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How did labor day come about? The origin and historical background of May Day

May 1 every year is China's annual May 1 Labor Day. May 1 Labor Day is also called May 1 International Labor Day. It is an international festival. Many countries celebrate May 1 Labor Day. So how did May day come about? This article brings you the origin and historical background of May 1 International Labor Day. Let's have a look.

1. The origin of May 1 International Labor Day: the workers' strike in Chicago in 1886

International Labor Day, also known as' May Day 'and' international demonstration day '(International Workers \' day or may day), is a national festival in more than 80 countries in the world. It's scheduled for May 1 every year. It is a festival shared by working people all over the world.

In July 1889, the second International Congress led by Engels was held in Paris. The meeting adopted a resolution stipulating that international workers would hold a parade on May 1, 1890, and decided to designate May 1 as international labor day. The Administrative Council of the Central People's government made a decision in December 1949 to determine May 1 as labor day. After 1989, the State Council basically commended the national model workers and advanced workers every five years, with about 3000 people each time.

2、 The historical background of the origin of Labor Day

5.1 Labor Day originated from the American workers' movement in the 1980s.

The United States and many countries in Europe have gradually developed from capitalism to imperialism. In order to stimulate the rapid economic development and extract more surplus value, so as to maintain this high-speed capitalist machine, capitalists continue to take the method of increasing labor time and labor intensity to cruelly exploit workers.

In the United States, workers have to work 14 to 16 hours a day, some even as long as 18 hours, but the salary is very low. The supervisor of a shoe factory in Massachusetts said, 'let a strong and healthy 18-year-old boy work next to any machine here, and I can turn his hair gray at the age of 22.' The heavy class oppression aroused the great anger of the proletariat. They know that to strive for the conditions for survival, they can only unite and fight against the capitalists through the strike movement. The strike slogan put forward by the workers is to implement the eight hour working system.

In 1877, the first national strike in American history began. The working class marched and demonstrated in the streets and proposed to the government to improve working and living conditions, shorten working hours and implement an eight hour working system. Soon after the strike, the team expanded day by day, the number of trade union members increased sharply, and workers everywhere also took part in the strike movement.

Under the strong pressure of the workers' movement, the US Congress was forced to enact an eight hour working system law. However, the vicious capitalists simply ignored it. This law is just a dead letter. The workers still live in deep water and are tortured by the capitalists. The unbearable workers decided to push the struggle for the right to survival to a new climax and prepare for a larger strike.