Question

Both the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor clashed with the management of big businesses. As you can imagine, business owners such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, JP Morgan and Henry Ford hated labor unions. When big business clashed with Labor Unions, the government usually took the side of big business. Why did the government tend to support big businesses over labor unions in clashes? Choose the most appropriate reasons from the following options:

A) Government officials had close personal relationships with big business leaders.
B) Big businesses had more influence over government policies and regulations.
C) Labor unions were often associated with radical or socialist ideologies.
D) Government prioritized economic stability and growth over labor rights.
E) Labor unions lacked political organization and lobbying power.

Answer 1

The government typically supported big businesses over labor unions because of officials' close ties to business leaders, the significant influence of businesses on government policies, and the prioritization of economic stability and growth over labor rights.

Step-by-step explanation:

The government tended to support big businesses over labor unions for several key reasons, reflecting the economic and political climate of the era.

• Government officials often had close personal and financial relationships with big business leaders, which inevitably influenced their decisions and policy-making.
• Big businesses wielded significant influence over government policies and regulations due to their economic power and lobbying efforts.
• The government prioritized economic stability and growth over labor rights, viewing big businesses as crucial drivers of the economy and fearful of the disruptions posed by labor unions.

These factors, combined with a general mistrust and negative public sentiment towards labor unions, labeled as radical or un-American, led to a persistent government bias in favor of large industrialists, despite the unions' ambitions to improve working conditions and wages.