I grew up in a state of workers and peasants. And we all loved May Day very much. Because, firstly, it was just getting warm, and secondly, there were two holidays. And we celebrated the solidarity of the workers. And not some kind, but an international one.
The program was always meaningful and intense. For example, in 1984, we, the students of Moscow State University, were taken to the May Day demonstration. And we, young Marxist economists, duly celebrated such an important day for the international labor movement. Here is a list of student celebrations to celebrate workers’ solidarity: Red Square, flags, Mausoleum, party and government leadership – 10 let Oktyabrya Street, Pivnaya – Dzerzhinsky Square, Sportivnaya metro station, park, port wine – Leninskie Gory, views of Moscow. It was emotional. The party was a success.
And now I live in Chicago, the birthplace of May Day. Of the above, there are the beauties of the city, beer and port wine. There is nothing else. And how to celebrate the holiday now?
However, no one is celebrating it. In the USA, May 1 is not recognized as a holiday. As well as in Canada. Although it all started on the American continent.
It was in those memorable times when Marx was already dead and Engels was still alive. The international labor movement kept trying to figure out which way to go – the path of revolution or the path of reform. And while they were sorting it out in Europe, the workers in America protested. Because they came from the Old World to the New One, and there they had to work a lot. They wanted the exploiters to stop oppressing them so much, and demanded an eight-hour working day. The capitalists were given two years to fulfill the legitimate demands of the proletariat – until May 1, 1886. The exploiters didn’t like this idea very much. By the deadline, nothing had happened. And that’s when the workers decided to defend their rights and aspirations. They went on strike on the appointed day. But the bourgeoisie in America was very stubborn, and the proletarians were again given nothing.
Then they organized themselves into a group of comrades, and on May 4, 1886, they gathered in the working-class city of Chicago on Haymarket Square (Haymarket). Quite predictably, police squads appeared on the square. But police officers in Chicago are no more admired than in Moscow. And therefore, the working class really dispersed completely to the demand to disperse. And the boiling mind of the proletariat went into a phase of detonation. And literally. Someone started throwing bombs at the guards. Seven policemen were killed. In response, a service weapon was used. In America, a warning shot in the air is not provided. Four participants of the action were killed.
The instigators were arrested following fresh footsteps. A total of eight people were put on trial. Seven of the accused were sentenced to capital punishment. Four people were executed. But the people gave everyone the status of martyrs.
This tragedy has not passed without a trace. Already in 1889, a monument was erected in its place. It was… police memorial. They’re working people too! The monument turned out to be a long-suffering one. He was blown up twice, and for some reason, one day, a tram mysteriously ran over him. I had to remove it to the courtyard of the Police Training Center. No one touches him there.
But in 2004, a new memorial was erected at the site of the sad events. To whom? Apparently, to everyone. Both the city’s police and trade unions participated. And since everyone gave money for the monument, then no one is offended. And the sculpture was sculpted accordingly. I don’t really understand what it’s about. And this is the most important thing nowadays: if you depict more incomprehensible things, it can pass for a thoughtful masterpiece.
But what about the martyrs of the proletariat? Their memorial is located in the Forest Home Cemetery, where the executed instigators of the riots are buried. That’s what it’s called: “The Martyrs of Haymarket.”
The Second International declared May 1, 1889, the Day of International Workers’ Solidarity. They’ve been celebrating ever since. But not in Chicago. Or rather, they celebrate in Chicago, but not the Americans.
Usually, on this day, immigrants come out for a few rallies. Almost 21% of the city’s population came from other countries. Half of them are from Latin America. Therefore, speeches are delivered either in Spanish or with a strong Spanish accent. And the theme is also specific – the one that is close to the hearts of Mexicans and others like them: “Open the border! Let everyone in, especially our people! Stop deporting us!” The basis for such reasonable demands is the invaluable contribution that migrants make to the prosperity of the city of Chicago. Its budget is bursting at the seams due to the huge burden of benefits and other programs to help the poor… again, migrants.
They are often joined by black residents of the city. Because many of them have just the time. They don’t have to go to work. So they come out on a weekday to show solidarity with those who work. Whatever it is, it’s an event.
And what about the working Americans themselves? Who should be in solidarity with each other? Who then did the classics of Marxism bequeath to unite? They must be celebrating something. And they still celebrate. But in September, not in May.
Americans are always different from people. They have their own football, not normal football. They definitely need to dress up as comic book characters, grab the ball in their hands and push it all over the field. They measure the temperature on the Fahrenheit scale, not Celsius. Therefore, the freezing point of water is 32 degrees, not 0. Does that make any sense? And Americans wouldn’t be themselves if they didn’t express workers’ solidarity in their own way. Therefore, there is a separate holiday here – Labor Day.
Labor is appreciated and loved in America. Actually, Americans work all the time. But rest is not popular. The average American takes no more than 14 days off per year. So working is the meaning of life. Americans work and thus gain freedom in a democratic country. In general, there is something to celebrate. And it’s characteristic: Chicago is also the birthplace of this holiday.
There is a neighborhood called Pullman. I try not to go there. I don’t recommend it to others either. Representatives of an eternally oppressed race live there, who are very likely to try to expropriate your belongings and money. But this is now. And in the 19th century it was a separate city. It had a factory and a housing complex. The factory was owned by George Pullman. Housing too. He handed it over to his own workers. Pullman produced those famous sleeping cars for the railways. And he named the city after himself solely out of modesty.
But Marxism teaches us and everyone else.: The capitalist economy is cyclical. Crises are inevitable. There was one like it in 1893. And then the cunning Pullman lowered the wages of workers by 25-40%, and left the rent at the same level. The mind of the proletariat was again outraged and seethed. They went to negotiate with George. He fired them on the spot. Then strikes began, which by the summer of 1894 had escalated into riots and pogroms. Chicago burned and seethed. The workers were no worse at destroying than at creating. Then President Cleveland sent troops into the city. In July 1894, the inevitable happened. The clashes with the army ended sadly for the proletarians: 30 people died. And then, quite in the spirit of American originality, President Cleveland, whose actions led to the massacre, signed a decree ordering all U.S. citizens to celebrate Labor Day every year on the first Monday of September. We’ve been celebrating ever since.
There aren’t many demonstrations on Labor Day. There are parades. But no one goes to them. And where do American citizens go? First of all, to the shops, because there are sales. And secondly, they visit each other. They roast burgers on the grill, drink beer and watch what they call football on TV.
So much for the holiday! We spend money, eat meatballs, drink beer, watch the game. Long live labor!… But not now. In September. In the meantime, get to work, US citizens!
Chicago