Postwar Labor Distress

Battle Renewed.

The end of World War I meant many things to different groups within American society. Some eagerly anticipated the return of loved ones from the European front, while others simply rejoiced in the nation's victory in "the war for democracy." Organized labor looked to the future with a great deal of optimism. Federal wartime labor policies allowed the labor movement to achieve tremendous gains. Labor leaders thought that the vast increase in union membership, more than five million members in 1920, as well as labor's growing influence on federal policy, meant the beginning of a better day for American workers. Unions sought to solidify and extend wartime gains but were met head-on by businessmen and employers who had a completely different agenda. They sought to roll back the gains and return to the prewar status quo. The resulting clash between labor and capital led to violence and bloodshed that repulsed the...

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