Criminal syndicalism

Criminal syndicalism has been defined as a doctrine of criminal acts for political, industrial, and social change. These criminal acts include advocation of crime, sabotage, violence, and other unlawful methods of terrorism. Criminal syndicalism laws were enacted to oppose the radical left movement.

Idaho legislation defines it as, “the doctrine which advocates crime, sabotage, violence, or other unlawful methods of terrorism as a means of accomplishing industrial or political reform”.

Key terms in criminal syndicalism statutes had vague definitions.

Criminal syndicalism became a matter of public attention during and after the World War I period, and has been used to defy against the efforts of radical labor movements.

During the 1910s, the public was hostile towards leftist ideologies and deemed social radicalism un-American. Government officials on the state and federal level ordered arrests, imprisonments and killings of people who challenged industrial capitalism or made militant demands under the pre-existing economic structure.

By the year 1933, over 700 convictions of criminal syndicalism were made. Organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union believe laws on criminal syndicalism were aimed to punish doctrines or memberships of unions.

Criminal Syndicalism laws were enacted to combat the efforts of radical labor unions. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is one such union in particular. Defining the labor efforts as criminal allowed for the government to stop the Wobblies' activities and the labor problem of World War I and post World War I altogether. Senator W.G. Walker of Idaho, the nation’s first state to enact a criminal syndicalism law, introduced the criminal syndicalism legislation to the Senate with an anti-IWW speech.

The IWW’s confrontational rhetoric factored into public concerns. The organization used “sabotages” and military tactics in its invocation of social change. The public assumed the IWW promoted violence and destruction of properties even though the IWW did not share these intentions. The IWW’s later attempts at reducing enforcement efforts through distancing itself from this doctrine were unsuccessful.

The IWW’s opposition to United States’ involvement in World War I was in contrast of public sentiment, leading to an unfavorable public opinion towards the organization.

Patriotic societies alleged that German gold financed IWW operations, and that the organization received support from hostile nations.

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