The Chartist movement was a large-scale mass movement whose goal was to peacefully seize state power through the implementation of universal suffrage. A movement of this form and nature can only develop in an era when social contradictions are more acute. From the early 1930s to the 1950s, Britain experienced a series of social conflicts, such as the struggle for parliamentary reform in 1832, the struggle for the abolition of the Corn Laws in 1846, the struggle for the 10-hour working day in 1847, and the struggle of the bourgeoisie for the 1849-1852 period. Counterattacks launched to safeguard their interests, etc. Under such conditions, the Chartist movement was able to call on the masses to carry out widespread struggles, allowing the movement to develop wave after wave. However, since 1848, British social history has begun to change. In the next 20 years, the British economy has prospered, unemployment has been reduced, and workers' lives have improved. Although two economic crises also occurred in 1857 and 1866, they lasted shorter than before, and Britain quickly recovered from the crisis.

Secondly, in the mid-19th century, Britain had completed the industrial revolution and became the "world's factory". Its products were sold around the world and it was second to none in the international market. At the same time, Britain occupied a large number of colonies, such as Canada, some islands in the West Indies, India, Australia, New Zealand, etc. By 1850, the British colonies had reached 1.7 million square miles and the population reached 160 million. At this time, Britain already had two major characteristics of imperialism, namely its vast colonies and its monopoly position in the world market. In this way, the British bourgeoisie could use part of the excess profits from colonial exploitation to improve the lives of skilled workers. At the same time, during this period, gold mines were discovered in California and Australia, which triggered a large number of British immigrants to these areas. According to statistics, the number of British immigrants overseas reached 335,966 in 1851. In the first six months of 1852, the number of immigrants reached 365,992. Many of them were workers or small producers, which eased domestic tensions and conflicts.

In addition, the reason why the Chartist movement failed was because the political and economic changes it required did not have the mature social and historical conditions to realize them at that time, and the working class itself was not strong enough to realize these changes. level of the task. It lacks organization, a unified political party, and no advanced scientific theoretical guidance. There are only a minority of industrial workers in the workforce, and most of them are from bankrupt small craftsmen or bankrupt farmers. They are nostalgic for their past status as small producers, are not firm enough in the struggle, and are easily attracted to bourgeois radicalism. But the bourgeoisie they have to deal with is in the process of development and is rich in political struggle experience and economic management ability. After the parliamentary reform of 1832, the industrial bourgeoisie joined the political power; the old and new bourgeoisie united, and they all became enemies of the working class.

Although the Chartist movement failed, it is still of great significance in the history of Britain and the international labor movement. The Chartist Movement was the world's first independent national political movement of the working class; the experiences and lessons gained from the Chartist Movement served as a great reference for the future international workers' movement. During most of the Chartist movement, Marx and Engels were in England. They had close contact with the Chartists and studied its experience, which had an important influence on their creation of the theory of scientific socialism. The struggle of the Chartists also won some victories for the working people of Britain at that time, such as the abolition of the Corn Laws in 1846 and the 10-hour working day in 1847. Moreover, due to the overwhelming momentum of the Chartist movement, subsequent bourgeois governments had to make some concessions whenever the workers' movement emerged in order to avoid a recurrence of the Chartist movement. Moreover, after the failure of the Chartist movement, thousands of its participants did not completely cease their activities or abandon their beliefs. Some of them moved to the United States, Australia or New Zealand, bringing the seeds of democratic ideas to these places and contributing to the development of the democratic movement in these places.

Lyon Workers’ Uprising

In 1831 and 1834, workers in Lyon, France, staged two armed uprisings against capitalist exploitation and oppression. Lyon is the center of the French silk industry. Under the cruel exploitation of factory owners and contractors, silk weavers and handicraftsmen lived in extremely difficult conditions. At the beginning of 1831, Lyon workers launched a movement with the main content of demanding higher wages. The workers held many rallies, petitions, and demonstrations. In October, we negotiated with the package purchaser to reach a minimum wage agreement. But then, with the support of the Minister of Commerce of the July Dynasty, the package buyers tore up the agreement. On November 21, 1831, workers held a protest demonstration and clashed with the military and police, which turned into a spontaneous armed uprising. The rebels put forward the slogan "If you can't live by working, you would rather die fighting." After three days of fighting, the workers once occupied the city of Lyon. The uprising was quickly suppressed by troops brought in by the July Monarchy government.

On April 9, 1834, another uprising of silk weavers broke out in Lyon. The direct cause of the uprising was the government's arrest and trial of strike leaders and the issuance of decrees banning workers' associations and gatherings. This uprising had a more distinct political nature. It not only put forward economic demands, but also put forward the slogan of abolishing the monarchy and establishing a democratic and political system. The rebels wrote on the flag: “The cause we fight for is the cause of all mankind.

"Members of the mutual aid society of the workers' organization and the society of human rights and the society of progress of petty bourgeois democrats formed a general committee to lead this struggle. The insurrectionary masses and the government troops fought fiercely for six days in the suburbs and city of Lyon, and were eventually captured by the government due to the disparity in strength. The uprising caused strong repercussions in Paris and many areas of France, and promoted the development of the French workers' movement. The two uprisings of Lyon workers were one of the important signs that the French proletariat entered the historical stage.

British Chartist Movement

Britain was the first country to have a bourgeois revolution and an industrial revolution. It was known as the "world's factory" in the 19th century and had practiced "parliamentary democracy" here for many years. "In a country famous for its reputation, only those who pay high income taxes have the right to vote, and the majority of workers are excluded from the gates of Parliament.

On May 2, 1842, the streets of London were crowded with people. The vast number of workers The procession went to the House of Commons, where the head of the National Association of Chartists presented the second petition of the National Chartists to the House of Commons.

The petition read: "Your honorable House as it is now constituted. It is said that it is neither elected by the people nor decided by the people. It only serves the interests of a few and ignores the poverty, suffering and aspirations of the majority. "

The petition also pointed out that in Britain, "the rulers are extravagant and lustful, and the ruled suffer and starve." For example, Queen Victoria's daily income is 164 pounds, 17 shillings and 60 pence, and her husband Prince Albert's income is 104 pounds 20 shillings, while millions of workers only earn two or three pennies per day.

The petitioners believe that before the people gain political power, certain people must be eliminated. A monopoly cannot free working people from poverty, and after the people gain political power, all monopolies and all forms of oppression should cease. The "monopoly" mentioned by the petitioners refers to the right to vote at that time. A monopoly on paper money, a monopoly on machinery and land, a monopoly on the press and religious privileges...

The petition, signed by 3 million people (about half of all adult men in Britain), once again demanded. Making the "People's Charter" into law

The "People's Charter" was a petition submitted to Congress by the Educated Workers' Association in 1837, which proposed universal suffrage for men over the age of 21. Electoral voting should be conducted secretly, property qualification restrictions for parliamentary candidates should be abolished, and congressional elections should be held annually to equally distribute constituencies. In May of the following year, this petition was published and became known as the "People's Charter." ”, 1.25 million people signed the petition in 1839.

In July 1840, representatives of Chartists from all over the country held a conference in Manchester and declared that its purpose was to “establish the National Chartist Association. To achieve a thorough reform of the House of Commons so that it can fully and faithfully represent all people in the United Kingdom", in order to "achieve this purpose, only peaceful and legal means should be adopted." The association has hundreds of branches across the country, and members It was the germ of the first workers' party in modern times. In 1848, driven by the revolutionary storm on the European continent, the Chartist movement surged again.

The petition further stated that labor is the only source of all wealth, and workers have priority over the fruits of their labor. The people are the only source of power. There are 1.97 million people in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool who signed the petition. Workers in cities such as Glasgow held massive demonstrations.

On April 10, 1848, representatives of the 3rd National Chartist Congress presented petitions to Congress on four gorgeous carriages. On the way, they were suppressed by the gendarmes. Congress refused to accept the petition. Then, the government ordered the dissolution of the National Chartist Association.

Lenin commented that the British Chartist movement was "the first widespread and genuine movement in the world." "A mass, political proletarian revolutionary movement". The Chartist movement marked the beginning of the British proletariat's entry onto the stage of history as an independent political force, and opened the prelude to the struggle with the bourgeoisie for political power.

Silesian Textile Workers' Revolt

In June 1844, Silesia's textile workers revolted. At that time, Silesia had a developed textile industry. The cotton and linen weaving workers and cottage craftsmen in this region were brutally exploited by factory owners, contractors, and landowners. In the 1940s, their poverty was exacerbated as capitalists passed on losses from the impact of British machine-made textiles to workers. On June 4, 1844, spontaneous uprisings broke out among textile workers in Pieterswaldau and Langenbirao, two textile villages in the foothills of the Eugen Mountains, triggered by their refusal to raise wages. The uprising team expanded to 3,000 people and concentrated on attacking the factory owners whom the workers hated most. The rebels used crude weapons to fight the government troops, including cavalry and artillery, who came to suppress them. It persisted until June 6, when the uprising was suppressed. It fueled the growth of the labor movement. Craftsmen and apprentices in Breslau, the main city of Silesia, textile workers in Berlin and Aachen, sugar factory workers in Magvoburg, etc., successively held strikes and local uprisings in response to the struggle of Silesian weavers. The weavers' uprising showed that the proletariat had entered the stage of history as an independent political force. 1. Road protection movement: It took place on May 14, 1911.

2. The Guangdong-Han Railway workers’ strike took place on December 29, 1920.

3. Longhai Railway Strike: It occurred on November 20, 1921. The main leaders were Luo Zhanglong and You Tianyang. This is the first railway workers' movement launched and led by the Communist Party of China.

4. The Changxindian railway workers’ strike occurred on August 24, 1922. The main leaders were Deng Zhongxia and others.

5. Guangdong-Han Railway workers’ strike: It took place on September 9, 1922. The main leaders were Lin Yunan, Guo Liang and others.

6. Shanhaiguan Railway Workers’ Strike: It took place on October 4, 1922. The main leaders were Wang Jinmei and others.

7. Zhengtai Railway Workers’ Movement: It took place in December 1922. The main leaders were Shi Hengqing and others.

8. The February 7th Railway Workers’ Strike: It took place on February 4, 1923. The main leaders were Liu Shaoqi, Deng Zhongxia, etc., and the direct leaders were Lin Xiangqian, Shi Yang, etc.

9. Jiaoji Railway and Sifang Locomotive Factory workers’ strike: It occurred in February 1925. The main leaders were Wang Hebo, Deng Enming, Wang Jinmei and others.

10. Nanxun Railway Workers’ Movement: It took place in October 1926, and the main leader was Xiong Haosheng.

11. The Xuzhou railway workers’ strike occurred in March 1943. The birth of the Chinese proletariat in the 1840s and 1950s

Background

Politics: The Beiyang warlord government suppressed internally and sold the country externally, and domestic class contradictions deepened. (Root Cause)

Economy: Further development of national capitalism.

Class: the power of the proletariat

Ideology: The Russian October Revolution pointed out the path to liberation for the Chinese people.

The development of the New Culture Movement promoted the emancipation of people's minds.

International Environment: The Failure of Diplomacy at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 (The Fuse) (U.S., UK)

Process, Location, Main Slogan, Result, First Stage, Beijing Students Struggle for Sovereignty Externally and Eliminate National Traitors Internally

Abolition of Twenty-one Articles

Refuse to sign the peace treaty. Shanghai workers achieved initial victory in the second stage ①Slogan: "Strive for national rights abroad and punish national traitors at home" (reflecting The anti-imperialist and anti-feudal nature of the May Fourth Movement)

"Punish national traitors internally" and "refuse to sign the peace treaty" (realized)

② Under the attack of the Chinese working class strike, the May Fourth Movement The movement struggle achieved initial victory: the Beijing government was forced to release the arrested students; dismissed Cao, Zhang, and Lu from their posts; and refused to sign the "peace treaty".

Meaning

Character: A revolutionary movement that completely and uncompromisingly opposes imperialism and feudalism.

(The thoroughness does not refer to the result of the struggle, but to the spirit of never giving up until the goal is achieved)

Young students (vanguard role); working class (main force role) ; Promoted the spread of Marxism and the beginning of China's new democratic revolution.

(The working class begins to enter the political arena)