Which radical labor organization, founded in 1905, advocated industrial unionism?

• A. American Federation of Labor
• B. Knights of Labor
• C. Industrial Workers of the World
• D. Workers United

Answer: (C)

Organizing workers by industry, uniting all trades within the same field into one union rather than separating by craft, is the idea behind industrial unionism. The Industrial Workers of the World fits this approach perfectly. Founded in 1905 in Chicago by radical labor organizers, the IWW embraced the vision of a single, united “One Big Union” that would bring together all workers in an industry—miners, textiles, dockworkers, immigrants, and others—across skilled and unskilled lines. They pushed for direct action, strikes, and broad solidarity as a way to empower workers and challenge employers and the existing order.

The other options don’t align with that combination of year, radical stance, and industrial-union aim. The American Federation of Labor organized skilled workers into craft unions and tended to operate within a more conservative, incremental reform approach. The Knights of Labor predated the 1900s era and pursued wide social reforms, but they weren’t defined by industrial unionism nor the same radical tactics. Workers United is a much later development and not the 1905 radical industrial-union movement in question.