The demobilization of the Israeli labor movement

ABSTRACT While scholars agree that the labor movement’s demise was a turning point in Israeli history, they have failed to explain how, why, and even when it happened. The influence wielded by its cultural institutions declined in the 1960s; political support for it declined in the 1970s, and its economic institutions crumbled in the 1980s. Which of these marks the beginning of the end? Were these manifestations related to each other and, if so, how? And why did it take such a long time? I argue that the Israeli labor movement’s rise and fall can only be understood if it is viewed as a social movement integrating, as most labor movements do, economic, political, and cultural functions. While these components operated in harmony, the movement prospered; when they worked at cross-purposes, it deteriorated.