Question

The significance of the Haymarket Square incident in 1886 was that...

A) The American socialist movement received a great boost.
B) The use of Pinkerton guards as strikebreakers was outlawed.
C) It stimulated a hysterical wave of fear of anarchism and its alleged connection with unionism.
D) It led to federal intervention in labor union matters.
E) Unions won their demand for an eight-hour day.

Answer 1

The Haymarket Square incident in 1886 led to a mass hysteria over anarchism and negatively affected the labor movement by associating it with violence and radicalism.

Step-by-step explanation:

The significance of the Haymarket Square incident in 1886 was that it stimulated a hysterical wave of fear of anarchism and its alleged connection with unionism. The incident occurred on May 4, 1886, during a labor demonstration advocating for the eight-hour workday. A bomb was thrown into the police ranks, which led to a shootout and resulted in the death of several people, including policemen. The aftermath saw the arrest and trial of eight anarchists, with four eventually executed, which polarized public opinion and caused widespread hysteria over anarchism and radical labor movements. The event did not lead to immediate labor reform, but it did have a chilling effect on the labor movement and associated the push for workers' rights with potential violence and anarchy in the public mind.