What are Sweatshops and Where did They Come from?

USAS fights sweatshops. But what are sweatshops and where did they come from?

This essay attempts to place sweatshops in broad history of imperialism beginning in the 1500s, with the rise of
capitalism and European global domination. We in the anti-sweatshop movement are heirs to a historic legacy
that has worked (with varying degrees of success) to dislodge formal colonialism, eliminate slavery, and is now
trying to shift the global power dynamic to empower all people with the promises of equality, peace and freedom
that are enshrined in the concept of human rights, promises proclaimed that have yet to be fulfilled.

History (and oppression) on the march

If sweatshops are an economic hold-over from colonialism, then where did colonialism come from?
For centuries, European Imperialism was seen as “how the world works.” This system which destroyed
communities, created untold genocides, oppressed entire continents and denied basic rights to life to the vast
majority of the world population was justified using racist and nationalist ideology. In the 16th century, European
expansion began modestly in the form of trading contracts, but it ultimately led to Europe’s colonial dominion
overly nearly the entire world. By 1900, Europe controlled 84% of the surface of the Earth.

3 Stages of Imperialism

1. “Sphere of Influence Imperialism” 1492-1830: Through trade, Europe forcibly extracted materials and labor
from the world population for consumption in Europe. As European powers fought to hold onto their territory
(from threats by other European governments and the subjugated populations themselves) the Europeans
increased military and political intervention and control within their spheres of influence and held more direct
control over the populations.

2. “Formal Colonialism” 1830-1950: During this period Capitalist powers found that to continue extracting land
and labor from their “spheres of influence” they had to take direct control. This is also the time when many
nations were formed. National borders, names and identities were often formed in Europe with no input from the
people they oppressed, their soon-to-be citizens. Divergent ethnic groups were forced to see themselves as a
nation. Traditional government administrations were either destroyed or subsumed under Capitalist colonial rule.
Genocides and a complete lack of human rights continued and were the reality for the vast majority of the global
population. If local elites rebelled against colonial masters, they were replaced.

3. “Neoliberal Imperialism” 1950-Today: After World War II, Europe was weakened and local populations began
to throw off their colonial masters. The Holocaust destroyed European pretenses of “moral superiority.”
Although governments were technically independent, imperialism is far from ending, and is in fact on the rise.
Many parallels can be drawn today with “pre-colonial imperialism.” Military and political intervention is still
common when governments and communities rebel against global capitalism. This takes the form of political
assassinations, economic and political isolation, “acts of terrorism,” coup attempts, political intervention, etc.
The world is still governed by systems that extract labor, goods and wealth from underdeveloped countries for the
sake of capitalist markets. International organizations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund,
Free Trade Agreements, etc. are in place to ensure that trade favors the wealthy. These organizations control
many aspects of peoples’ daily lives, including government expenditures for education, health care, food
subsidies, transportation, etc. however there is no democratic input or oversight of these organizations by the
people they have power over. Much like Direct Colonialism, they are agreed upon by local elites who are
pressured into loyalty with the actual power centers.
Today those power centers are International Corporations supported by the United States government.

Economic Imperialism  instability  Direct Colonialism  instability  Economic Imperialism  ?

Sweatshops are a physical embodiment of Neoliberal Imperialism and USAS is in direct opposition to this form
of corporate domination. Sweatshops are places (often factories but these can include agricultural fields, mines,
etc.) where corporations can exploit cheap and “stable” labor and resources in a race to extract as much profit as
possible.

“Stability” in this sense does not mean “sustainable” or “having a stable living condition” but rather a “stable
investment climate.” Toward these ends, corporations rely on child labor, unsafe working conditions,
underemployment, regional poverty and hunger, etc. to manipulate work forces and keep production high in
unfavorable conditions. When workers demand basic rights through organizing, to have some democratic say in
how their lives are organized, they too often face disinvestment, harassment, intimidation and murder. This is
even the case for those rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international labor law.
Sweatshops are often found abroad but are also in the United States, where agricultural, factory, food production
workers, etc. are often forced into unsafe work at sub-poverty wages with no democratic representation on the
job.

To maximize profits, corporations engage in a “race to the bottom” which seeks to decrease expenditures at the
cost of human lives, health and communities. Global governmental politics are often employed by corporations
in this quest. For example, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allowed government subsidized
corporate farms in the United States to flood Mexico’s markets, driving many small farmers off their land. The
only employment options for many of these now-landless peasants were to either work in a sweatshop in Mexico
or try to find a better life by migrating, often without proper papers, to the United States. Sadly, many find
sweatshop employment conditions here as well, coupled with constant fear and intimidation of deportation.
NAFTA also undermined the U.S. production sector as jobs increasingly relocated to places where companies
could more easily violate workers’ basic human rights in the name of “stability.”

USAS is opposed to sweatshops and exploitation in the U.S. and abroad. We systematically fight for basic human
rights that are not compromised for the sake of corporate profits. As students in the United States and Canada, we
try to use our social positions, taking direction from the most effected workers, to force corporations to put more
power into the hands of the workers. In general, as U.S. and Canadian citizens and consumers, we use the
democratic processes we are afforded to amplify the voices of workers abroad, those intentionally un-heard and
overlooked in global capitalism.

Colonial domination has been the norm for over 500 years. Let us work together to end it now!