Book contents
- Shaping a Peaceful World
- Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations
- Shaping a Peaceful World
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I
- Part II
- Chapter 5Forging the Alliance between the United States and Italian Democrats Post-World War II
- Chapter 6Occupation Policy
- Chapter 7Humanitarian Diplomacy
- Chapter 8“A Justifiable Action”
- Part III
- Index
Chapter 7 - Humanitarian Diplomacy
The American Federation of Labor and the Ideological Battle for German Unionism after World War II
from Part II
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 September 2026
Book contents
- Shaping a Peaceful World
- Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations
- Shaping a Peaceful World
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I
- Part II
- Chapter 5Forging the Alliance between the United States and Italian Democrats Post-World War II
- Chapter 6Occupation Policy
- Chapter 7Humanitarian Diplomacy
- Chapter 8“A Justifiable Action”
- Part III
- Index
Summary
This chapter explores how the American Federation of Labor (AFL) used humanitarian aid as an instrument of postwar diplomacy in occupied Germany. Through thousands of Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE) packages sent to German trade unionists between 1945 and 1949, the AFL sought to promote liberal-democratic labor ideals and counter Soviet influence during the early Cold War. These packages, nominally gifts of solidarity, functioned as vehicles of ideological persuasion and channels of transatlantic communication, allowing the AFL to bypass official state diplomacy while shaping the reemergence of German unionism in an “American image.” Central to this effort was Jay Lovestone and the Free Trade Union Committee, whose anticommunist agenda intertwined humanitarianism with propaganda and intelligence-gathering. The chapter demonstrates how material relief became a form of “humanitarian diplomacy,” blurring the boundaries between altruism, ideology, and power in the reconstruction of Europe’s labor movements after World War II.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Shaping a Peaceful WorldThe United States and Post-conflict Diplomacy since 1789, pp. 168 - 191Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter complies with version 2.1 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), covering newer accessibility requirements and improved
user experiences and achieves the intermediate
(AA)
level of WCAG compliance, covering a wider range of accessibility requirements.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.