ABSTRACT
The Industrial Revolution of the late nineteenth century transformed the city of Milwaukee in important ways. The most immediate impact of the Depression on the citizens of Milwaukee was the loss of jobs. Milwaukee was hit hard by the upheaval in the economy-harder, in fact, than many other industrial cities. The central factor at work in the creation of such alliances seems to be the extent to which organizations, already mobilized for purposes of politics, can take advantage of the opportunities presented by the times. The Depression, and the dislocation it created in the lives of Milwaukee residents, provided nascent labor and political alliances, along with specific organizations, with precisely such opportunities for mobilizing the discontented. Until the Great Depression, the city government of Milwaukee had acted as the principal public authority both to secure order in the city and to provide welfare to meet the needs of local residents.
