The Łódź Rebellion was a

general strike A general strike is 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 coalitions ...

and mass demonstrations that took place in

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

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

socialists Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...

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 Ignacy is a Polish given name, equivalent of the name ''Ignatius''. Notable people with the name include: * Ignacy Tadeusz Baranowski (1879–1917), Polish historian * Piotr Ignacy Bieńkowski (1865–1925), Polish classical scholar and archaeologi ...

, the son of

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

. 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 Juliusz Karol Kunitzer () (1843–1905) was a Polish industrialist, economic activist, philanthropist, and one of the industrial magnates of Łódź in Congress Poland. He owned a textile and later a joint stock company. His viciousness towards w ...

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 are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

and did not lead the strike. On May 5, there was a pogrom of Jews in Bałuty. Jewish residents in Łódź tried to defend themselves and their property, and some were killed. The riots were ended by a bloody intervention by the

tsarist Tsarist autocracy (), also called Tsarism, was an autocracy, a form of absolute monarchy in the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire. In it, the Tsar possessed in principle authority and ...

army and the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

, during which about 100 people were killed and 300 were injured. Hundreds of people were also arrested and transported to Warsaw under military escort. Initial reports from Łódź suggested that 30,000 people had participated in the strike activities.

In culture

The Łódź rebellion is described in Israel Joshua Singer'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 ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodz rebellion Military history of Łódź May 1892 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