwide coal strike was made by the miners’ union on demands for better wages and better working conditions. An attempt was made to stop the coal strike by freezing the accounts of unionist funds by the government but the attempt was foiled as the unionist party members withdrew the funds from the said accounts just in time.

Question 4

The trade unions and the communist party relied heavily on the use of grass roots communications and newspaper networks. Menzie’s attempt to ban the communist party in 1951 was foiled due to a strong grass roots movement by the communist party. The protests against the drafting bill was also made increasingly popular due to the nationwide grass roots movement launched by common people. Mothers carrying play cards stating “Save our sons!”, made the campaign resonate with mothers nationwide. On the other hand, state media was used to spread news about the socialist agendas of the soviets and thus demonized. The use of media in the understanding of strike at port Kimball was very clear when the government acceded to the demands of the unionists to stop the export of pig iron to Japan.

Question 5

Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher and thinker who has gained worldwide popularity due to his works in the field of linguistics. Noam Chomsky is an American liberalist socialist, a sympathizer of anarcho-syndicalism and is considered as an important political figure in the left-wing politics of the United States. Chomsky is a very famous critic of capitalism as he sees it as oppressive. He supports libertarian socialist ideas in which there is a compromise between democracy and strict soviet socialism. He views both political ideologies as very extreme in nature and condemns both of them. His works, though not extremely popular in the field of political science, still remain a source of inspiration for many.