Thomas didn’t realize that in the 21st century we wouldn’t have much democracy — or much industry — left.
The “arc of history” bent in another direction.
You can see the transition from Debs, a railroad worker and union man, to Thomas, an intellectual and a Princeton and Columbia (Union Theological Seminary) man, as part of that bending, and as an indication that “industrial democracy” wasn’t going to happen.
But I would say, that perhaps the person who more than any other got it correct was James Burnham. It's largely a forgotten book these days, but I do own a copy of "The Managerial Revolution". It'll be an audiobook some day.(I do believe that the copyright expires in 2036) It was a big, big deal when it was published. Orwell wrote about the book even.
If we were to give that "arc of history" of yours a name, that's what it would be. Manager, progressives, administrators. "Manager" is just another word for "administrator". Aka, the progressives. The Philip Drus of our country and the world.
And yes, I do believe that one reason why the socialists have always hated the progressives is because, when you get right down to it, the socialists lost and the progressives won.
Nobody likes being a loser.
"You can see the transition from Debs, a railroad worker and union man, to Thomas, an intellectual and a Princeton and Columbia (Union Theological Seminary) man, as part of that bending, and as an indication that “industrial democracy” wasn’t going to happen."
Except, that it did happen and its here right now. It just didn't happen along the lines that the socialists dreamed of. It happened along the lines that the administrators chose.
We ended up with an Industrial Democracy managed by bureaucratic despotism.(To borrow Hillsdale's name for progressivism) Socialists demand total control and ownership over the means of production. What the progressives gave us was NOT that. - it was Nixon's EPA, the FCC, the FDA, DoE(energy), DoE(Education), the Federal Reserve, the USDA, the TSA, OSHA, Medicare, and the other thousands of regulatory agencies. Those agencies all taken together as one represent the Industrial Democracy. It's Frankenstein's monster. It's stitched together, this federal leviathan. But it does the same thing. Ronald Reagan said:
Now it doesn't require expropriation or confiscation of private property or business to impose socialism on a people. What does it mean whether you hold the deed to the, or the title to your business or property if the government holds the power of life and death over that business or property? And such machinery already exists. The government can find some charge to bring against any concern it chooses to prosecute. Every businessman has his own tale of harassment. Somewhere a perversion has taken place.
Stuart Chase, FDR's advisor who created the phrase "The New Deal" said:? (In his System X - because they never truely gave it a name)
Not much "taking over" of property or industries in the old socialistic sense. The formula appears to be control without ownership. It is interesting to recall that the same formula is used by the management of great corporations in depriving stockholders of power.
Now, consider the impact of someone saying: "the old socialistic sense". But that is the explanation Reagan was searching for. Stuart Chase was a member of the LID.
That phrase catches me every time I see it. The progressives put a huge whuppin on the socialists. It's not even close here. But consider the real world effect. It is total control. It's Industrial Democracy. That's why in the end the progressives and the socialists came together, to whatever extent, and Bernie Sanders(self-described socialist) has run for president now twice in the party primary of the progressive party. Theodore Roosevelt would've given birth to a cow had Eugene Debs ran for President on the Bull Moose ticket. That's how far we've come. And we do know the date, apparently Reagan didn't know. It all begins with progressivism, so the early 20th century.(give or take 5 years) That's where America failed. Progressivism is destroying everything, Progressivism is America's cancer.
For the most detailed, singular manifesto of progressive beliefs, I always recommend Herbert Croly's "The Promise of American Life". Not a surprise, it was one of TR's favorite books.
This phrase "Industrial Democracy" is the singular reason why progressives can with a straight face call us anarchists. Related phrases to "Industrial Democracy" are "Industrial Despotism". and "Industrial Anarchy". An unregulated market would be, in their view, anarchy.