This year's May Day is still half a month away. Many people are happy that this year's May Day holiday is one more day. While everyone is concerned about the holiday, should we also pay attention to the origin of the labor day? Let's learn about the origin of the labor day with Xiaobian!
What is the origin of International Labor Day
In July 1889, the second International Congress led by Engels held in Paris. The meeting passed a resolution stipulating that international workers would hold a march on May 1, 1890, and decided to designate May 1 as international labor day. In December 1949, the Administrative Council of the Central People's government made a decision to designate May 1 as labor day. Since 1989, the State Council has basically commended national model workers and advanced workers every five years, with about 3000 people each time.
The historical background of the origin of Labor Day
5.1 the origin of labor day, from the 1880s of the American workers movement.
Many countries in the United States and Europe have gradually developed from capitalism to imperialism. In order to stimulate the rapid economic development, extract more surplus value and maintain this high-speed capitalist machine, capitalists continue to exploit workers cruelly by increasing labor hours and labor intensity.
In the United States, workers have to work 14 to 16 hours a day, some even as long as 18 hours, but the wages are very low. The supervisor of a shoe factory in Massachusetts said: 'let a strong and healthy 18-year-old man 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 the only way to survive is to unite and fight against the capitalists through the strike movement. The strike slogan put forward by the workers is to demand the implementation of 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 the working and living conditions, and to shorten the working hours and implement the eight hour working system. Soon after the strike, the ranks of workers were expanding, the number of trade union members increased sharply, and workers from all over the country also took part in the strike movement.
Under the strong pressure of the labor movement, the United States Congress was forced to enact the eight hour working system law. However, the vicious capitalists did not pay any attention to it. This law is just a piece of paper. The workers are still living in dire straits and suffering from the capitalists. The unbearable workers decided to push the struggle for the right to survive to a new climax and prepare to hold a larger-scale strike movement.
Specific events of May 1 International Labor Day
In October 1884, eight international and national workers' groups in the United States and Canada held a rally in Chicago, and decided to hold a general strike on May 1, 1886, forcing the capitalists to implement the eight hour working system. The day finally arrived. On May 1, 350000 workers from more than 20000 enterprises in the United States stopped work and took to the streets, holding a massive demonstration. Workers of all colors and types of work went on a general strike together. In Chicago alone, 45000 workers took to the streets. In this case, the major industrial sectors in the United States were paralyzed, the trains became stiff, the shops were silent, and all the warehouses were closed and sealed. At that time, there was a popular song of "eight hours" among the striking workers
'we want to make a difference in the world. We're tired of working for nothing. We've never had time to think just because we're paid to live. We want to smell the flowers, we want to bask in the sun, we believe: God only allows eight hours working day. We gathered our team from docks, workshops and workshops to strive for eight hours of work, eight hours of rest and eight hours for ourselves! "
The passionate songs sang the aspirations of the workers and the common wishes of the proletarians all over the world, and also infected the broad masses. They supported the strike movement of the workers one after another and pushed the strike movement to a new climax. The great strength of the strike movement made the government and the capitalists extremely panic. They were unwilling to agree to the conditions of the workers, which showed their ferocious side. On May 3, the Chicago government finally pulled off the mask of democracy and suppressed the workers with violence. They organized the strike destroyers to sneak into the workers' strike team under the protection of the police, deliberately creating chaos, and used this as an excuse to shoot and kill six workers on the spot. This atrocity aroused the great indignation of the workers in the whole city. They are determined to avenge the dead brothers of the workers!
Labor Day officially established
In order to commemorate the strike movement of American workers on May 1, 1886, and to promote the struggle enthusiasm of the working class all over the world, this day is designated as the common holiday of the international proletariat. On May 1 every year, the working class in various countries hold large-scale demonstrations to fight for their rights.