>As far as the 8 hour work day in the US is concerned - my
>understanding is that this was a "reform lite" - doing the least
>objectionable to the capital minimum to avoid more substantial
>social protection programs.
But why did they think they had to do anything at all? I chose eight hour day because the movement for it was so strong that the backlash marked the beginning of red scare politics in the U.S.