Quaker Employer Conference of 1918

Abstract

The Quaker Employer Conference of 1918 was held in April, just six months before the Great War ended. This first ever meeting was prompted by the adoption of a socialistic vision by London Yearly Meeting which challenged the capitalist beliefs upon which they had built their businesses. The attendees had ambitious goals; nothing less than trying to figure out a way to bring into being a new version of business. Unfortunately, they never came close to achieving those aims; instead it was the beginning of the end for Quaker employers. Regrettably, today we still struggle with the same issues that were unsolved a century ago.