American history has seen a number of interest groups and alliances of individuals with a specific goal or common interest that attempt to influence society and government policy. Their main way of interacting with the state is through lobbying – the act of applying financial pressure on government institutions to achieve the desired outcome. The result may be passing laws that benefit a specific group of people or advancing a social, political, or economic cause, for example, fighting climate change. This essay covers the history of interest groups and examines the influence of The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the Chamber of Congress.
An interest group is defined by its goal and not its size or resources. According to Petracca (2018), “the term interest group is applied to a wide variety of organizations ranging from desperately poor environmental interest group to lavishly financed corporations” (p. 85). Interest groups are united by their members’ specific causes or common predicament. The histories and reasons for creating most organizations are similar, despite the differences in aims. “All interest groups share a desire to affect government policy to benefit themselves or their causes” (Clive, 2021, para. 1). Political action always involves a large group of people who fulfill the roles of management, public relations, recruitment, advocacy, and lobbying. Otherwise, making an impact in society is incredibly difficult, almost impossible, especially in America. Since the state consists of three branches intended to keep each other in check, it is incredibly difficult to pass legislature because of many bureaucratic processes. Large amounts of resources are needed to achieve any sort of progress. These resources cannot come from one single individual but from a large group. The historical roots of interest groups are the desire to see political and social change.
The AFL-CIO is the biggest trade union in the Western world. At the point of its conception, it had about 15 million members, all of which were from the working class. In the ladder half of the twentieth century, it had acquired significant influence on the Democratic Party. “They were always in the forefront in battles for minimum wage, health care, social security, public education, fair tax laws, housing and dignity of free human beings” (Minchin, 2017, p. 15). Its most influential decision was to support Barack Obama in the presidential election of 2008, which he later won. The AFL-CIO, through its advocacy for workers rights, increased awareness of social issues such as unemployment, predatory company policies, and low wages.
The United States Chamber of Congress is an interest group representing American multinational companies’ goals to increase international trade. Its main mission is to create adequate economic conditions allowing US companies to expand exports and production to a global scale (Schaufelbuehl, 2021, p. 2). During the interest group’s rise in the 1950s, the trend for globalization was beginning to pick up. The Chamber of Congress was run by the CEOs of America’s most successful companies, who increased their overseas trade significantly. Setting up the “Industry Committee on Foreign Investments” and increasing America’s export are their most prominent achievements.
In conclusion, America’s interest groups have significantly influenced many aspects of the nation’s existence. These associations exist to strive for a common goal of promoting a social and political cause. They mainly achieve these goals by lobbying the state and recruiting members for political action. They have had an impact on presidential elections, interstate and foreign economics, social tendencies, and people’s awareness of societal problems. Associations such as the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Congress are evidence of these claims with their extensive history and significant achievements.
References
Minchin, T. J. (2017). Labor under fire: A history of the AFL-CIO since 1979. UNC Press Books.
Petracca, M. P. (2018). The politics of interests: Interest groups transformed. Routledge.
Schaufelbuehl, J. M. (2021). Becoming the advocate for US-based multinationals: The United States Council of the International Chamber of Commerce, 1945–1974. Business History. Web.
United States Government. Excel high school (n.d.). Web.
Clive S. T. (2021). Interest group. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web.