Irving Bernstein
Encyclopedia
Irving Bernstein was an American professor of political science
at the University of California, Los Angeles
and a noted labor historian
.
.
While in high school, Bernstein became deeply interested in history and the needs of working-class people. "I could see the Depression all around me," he once recalled. "I became enormously interested in the development of the labor movement, and I was tremendously impressed by Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal."
Bernstein enrolled at the University of Rochester
. He worked at a variety of jobs—janitor, lifeguard, dishwasher in a sorority—and received support from his older brother to pay for his education. He earned a bachelor's degree
in 1937.
He obtained a master's degree in 1940 from Harvard University
.
In 1941, Bernstein became a fellow at the Brookings Institution
in Washington, D.C. The same year, he married his wife, Fredrika. They had two daughters and a son.
After the outbreak of World War II, Bernstein took a variety of positions with the federal government. He was an industrial economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics
from 1941 to 1942 and a hearing officer at the National War Labor Board
from 1942 to 1943.
When he became aware of Sweden
's involvement in assisting Jews to flee Nazi-occupied Europe
, he learned Swedish and became a Swedish language specialist for the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services
.
After the war, Bernstein returned to Harvard and earned a doctorate in 1948. His dissertation advisor was Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr.
While writing his dissertation, Bernstein was chief of the Materials Section of the U.S. Conciliation Service
from 1946 to 1947.
Bernstein returned briefly to government service during the Korean War
. In 1951, he was appointed director of the Case Analysis Division and chairman of the San Francisco Regional Wage Stabilization Board. He left the Board in 1952.
Bernstein became a professor in the department of political science at UCLA in 1960. He retired in 1987.
. In both books, Bernstein argued that the New Deal and labor unions preserved democracy and capitalism at a time when the survival of both was unclear, and that New Deal labor policy dramatically reoriented public policy away from employers toward workers.
The third book in his historical trilogy, A Caring Society: The New Deal, the Worker, and the Great Depression was less well-received. The book shied away from legislative enactments and union politics and examined the broader political and social changes which occurred under the New Deal. The book was called "neither fresh nor complete," although critics said it captured well the emotional tenor of the Great Depression and Roosevelt' impact on the American people.
Bernstein's work had a deep impact on labor studies.
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., called him "...pre-eminent among historians of American labor history", and former University of California
president Clark Kerr
declared him "...the leading historian of labor relations in the United States now active in the field."
, and a member of the Federal Services Impasses Panel from 1979 to 1980. In 1976, he served as president of the Industrial Relations Research Association.
Three times the UCLA Political Science Honor Society proclaimed him "Professor of the Year" for his teaching skills.
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
and a noted labor historian
Labor history (discipline)
Labor history is a broad field of study concerned with the development of the labor movement and the working class. The central concerns of labor historians include the development of labor unions, strikes, lockouts and protest movements, industrial relations, and the progress of working class and...
.
Childhood and education
Bernstein was born in 1916 in Ellensville, New York. His parents were Jewish immigrants, and his father was a bakerBaker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
.
While in high school, Bernstein became deeply interested in history and the needs of working-class people. "I could see the Depression all around me," he once recalled. "I became enormously interested in the development of the labor movement, and I was tremendously impressed by Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal."
Bernstein enrolled at the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
. He worked at a variety of jobs—janitor, lifeguard, dishwasher in a sorority—and received support from his older brother to pay for his education. He earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1937.
He obtained a master's degree in 1940 from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
In 1941, Bernstein became a fellow at the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
in Washington, D.C. The same year, he married his wife, Fredrika. They had two daughters and a son.
After the outbreak of World War II, Bernstein took a variety of positions with the federal government. He was an industrial economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and...
from 1941 to 1942 and a hearing officer at the National War Labor Board
National War Labor Board
The National War Labor Board was a federal agency created in April 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson. It was composed of twelve representatives from business and labor, and co-chaired by Former President William Howard Taft. Its purpose was to arbitrate disputes between workers and employers in...
from 1942 to 1943.
When he became aware of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's involvement in assisting Jews to flee Nazi-occupied Europe
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, he learned Swedish and became a Swedish language specialist for the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
.
After the war, Bernstein returned to Harvard and earned a doctorate in 1948. His dissertation advisor was Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr.
Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Sr. was an American historian. His son, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. was also a noted historian.-Life and career:...
While writing his dissertation, Bernstein was chief of the Materials Section of the U.S. Conciliation Service
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (USA)
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is an independent agency of the United States government, founded in 1947, which provides mediation services to industry, community and government agencies worldwide. One of its most common tasks is to help to mediate labor disputes around the country....
from 1946 to 1947.
Career
In 1948, Bernstein was appointed a research professor at the UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations.Bernstein returned briefly to government service during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. In 1951, he was appointed director of the Case Analysis Division and chairman of the San Francisco Regional Wage Stabilization Board. He left the Board in 1952.
Bernstein became a professor in the department of political science at UCLA in 1960. He retired in 1987.
Research
Bernstein earned critical praise for the first two books of A History of the American Worker, a trilogy about the American labor movement in the interwar period. The Lean Years: A History of the American Worker, 1920-1933 focuses on the decline of the American labor movement following World War I. A decade later, he published The Turbulent Years: A History of the American Worker, 1933-1941, in which he described American unions' growth under the New DealNew Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
. In both books, Bernstein argued that the New Deal and labor unions preserved democracy and capitalism at a time when the survival of both was unclear, and that New Deal labor policy dramatically reoriented public policy away from employers toward workers.
The third book in his historical trilogy, A Caring Society: The New Deal, the Worker, and the Great Depression was less well-received. The book shied away from legislative enactments and union politics and examined the broader political and social changes which occurred under the New Deal. The book was called "neither fresh nor complete," although critics said it captured well the emotional tenor of the Great Depression and Roosevelt' impact on the American people.
Bernstein's work had a deep impact on labor studies.
- "His contributions to UCLA and to labor history were enormous," said Michael Lofchie, chairman of the university's political science department. "He was the great documentarist of the difficulties that labor organizations faced either in getting themselves organized or maintaining their organizational viability during the Depression years."
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., called him "...pre-eminent among historians of American labor history", and former University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
president Clark Kerr
Clark Kerr
Clark Kerr was an American professor of economics and academic administrator. He was the first chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley and twelfth president of the University of California.- Early years :...
declared him "...the leading historian of labor relations in the United States now active in the field."
Memberships and awards
Bernstein was an officer of the National Academy of ArbitratorsNational Academy of Arbitrators
The National Academy of Arbitrators is a not-for-profit 501 honorary and professional organization of labor arbitrators in the United States and Canada founded in 1947....
, and a member of the Federal Services Impasses Panel from 1979 to 1980. In 1976, he served as president of the Industrial Relations Research Association.
Three times the UCLA Political Science Honor Society proclaimed him "Professor of the Year" for his teaching skills.
Published works
- Arbitration of Wages. Berkeley, Calif." University of California Press, 1954. ISBN 0520001117
- A Caring Society: The New Deal, the Worker, and the Great Depression. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1985. ISBN 0395331161
- The Economics of Television Film Production and Distribution. Sherman Oaks, Calif.: Screen Actors Guild, 1960.
- Emergency Disputes and National Policy. Irving Bernstein, Harold L. Enarson and R.W. Fleming, eds. New York: Harper and Bros. 1955.
- Guns or Butter: The Presidency of Lyndon Johnson. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0195063120
- Hollywood at the Crossroads: An Economic Study of the Motion Picture Industry. Los Angeles: Hollywood A. F. of L. Film Council, 1957.
- The Lean Years: A History of the American Worker, 1920-1933. Paperback ed. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1972. ISBN 0395136571 (Originally published 1960.)
- The New Deal Collective Bargaining Policy. Paperback reissue. New York: Da Capo Press, 1975. ISBN 0306707039 (Originally published 1950.)
- Promises Kept: John F. Kennedy's New Frontier. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. ISBN 0195046412
- The Turbulent Years: A History of the American Worker, 1933-1941. Paperback edition. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 1970. ISBN 039511778X (Originally published 1969.)