The Łódź Rebellion was a

general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...

and mass demonstrations that took place in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

on May 2–8, 1892. In the lead-up to the rebellion,

socialists Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...

from Łódź had published a proclamation in which they demanded an eight-hour working day, an increase in wages and political freedoms. The strikes began on May 2 (May 1 was a Sunday) which affected the largest factories in Łódź. Violence erupted quickly as the police beat the strikers and the workers attacked the factory owners, including among others Ignacy Poznański, the son of

Izrael Poznański Izrael Kalman Poznański (25 August 1833–28 April 1900) was a Polish-Jewish businessman, textile magnate and philanthropist in Łódź, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire), and the husband of Eleonora Hertz Poznańska. The mausoleum of ...

. Some industrialists responded by making concessions. Scheibler's factory proposed an 8% increase of pay and a reduction of working time by an hour, while others, such as Izrael Poznański and Julius Kunitzer refused to make any concessions. During the rally in what is now Wolności Square, the

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

Kazimierz Wachowicz was chosen as leader and hailed as “the king of Poland,” but he was arrested by the

Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

and did not lead the strike. On May 5, there was a pogrom of Jews in Bałuty. The riots were ended by a bloody intervention by the

tsarist Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...

army and the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

, during which about 100 people were killed and 300 were injured.

In culture

The Łódź rebellion is described in

Israel Joshua Singer Israel Joshua Singer (Yiddish: ישראל יהושע זינגער ; November 30, 1893, Biłgoraj, Congress Poland — February 10, 1944 New York) was a Polish-Jewish novelist who wrote in Yiddish. Biography He was born Yisruel Yehoyshye Zinger, ...

's novel, ''

The Brothers Ashkenazi ''The Brothers Ashkenazi'' (1936) (Yiddish: ‏די ברידער אַשכּנזי‎ ''Di brider Ashkenazi'') is a novel by Israel Joshua Singer. Written in Yiddish, it first appeared serially in the Jewish daily Forward between 1934 and 1935, af ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodz rebellion Military history of Łódź May 1892 events General strikes in Europe Labor disputes in Poland 1892 labor disputes and strikes Rebellions in Poland Rebellions against the Russian Empire Congress Poland Socialism in Poland