Being part of an independent workers' union can put your job at risk; Running a union can often lead to worse. This can lead to losing your job, being threatened or even murdered because of your rebellious views. Unions tend to form when workers' rights are compromised. However, the social elite opposes unions because they do not wish to loosen their grip on workers. When composing The Iron Heel, Jack London took into account the events around him and expressed his socialist views through the various characters. In The Iron Heel, Jack London criticizes the rise of the oligarchy and its suppression of justice as well as the individuals who questioned its supremacy and legitimacy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayLondon was himself a socialist, he joined the socialist Labor Party in 1896 and was inspired to write this book by what was happening around him at the time, the beginning of the 20th century. In the novel, Jack London describes this through Philip Wickson, described as a former oligarch. Mr. Wickson said to Ernest: “We will crush you revolutionaries under our heels, and we will trample on your faces. The world is ours, we are its lords, and it will remain ours (London 97).” Jack London refers to the Russian Revolution of 1905 through this quote. The peaceful protesters and workers of Russia were in dire need of change and help, as their petition shows. The petition read: “We are beggars, we are oppressed and overworked, we are insulted, we are not considered human beings but slaves. The time has come for us when death would be better than the prolongation of our intolerable suffering” (Johnstone). Workers were worked beyond their breaking point, treated brutally and unfairly like slaves. Their situation was so bleak that many preferred death. In The Iron Heel, there is the story of a worker who lost his arm while trying to prevent a machine from breaking down in order to save the company from suffering a huge loss. He didn't lose his arm because he was irresponsible, but rather because he was overworked and tired. Businessmen took advantage of his powerlessness. When worker Jackson demands compensation because he lost his job and his only source of bread and butter, leaving him to fend for his wife and children, he is ridiculed. Even lawyers are afraid to take up his cause, not wanting to lose their profession or reputation by fighting for a hopeless cause. Lawyers also know that big firms once hired prominent lawyers who were the best in the business. London includes this story in the book to describe the cruel and ruthless attitude of big business towards its workers. It also shows that in such societies, money can buy even the most extreme things, like justice. Oligarchy is a form of government in which a small group controls the country. Sanction tends to take over and acquire almost complete power and authority over the people. The oligarchy is usually made up of people from the upper class. In the novel, an oligarchy rises to power, further widening the divide between classes and unknowingly bringing down the economy. Although the working class represents a much larger percentage of the population, they cannot easily defeatthe oligarchy. This is seen in the many failed revolts of socialists throughout history, most notably Ernest and Avery Everhard, the book's protagonists who are revolutionary socialist leaders. The Everhards recognized that society needed more socialists, because without different viewpoints, society would collapse due to the ever-increasing gap between classes. James Gray Pope, a recent union representative at a law firm, highlighted this gap. The pope writes about the growing gap between the rich and the poor in increasing numbers in the United States and says it is the result of the nation's lack of social vision. One of the main reasons why the working class cannot defeat the upper class is that they are not united. American workers have failed to build a class movement in favor of economic redistribution and social protection. The working class is too divided into its own unions to be united. Unions are too focused on negotiating for their immediate personal interests and improving the living conditions of their members (Pope). Sanctions and oppression of rulers tend to increase when the lower classes are disorganized; they become an easier target to repress. History has shown time and time again that citizens begin to take collective action against the government when it no longer meets their needs. History also shows that it is easier to make an idea successful when it has a large number of supporters. The large figures intimidate the employers because the demands come from a strong power. Citizens also unite when they see corruption in the government (Yap). By uniting for a common cause, it is easier to get work done and needs met. Whereas being disorganized makes one an easier victim as unfair attitudes are directed towards them. When a need arises for justice, better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions, unions form so workers can express their needs and negotiate them as a group. band. Being a union member has many advantages. This may include setting up an organization that will represent a worker if they are mistreated. The union also has the power to negotiate by acting as a mediator between the employer and the rest of the employees. However, unions can also be dangerous. Union activism is often punishable by death and leaders are imprisoned by governments who view unions as a threat to the social and economic elite (Bacon). In The Iron Heel, Ernest is first berated for his opinions by philosophers and corrupt business owners, before being killed. They were all threatened by his ideas and opinions, fearing that they would incite other workers and union members against them, knowing that it would become impossible to control the massive number of revolutionaries. Union members are constantly seen as a threat to the upper class, especially big business and corrupt capitalists. Himself a member of the Socialist Party, Jack London strongly opposed the capitalist system. The party made the following statement in 1912: The Socialist Party declares that the capitalist system has exceeded its historical function and has become completely incapable of solving the problems facing society today. We denounce this outdated system as incompetent and corrupt and the source of indescribable misery and suffering for the entire population.working class (Socialist Party Platform). The Socialist Party wanted social reform to go beyond the capitalist system. They recognized that the capitalist system was corrupt, thereby endangering the rights of the working class. Incidents like these dismantle the working class in all its aspects. The Socialist Party believed that capitalist concentration was mercilessly crushing the small business class. London writes: “As a class, they believed that they alone maintained civilization. » (London 128). The capitalists saw themselves as the supreme class, the class that owned not only the workers, but also the revolutionaries from that class. They had the illusion that without them, humanity would collapse and anarchy would reign. Jack London was able to accurately hypothesize about the dangers that unions would face in the modern world, as can be seen in the history of Colombia. Colombian unions were among the most predominant in Latin America until the end of the 20th century. In the 1980s, many trade unionists and leaders were murdered and targeted, making Colombia the most dangerous country for trade unionists in several decades. Thousands of people were killed and, as a result, only 4% of workers were unionized in 2009. This percentage had fallen since 1988, when it was estimated at 12%. The majority of assassinations were committed by Colombian parliamentarians or soldiers (Bacon). In the book, Ernest Everhard is one of the leaders of the revolution and a representative of the workers, who is later executed for his views against the oligarchy. Initially, Everhard had a large group of supporters, but as Everhard was killed alongside others, the number of revolutionaries dropped drastically. London describes a government that imprisons opponents and virulent critics, controls news and information. The capitalist class, although small in number, absolutely controls the government – ​​legislative, executive and judicial (Socialist Party Platform). Likewise, many countries today exercise complete control over their citizens. China, for example, is a communist country that shares many traits with the oligarchy presented in the novel. The Chinese government uses the law to suppress anyone who challenges the Communist Party's right to rule, directly or indirectly. In July 2015, nearly 300 civilian lawyers, support staff and activists were arrested and tortured. Yet whenever the Chinese Communist Party is accused of torturing activists, it dismisses all allegations as fake news (“China Tortures Civil Rights Lawyers”). This gives citizens the illusion that the government is right, unfairly. control their opinions without their knowledge. Many of these activists' families were threatened, and Avis Everhard was subsequently executed for planning the second revolt, just as her husband had contributed to the first revolt. Those who had close ties to Ernest were threatened and those who shared his views were killed. China also controls and censors the media under its leader, President Xi Jinping. Chinese media expert Professor Zhan Jiang described the current situation in China as "the worst period for media and Internet freedom since the start of the new century (Dimitrov)." In China, the Central Propaganda Department examines censorship issues at a macro level, tracking societal trends. They censor and monitor national media. On the other hand, propaganda services at the local level are responsible for censoring and monitoring sources of information considered to beunclassified sources, including advertising (Dimitrov 124). The Chinese government says it has the legal right to control Internet content and that its censorship does not take away citizens' rights to free speech. The government maintains censorship on all media that reach a large audience. This includes television, text messages, cinema, print media, video games, literature and the Internet. Freedom House classifies the Chinese press as unfree, giving it the worst ranking (“Freedom in the World 2017”). Lack of freedom leads to oppression. When an oligarchy comes to power, many people begin to feel oppressed. Often, citizens begin to gather in groups and plan plots against the oppressive oligarchy. Soon, they began to make their ideas known through writing and speeches, taking advantage of what little freedom of press and expression they had. This is when the elite and the oligarchy begin to feel endangered by the groups and the ideas they convey to the public. In The Iron Heel, Ernest writes books that are despised and then banned, gives speeches that are then criticized, and organizes a revolution, the First Revolt, which ultimately fails. In many countries, we observe a trend: freedom of the press and oppression of journalists. Freedom of the press is considered a fundamental human right which includes freedom of speech, assembly, thought and expression. It is a privilege because without it citizens and society will be unaware of what is happening in the world in which they live. Attacks and assaults can be seen against the press as well as against journalists who put their lives and careers on the line to tell the truth to citizens. This is reflected in the increasing number of journalists losing their lives. Since 2008, 456 journalists have been forced into exile and 232 journalists were in prison in 2012 (Davidson). In most cases, government officials and the upper class are responsible for the imprisonment and torture of journalists due to the constant threat of being exposed for their misdeeds. Some governments orchestrate the media as pawns to make themselves appear righteous to the general public. They want them to stop writing critically about them and the regime, often threatening them. Jack London was able to accurately predict a world that quickly began to form a few years after his death. He managed to capture the essence of oligarchies and how they unwittingly create unions that they then oppress. As a member of the Socialist Party, Jack London was able to express his views through the two main authors of the Everhard manuscript, Avery Everhard herself and the man who annotated it a few hundred years ago after Avery hid it. When writing this book, not only was Jack London greatly influenced by the events happening around him, but also Karl Marx. In addition to being known as the "Boy Socialist", London was also known as the "American Karl Marx" because his views and opinions aligned very well with those of Karl Marx. Overall, London was able to stand up for union workers in this novel by speaking out against the oppression they face and the aggression journalists face when trying to reveal the truth. Annotated works cited Bacon, David. “The United States is fueling Colombia’s dirty war against unions. » Canadian Dimension, vol. 33, no. 5, September/October 2001, p. 27. EBSCO Host. I was able to use this source to connect the brutality to which the unions were.