The Interwar Origins of International Labour's European Commitment (1919–1934)

The article argues that the democratic international trade union federations developed a keen interest in European economic co-operation after 1922, at first rejecting economic nationalism and advocating free trade; then, from the late 1920s onwards, stressing the need for an organised European economy. Remarkably, however, when discussing social issues, unions emphasised the national or universal level, as opposed to the regional one.