Tom LaBarbera, age 14, of Decatur, Ill., for his question:

WHAT WAS THE IWW?

The IWW was a labor organization that was founded in 1905 and reached its greatest strength for a short time just before World War I. The full name of the union was the Industrial Workers of the World. Militant socialists founded the IWW as a way to oppose conservative policies in the labor movement. Leaders sought to overturn the capitalist system and set up a socialist government. It used sudden strikes, slow ups and sabotage and refused contracts and collective bargaining.

From the beginning, the IWW faced conflict among its leaders. In 1908, the organization split into two groups, one led by socialists and the other by anarchists and syndicalists.

The IWW opposed America's entry into World War I. In the drastic federal government action that followed, 166 IWW leaders were indicted and 93 convicted and given heavy sentences. States also suppressed the IWW.

In 1922, many IWW members joined the Communist Party, and the IWW began to disintegrate.