May day is coming. Apart from the well-known fact that may day is a legal holiday in China, how much do you know about labor day? Next, let's learn about the development history of labor day and the customs of labor day in various countries.
May day
International Labor Day, also known as international workers' day or may day, is a national holiday in more than 80 countries in the world. It's on the first of May every year. It is a festival shared by working people all over the world.
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.
History of Labor Day
At the end of the 18th century, many countries, such as the United States and Europe, 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 continued 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 once 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 condition put forward by the workers is 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 workers' movement, the US Congress was forced to enact the eight hour working system law. However, some capitalists simply ignored this law. 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.
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, 1886, 350000 workers from more than 20000 enterprises in the United States stopped work and took to the streets, holding a huge demonstration. Workers of all colors and types of work went on a general strike together. In Chicago alone, 45000 workers took to the streets. As a result, the major industrial sectors in the United States were paralyzed, the trains were frozen, the shops were silent, and all the warehouses were closed and sealed.
In 1866, the first international conference in Geneva put forward the slogan of eight hour working system. On May 1, 1886, about 350000 people took part in a large-scale strike and demonstration in the United States, with Chicago as the center. On May 3, 1886, the Chicago government dispatched police to suppress the incident and shot and killed two people. On May 4, the striking workers held a protest in the hay market square. Due to the unidentified people throwing bombs at the police, the police finally shot. A total of four workers and seven policemen were killed, which is known as Haymarket Riot or Haymarket massacre. In the subsequent sentencing, eight anarchists were charged with murder, four were hanged and one committed suicide in prison.
To commemorate the great workers' movement and the subsequent sentencing of the protest, workers' protests were held around the world. These activities became the forerunner of international labor day.
In July 1889, at the second international founding conference organized by Engels, it was announced that may 1 of each year would be international labor day.
After a hard and bloody struggle, we finally won. To commemorate the workers' movement, on July 14, 1889, the socialist congress convened by Marxists from all over the world was solemnly opened in Paris, France. At the meeting, the delegates agreed that may 1 should be the common festival of the international proletariat. This decision immediately received a positive response from workers all over the world. On May 1, 1890, the working class of European and American countries took the lead in going to the streets, holding grand demonstrations and rallies to fight for their legitimate rights and interests. Since then, working people all over the world have held rallies and parades every day to celebrate and have a public holiday.
The Chinese people's celebration of Labor Day dates back to 1918. In December 1949, the Administrative Council of the Central People's government designated May 1 as the legal labor day.
On May 1, 1920, new youth, Volume 7, No. 6, was published. He published the inscriptions of Cai Yuanpei, Sun Yat Sen, Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu and so on. At the same time, it also published the "general rules of Chinese workers' Union in France" and the survey of labor conditions in Tangshan, Shanxi, Yangtze River and other places.
On May 1, workers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jiujiang, Tangshan and other industrial cities marched to the market and held a huge parade and rally. Li Dazhao published the history of the May Day movement in the new youth, introducing the origin of the May Day and the activities of workers in the United States, France and other countries to commemorate the May Day, calling on Chinese workers to take the May day as the date of awakening. In order to celebrate the festival, Chen Duxiu published an article entitled "the problem of Hunan women workers in Shanghai housheng yarn factory", which revealed the truth that capitalists exploited the surplus value of workers. Chen Duxiu also delivered a speech entitled "the consciousness of the hardworking" at the Shanghai Shipyard trestle Industry Federation, expounding the viewpoints of "labor creates the world" and "workers are the most useful and valuable". On that day, workers and intellectuals from all over the country gathered together. In Shanghai, under the guidance of Chen Duxiu, more than 5000 workers held a world labor commemoration conference jointly organized by seven organizations including the all China Federation of industry advancement. Chen Duxiu was elected as the consultant of the conference. At the commemorative meeting, representatives from all walks of life delivered speeches. Workers put forward the requirement of "three eight system" of eight hours of work, eight hours of rest and eight hours of education, and chanted slogans such as "long live the workers" and "long live the Chinese industry". After the meeting, the Shanghai workers' declaration and a reply to the Russian workers' and peasants' government were issued. The special commemorative issue of new youth also published important articles such as the history of the May Day movement by Li Dachuang, the consciousness of the laborer by Chen Duxiu, and the problem of Hunan women workers in Shanghai housheng yarn mill, as well as investigation reports on the current situation of workers in more than ten cities and regions such as Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Wuhan. In Beijing, Li Dazhao led the commemorative activities centered on Peking University. Peking University students went on strike on this day. Peking University Students weekly published the labor Memorial. More than 500 school workers and students attended a commemorative meeting, and Li Dazhao delivered a speech at the meeting. He Mengxiong and other eight Peking University Students and some young people went out to publicize and distribute the "Beijing Declaration on labor on May 1" to arouse workers to fight against exploitation and fight for their own rights. They were arrested by the patrol police. Deng Zhongxia went to Changxindian in Beijing to distribute the Beijing labor Declaration on May 1 to railway workers and delivered a speech. This is the first time that China commemorates the May Day International Labor Day, and it is also the first may day in Chinese history.
Labor Day songs
On the eve of May Day in 1921, workers learned to sing "May Day Memorial song" at Changxindian labor school founded by Deng Zhongxia, a member of the Communist group in Beijing. The lyrics are: "beauty, freedom, star of the world, fight for my blood, sacrifice for him, wipe out all the power system, and remember the good day of May 1. Red flag flying, walk light road, do their best, take what they need, regardless of the poor, rich and poor, responsibility only mutual aid, I hope you work hard to forge ahead. "This magnificent and powerful song is composed by the teachers of Changxindian labor practice school and the progressive students of Peking University.
Customs of different countries on Labor Day
Europe
Europe still celebrates may day with demonstrations. In Britain and Germany, authorities are worried that the demonstrations may be caused by anarchists. In Berlin, Germany, police clashed with anarchists in the middle of the night and many people were arrested. However, thousands of union activists marched peacefully in the city. In France and Austria, opponents of pension reform also took to the streets. From the news footage on Turkish state television, it can be seen that the police beat the demonstrator with batons and pulled one of them away by pulling his hair.
Italy: no celebrations, no holidays.
Britain, France and other European countries have designated may day as labor day. Many countries have a day off, while others have a public holiday on the first Monday of May. However, unlike most countries in the world, although Italy recognizes may day and the government shows respect for labor, ordinary people do not hold special celebrations and there is no national May Day holiday.
America
Peru: May 1 is the national labor day, and there is a national holiday.
The United States: the birthplace of labor day, but May Day originated in the United States. In the 1880s, in order to accumulate capital, the American bourgeoisie cruelly exploited and squeezed the working class. They forced the workers to work 12 to 16 hours or more every day by various means. The majority of American workers have come to realize that in order to protect their rights, they must fight.
Since 1884, the advanced workers' organizations in the United States have adopted resolutions to fight for the realization of "eight hours a day", and put forward slogans such as "eight hours of work; eight hours of rest; eight hours of entertainment! Workers create all wealth!".
On May 1, 1886, the workers in Chicago held a general strike. On that day, with Chicago as the center, about 350000 workers across the United States took part in the strike and March, demanding to improve working conditions and implement the eight hour working system. The struggle shook the United States. The powerful force of the working class united to fight forced the capitalists to make concessions, and the American workers won the general strike.
In July 1889, the second International Congress led by Engels held in Paris. In order to commemorate the May 1 strike of American workers, the meeting adopted a resolution to designate May 1 as international labor day. Since then, workers' groups all over the world have held grand celebrations on this day, and many countries have a holiday.
However, what is special is that when the U.S. government later set up labor day, it made its own regulations