On This Day in Working Class History

On 13 March 1920, in Germany, just hours after the far-right Kapp Putsch began and the Social Democratic government called for a general strike, workers in Sömmerda, Germany – many of whom were members of the anarchist Free Workers' Union of Germany (FAUD) – took control of their town.  They formed an executive committee of 40 workers, disarmed the town guard, arrested the reactionary mayor, and f...

On this day, 12 March 1951, following a successful campaign against transport price rises, 300,000 workers took part in a general strike in Barcelona and nearby cities to protest against the right-wing dictatorship of general Francisco Franco.  Despite the mobilisation of thousands of police and civil guards, the strikers held out for two weeks while the government, terrified of the prospect of fu...

On this day, 11 March 1975, there was an attempted far right coup in Portugal, known as the March 11 Intentona. This happened in the context of the revolutionary period that Portugal which began with the fall of the right-wing dictatorship on 25 April 1974.  After the resignation of president António Spínola in September 1974, a left-wing government took power headed by prime minister and Communis...

On this day, 10 March 1920, the El Bordo mine fire occurred in Pachuca, Mexico, which killed dozens of miners. The fire broke out at 6 AM, and there was a brief evacuation period before the mine shafts were sealed shut.  Officials of the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company claimed that after the evacuation fewer than 10 workers remained inside, all of whom were declared to be dead...

On this day, 9 March 2020, tens of thousands of women across Mexico went on strike in protest at gender-based violence which kills thousands of women each year in the country. Transport, banking, education and retail were amongst the industries affected by women either staying at home or taking to the streets, under the slogan "Un Día Sin Nosotras" ("A Day without Us"). One worker, Isaura Miranda,...

On this day, 8 March 1922, seamen in Hong Kong and Canton (now Guangzhou) won pay rises of 15-30%, ending their strike which began in January. The British colonial government had declared the strike illegal, brought in the army and tried to use scabs from the Chinese mainland, and forced labour to break the strike. But the strike spread, was joined by rail workers, dockers, cooks and servants, and...

On this day, 7 March 1962, bagel bakers in New York City and Nassau county won a month-long strike for better conditions. Members of the bagel bakers union Local 338 voted to accept a deal granting their demand for an additional week's paid vacation, three more paid holidays and better wages. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10729/bagel-bakers-win-...

On this day, 6 March 1974, UK coal miners called off their four-week strike after accepting a 35% pay offer in a massive victory, which had already brought down the Conservative government. The Conservatives had introduced regulation to limit pay increases to 7%, at a time when inflation was between 9 and 10%, and miners' basic pay was unable to cover the cost of living without adding considerable...

On this day, 5 March 1984, the great UK miners’ strike began when miners at Cortonwood colliery walked out in response to the Conservative government’s announcement of a pit closure plan. Some other pits were already on strike in other disputes, but the strikes against closures spread across Yorkshire, and four days later the National Union of Mineworkers called a national strike, which was joined...

On this day, 4 March 1947 workers at the Biratnagar Jute Mill in Nepal went on strike demanding better pay and union recognition, among other things. The ruling Rana dynasty sent troops to the town, who arrested strike leaders and put an end to the strike. But the Nepali Congress then organised a nationwide civil disobedience movement demanding the release of the strikers and all political prisone...

On this day, 3 March 1921, a workers' uprising began in Labin, Croatia, by a multinational group of around 2,000 miners. The miners were a mixture of Croatians, Hungarians, Slovaks, Poles, Czechs, Italians, Germans and Slovenians.  On March 1, Italian fascists attacked and badly beat Giovanni Pipano, a miners' union leader. When his colleagues found out they were furious, and called a meeting for...

Mini podcast about this day in history, 2 March 2016, when Honduran Indigenous environmental activist Berta Cáceres was assassinated in her home. Of Lenca descent, she co-founded the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), and was a leading participant in defending Lenca land from illegal logging and US military bases. She was also an advocate for LGBT+ and women's ri...

On this day, 1 March 1944, a series of coordinated general strikes took place across Nazi-occupied northern Italy. One estimate put the number of strikers at 1.2 million while an article in the New York Times claimed between three and six million. The strikes were superficially about economic issues with demands like a freeze on food prices, increases in wages and rations, and the payment of bonus...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...

Mini podcast of radical history on this date from the Working Class History team. Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on  patreon . If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory . See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: ...