The Strike of the 100,000 () was an 8-day

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

in German-occupied Belgium that took place from 10 to 18 May 1941. It was led by

Julien Lahaut Julien-Victor Lahaut (6 September 1884 – 18 August 1950) was a Belgian politician and communism, communist activist who served as president of the Communist Party of Belgium from 1945 to 1950. An important figure during the German occupation o ...

, head of the Belgian Communist Party (''Parti communiste de Belgique'' or PCB) even though the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...

was still in force. The object of the strike was to demand a wage increase, but it was also an act of

passive resistance Nonviolent resistance, or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, constr ...

to the German occupation. The strike originated at the Cockerill steel works (''Cockerill Fonderie'') in the industrial town of

Seraing Seraing (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city of Wallonia located in the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Boncelles, Jemeppe-sur-M ...

, in eastern Belgium, on 10 May 1941. The date significantly marked the first anniversary of the German invasion of Belgium. News spread quickly through the Province of Liège and brought many other workers out on

solidarity action Solidarity action (also known as secondary action, a secondary boycott, a solidarity strike, or a sympathy strike) is industrial action by a trade union in support of a strike initiated by workers in a separate corporation, but often the same ...

s. The strike also spread into the industrial Province of Hainaut in the west and also to the neighbouring

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

in Flanders. It is estimated that 70,000 workers participated in the strike at its height, though never the 100,000 supposed by its popular name. The actions received widespread coverage in the national

underground press The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rece ...

of the

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (, ) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many ...

and even achieved limited support from the middle and upper classes who had traditionally opposed labour militancy. In order to end the disruption, the Germans were forced to agree to a substantial wages increase of eight percent. The strike soon finished and ended officially on 18 May. In its aftermath, the German authorities worried that it could be repeated. 400 workers were arrested in September 1942 on suspicion of planning a similar action. Further important strikes did, however, take place in Belgium in November 1942 and February 1943. In the aftermath of the strike, the start of the

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...

(June 1941) led to the end of the limited toleration of Belgian communists. Lahaut was deported to a concentration camp in Germany, and many other strikers were also incarcerated in the

Citadel of Huy The Citadel of Huy () or the Fort of Huy (), known locally as The Castle (), is a fortress located in the Walloon city of Huy in the province of Liège, Belgium. The fort occupies a high position in the town, overlooking the strategic Meuse ri ...

. A similar strike, inspired by the success of the Strike of the 100,000, took place later the same month in the Nord and Pas de Calais mining basins in Northern France, which formed part of the same German administrative area as Belgium. It was judged by the French newspaper in 2001 to have been one of the most spectacular acts of the French Resistance. The strike, which broke out on 27 May and lasted until 9 June, brought 17,000 miners (around 80 percent of the regional total) out to protest pay and food shortages.

References

External links

"La grève des 100.000 (Mai 1941)" by José Gotovitch
(published in ''Jours de Guerre'', No. 7, 1992) at the Centre des archives communistes en belgique (Carcob) {{Authority control Communism in Belgium German occupation of Belgium during World War II Belgian Resistance Labour disputes in Belgium 1941 labor disputes and strikes 1941 in Belgium History of Liège Province Seraing May 1941 in Europe Labour history of World War II

See also

References

Further reading

External links