Volume 11 of the "Samuel Gompers Papers" documents a pivotal moment in labour history, when the wartime promise of industrial democracy gave way to business as usual in the post-war world. Spanning a turbulent period of wildcat strikes, racial unrest, and political experimentation, this volume presents the efforts of Gompers and the AFL to defend collective bargaining, protect hard-won wartime gains, and advance labour's role as a partner in economic prosperity and social progress. This indispensable volume includes such episodes as the Seattle General Strike, the 1919 coal and steel strikes, the rise of the 'American' open-shop plan, and John L. Lewis' unsuccessful campaign to replace Gompers as AFL president. It also covers Gompers' participation in the Versailles Peace Conference, the founding of the AFL's Nonpartisan Political Campaign Committee, and the demands of black and women workers in the post-war era.