ABSTRACT
At the end of World War I, industrialists signed an agreement with organized labor. Known as the Stinnes-Legien agreement, it reorganized industrial relations fundamentally. Employers accepted, among other things, the recognition of unions, sectoral bargaining, works councils, and the eight-hour working day. Before the war, industrialists had, with some exceptions, refused to negotiate with organized labor; after the war they actively sought collaboration and made major concessions to secure it. What motivated this far-reaching change of approach?
