What happened in chicago on may 1, 1886?

The 19th century was a time of industrial and economic progress, but prosperity and technical advances also had a dark side. Workers were subjected to endless hours, twelve, fourteen hours or more. The eight-hour day became one of the main demands of the labor movement. In all countries, the proletariat demanded eight hours for work, eight for rest and eight for leisure.

These were the demands of the Chicago workers in 1886, when the Haymarket incident took place. Police were using violence against peacefully assembled demonstrators when an unknown person threw a bomb at them. After an unfair trial against the alleged perpetrators, five defendants were sentenced to hang.

In memory of the “martyrs of Chicago”, on May 1, 1890, proletarians demonstrated in the United States and in the most advanced countries of Europe. As the demonstration was a resounding success, various governments were forced to take the so-called “social question” into consideration. In France, the parliament rushed to vote on a package of laws with improvements for the workers. In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II addressed the issue in a speech.

First of may 2021

The events that gave rise to this celebration are contextualized in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. At the end of the 19th century, Chicago was the second largest city in terms of population in the United States. From the west and southeast, thousands of unemployed farmers arrived by rail each year, creating the first humble villages that housed hundreds of thousands of workers. In addition, these urban centers welcomed immigrants from all over the world during the 19th century.

Photograph of a workshop in Indiana (United States), by Lewis Hine, 1908. The poor working conditions of workers in the midst of the Industrial Revolution contributed to the emergence of the labor movement and its demands.

Yesterday, the wives and children of the poor were crying for their husbands and fathers to be beaten, while the palaces of the rich were filled with expensive drops of wine and were drinking to the health of the bandits of the order …

More than 20,000 people gathered in Haymarket Square and were repressed by 180 uniformed police officers. An explosive device exploded among the police, causing one death and several injuries. The police opened fire on the crowd, killing and injuring an unknown number of workers.

1st of may, workers’ day

The anarchists staged two rallies on May 1st, the most important of which was held in the Retiro and continued with a demonstration to the Congress of Deputies, where a document with workers’ demands was delivered to its president, Alonso Martínez.

The Sunday demonstration called by the Socialists gathered thousands of workers and took place after a rally. The demands were taken to Sagasta, president of the Council of Ministers. After the delivery, the demonstration was dissolved.

It was in the Basque Country where the situation became complicated. The Socialists organized a series of events in the first week of May. On the 12th, after the mobilization, the Basque mining bosses fired the most prominent Socialist leaders. In response, many workers went on strike, which ended up becoming a general strike. A state of war was declared and tension did not begin to ease until May 21. The Socialists won a reduction in the working day, although other measures that the workers wanted to abolish were maintained: the canteens and the barracks.

Saint john’s evecelebration

The events that gave rise to this celebration are contextualized in the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. At the end of the 19th century, Chicago was the second largest city in terms of population in the United States. From the West and Southeast, thousands of unemployed farmers arrived by rail each year, creating the first humble villas that housed hundreds of thousands of workers. In addition, these urban centers welcomed immigrants from all over the world during the 19th century.

Yesterday, the wives and children of the poor were weeping for their husbands and husbands’ fathers, while the palaces of the rich were filled with expensive drops of wine and were drinking to the health of the bandits of the order …

More than 20,000 people gathered in Haymarket Square and were repressed by 180 uniformed police officers. An explosive device exploded among the police, causing one death and several injuries. The police opened fire on the crowd, killing and injuring an unknown number of workers.