ABSTRACT
After the end of the First World War, several international bodies tried to facilitate a resumption of free trade and liberalization of international markets. Yet the interwar period reflected a time of strict trade barriers and a process of further convergence to stimulate international economic progress stagnated, causing a serious backlash in the process of industrial globalization. However, in 1919, the international working class had obtained the eight-hour day through demonstrations and strikes. A clear distinction between time for the boss and time for personal development had either been marked by law or by general labor agreement.
