Final answer:
The 1934 Longshoremen's and General Strike underscored the growing influence of unions. Labor movements of the early 20th century, along with governmental policy shifts, exhibited a complex relationship between workers, businesses, and the government, with varying degrees of sympathy towards labor demands and an understanding of the integral role of labor in the economy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 1934 Longshoremen's and General Strike, particularly in San Francisco, demonstrated that unions were becoming increasingly influential. This conclusion stems from the historical context in which labor unrest and the number of strikes saw dramatic increases, culminating in significant demonstrations and occasionally violent confrontations between workers, business leaders, and law enforcement.
The pattern was clear: workers united to fight for better wages and conditions, significantly impacting the economy and politics of the era. The strikes and labor movements of the time, including the Seattle General Strike of 1919 and the growth of organized labor during World War I, show an evolution towards a more sympathetic view of worker's rights by the government, and a recognition by business leaders of the need for reforms to prevent further labor unrest.
The federal government, under shifting public opinion and political pressures, began to move towards policies that were somewhat more labor-friendly, though this varied between administrations and incidents.
For example, while the 1919 Seattle General Strike saw a heavy-handed response from the government, later actions in the 1930s, such as the creation of the National Labor War Board and the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), indicated a more nuanced approach. The significant strikes of the early 20th century demonstrated that labor issues could not be ignored and needed to be addressed in both political and economic spheres.