ABSTRACT
The first conference of the international trade union movement in which the American Federation of Labor (afl) took part was in 1909. After the First World War, when the United States isolated itself from Europe and the threat of revolution was restricted to Europe, the afl felt it could afford to sever its ties with the international trade union movement. Gompers's policy of integration had led to disaster, the international problems retreated into the background, and isolationism got the upper hand in the afl. Matthew Woll started urging for a 'World Trade Union International'. In the editorial of the June 1929 issue of his federation's magazine, The America Photo-Engraver, he called for 'the formation of a World Federation of Trade Unions'. The discussion in Geneva had also revealed that the Congress of Industrial Organizations could count on the sympathy of several European trade unions.
