Written in the wake of the waves of economic and social upheaval in the post Civil War period, this 1898 work, a lost classic of American Socialism, is a cry for a nationwide plan to even out the bumpy ride America had been on, and that-the author predicted accurately-it would see again. Here, LAURENCE GRONLUND (1846-1899), American lawyer, writer, and worker for the Socialist Labor Party, explains why "industrial democracy," "a most noble ideal," is "inevitable," and explores its many potential facets, some of which will sound familiar to readers today: . state aids to employed labor . state help to unemployed labor . municipal enterprises under state control . socialization of mines and liquor traffic . a national telegraph . national banks . national controls of fares and freight rates . and more.