The Economic Structure of Matewan

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The Economic Structure of Matewan

The film Matewan, written and directed by John Sayles, depicts the small rural townof 1920's Mingo County, West Virginia as a society undergoing complete social unrest, a result of clashing ideals and economic systems. The film is an illustration of how different social systems come to be so intertwined that they cannot be defined independently of one another. Unfortunately for the people of Matewan, the feudalistic economic system imposed on them by the Stone Mountain Coal Company has come to dominate every facet of their existence, including their political system, their cultural identities, and even the environment in which they live. In order to try and take back control of their lives, the citizens of Matewan look to break free of the feudal system that binds them to the company and introduce the freedoms of capitalism into their social vocabulary.

In order to understand the unrest created and represented in Matewan, one must first understand the inherent differences of the two economic systems on dispaly in the film. An economic system is defined and can be understood through a series of questions that attempt to determine the relationships surrounding the production, distribution, and control over resources. These queries include: How do you gain access to materials useful inproduction? How do you get people to perform labor? How is the labor and production controlled and monitored? How do you get the products to the consumer? And finally, who gets the surplus? In feudalistic economic society, a worker has the freedom to choose to work, but he does not have a choice in who he works for. (As a result, he may be forced to work out of the basic human need to survive...

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...al groups begin to blend ogether forming one cohesive pro-union unit. The company's attempts to "divide and conquer" are squashed as all the worker share the same plight.

As the citizens of Matewan attempt to break free of their feudal chains, they are not only attempting to change their economic situation, but also their current social state as well. Rebelling against the all-powerful Stone Mountain Coal Company, the workers are fighting against a socially and culturally accepted norm- a feudal economic system professed as "right" and "just" by their oppressor. The clash between the company and the striking, pro-union workers is but one historical conflict that attempted to bring about positive social change. As the miners struggle to break free from thier economic oppression and form a union, they push forward a preferred economic state of capitalism.

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