Introduction
Labour movements in the last decades of the twentieth century underwent a big crisis. The reason for it was the Cold War and its consequences. In fact, a big part of the world was split into two parts, with the communists and their supporters on one side, and the United States and their allies on the other. Moreover, Germany was divided too, which caused an imbalance in its economy and labour forces. However, after the end of the Cold War, the country managed to recover its position. This paper explains how the transition from the Cold War to global capitalism changed German workers, and what impact the war had on the country, as well as discusses the prospects of a new labour internationalism.
Germany. From the Cold War to Global Capitalism
The Cold War was a state of political tension or an ideological war between the Soviet Union, the United States and their allies, that lasted from 1947 till 1991. Even before the Cold War broke out, most Germans had known that the next years would end in poverty and desolation, as well as make an immense negative impact on the country’s future (Greenberg 1). The war changed Germany’s position in many ways and made it a battleground. Once an independent and prosperous nation, it became divided both between other states, and internally. The most notable effect of the Cold War Germany experienced was the difference between the economic development of the East and the West part of the country. To West Germans, the division of their country became not only a threat but an opportunity to prosper (Slobodian 77). In the Western part of the country, the labour internationalism was partially present but suppressed by dichotomy. The Eastern part, however, could not gain the economic development while being controlled by neighbor states, which resulted in problems, such as poverty and the lack of respect from other countries. The end of the Cold War was also the end of the division of Germany and the moment when the country was reunified. Of course, it meant that economically Germany was imbalanced, with the well-developed Eastern part and the poorly developed Western part. However, with time the country reclaimed its position in the world’s economy.
Over the last two decades, the expansion of the international market had an immense impact on labour and business. In some countries, private and inner trade unions had to stop their activities (Silver 64). Globalization made it harder for big trade unions to survive and operate while making it easier for the weaker unions and individual workers. According to Silver, the opinions on this issue divided, with 63% believing that globalization can make companies profit (50). Notably, 56% of EU citizens think that they are not protected against the negative consequences of globalization (Silver 50). The transition from the Cold War to global capitalism had an immense impact in Germany. First of all, after the country had acquired a common economy within the nation, it almost immediately rose to a new level with the emerged global capitalism. For Germany it meant that its financial system started to operate on a higher level, producing goods and trading became easier. The country was no longer limited to produce only locally, which caused producing improvement (Erickson et al. 42). Moreover, the country gained an opportunity to have economic influence over some other states, which resulted in its stable economic position. Lastly, global capitalization made it possible for German companies to hire international workers, they could now choose to work with either more skilled professionals, or use cheaper labour (Silver 38). The impact of the transition from the Cold War to global capitalism brought essential changes and economic improvement to the country, and made it possible for Germany to establish international labour.
The Prospect of Labour Internationalism in Germany
One cannot argue that internationalism had been present in the labour movement before globalization. There have always been attempts to unite workers from different countries. However, the globalization period of the late nineteenth and the early twentieth century was marked by the collapse of labour internationalism. The reason for the collapse was the socialization of the state and imperialism (Silver 177). The Cold War made it impossible for Germany to develop labour internationalism for many years, the country’s economy was weakened. Paradoxically, the end of the twentieth century was probably the first time in history when labour internationalism was genuinely possible. With the development of technologies companies were able to expand, using the new means to communicate with international workers, as well as finding out the ways to improve their productivity. However, many countries needed time to recover after the war.
The question about the prospects of labour internationalism in Germany and other countries is acute. Countries and regions are engaged in globalization in very different ways, so the opportunities for implementing international labour differ from state to state (Sandbrook and Güven 5). Looking at Germany’s experience, it is important to say that labour internationalism is a possible way of the social and economic development of the country. Germany was once considered to be the country with the most active national labour movement, which means that there are the regulations within the state that it can use for establishing labour on the international level too (Thörnqvist 1). Moreover, Germany has a reasonable basis for international labour due to its strong economy and can invest in involving foreign workers, as well as coordinating with other countries. However, it is important to note, that Germany is one of the most developed countries, so its advantages and strategies may not be applied to other countries. According to Silver, global political conditions are probably not in the right state to suppose that the world is ready for the new phase of labor internationalism (12). For example, there is still no homogeneous working class with similar working conditions throughout the world (Silver 8). There is still inequality between people even on national levels; the problem of discrimination against race and gender is still acute, which means that the challenge the workers face nowadays is the struggle (Silver 178).
Conclusion
Currently, there is much work to be done before implementing labour internationalism. For most countries, this step can end in negative results. With this taken into consideration, one must admit that the world is not in the state where labour internationalism is possible without harming people, companies or industries. However, countries like Germany already have opportunities to make the change, which can result in more workers working abroad and, perhaps, open the potential for the new wave of international labour in the future.
Works Cited
Erickson, Paul, et al. How reason almost lost its mind: The strange career of Cold War rationality. University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Greenberg, Udi. The Weimar Century: German Émigrés and the Ideological Foundations of the Cold War. Princeton University Press, 2014.
Sandbrook, Richard, and Ali Burak Güven, eds. Civilizing Globalization, Revised and Expanded Edition: A Survival Guide. Suny Press, 2014.
Silver, Beverly J. Forces of Labor: Workers’ Movements and Globalization Since 1870. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Slobodian, Quinn. “West German Labour Internationalism and the Cold War.” Divided but not Disconnected: German Experiences of the Cold War, edited by Tobias Hochscherf et al., 2010, pp. 77-89.
Thörnqvist, Christer. “Globalization and International Labor Solidarity—Introduction to a Theme.” Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1-10.