Protests in Berlin: Pivotal Instances Spanning 134 Years of Labor Legacy
Let's take a stroll through the turbulent history of May Day in Berlin
This city's been playing host to the International Workers' Struggle since 1890, weathering world wars, revolutions, fascism, Stalinism, and late capitalism. Here's a look at some of the day's most pivotal moments.
1890: The roots take hold
May Day was first proclaimed by the Socialist International at its founding congress in 1889. By the next year, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Berlin was hosting an indoor rally at the Neue Welt, with party chairman August Bebel as the keynote speaker. Demonstrations were banned in Wilhelmine Germany, but that didn't stop workers from hanging red flags on smokestacks and church towers.
1916: Down with the war!
Berlin's May Day celebration was put on hold by World War I and the state of siege. But in 1916, an anonymous call to gather at Potsdamer Platz brought out thousands of workers. The voice behind the call was Karl Liebknecht, a member of the Reichstag who had been drafted into the army. Crying "Down with the war!" and "Down with the government!", he stood at the center of the crowd - a prelude to the revolution of 1918.
1929: Bloody May Day
By 1929, the Red Districts like Wedding and Neukolln were fierce drivers of the May Day tradition. Police Chief Karl Zörgiebel, a social democrat, prohibited all public gatherings, which proved to be an outrage for the proletariat. Tens of thousands defied the ban, resulting in a police massacre. It's estimated that 32 to 38 civilians were killed, with no police officers or politicians ever charged with a crime.
1933: Nazi May Day
The Nazis took power in 1933 and attempted to co-opt the workers' May Day tradition. May 1 was declared a public holiday called the "Day of National Labour." Propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels hosted a massive rally at Tempelhofer Feld, where Hitler proclaimed the end of the class struggle. Trade union leaders desperately tried to accommodate themselves to the regime, but the Nazis swiftly smashed all workers' organizations.
1968: The radical May Day
1968 brought radical change to West Berlin, with the student movement protesting against the U.S. war in Vietnam. Thirty thousand people showed up at Karl-Marx-Platz, marking the first time the left demonstrated separately from the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). Tensions were high, but these protests laid the groundwork for future alternative left-wing demonstrations.
1987: The Kreuzberg Uprising
In 1987, police brutality sparked a neighborhood uprising in Kreuzberg. A peaceful festival turned violent when police attacked with batons, water cannons, and tear gas. Residents fought back, taking over the area for hours, flipping cars, and creating barricades before the police could retake control in the early hours of the morning.
1990-2024: A new era of worker solidarity
With German reunification came a new wave of worker activism on May Day. Protests focused on issues like globalization, job security, and social welfare. These demonstrations brought a mix of peaceful protests and more confrontational actions by left-wing groups. May Day in Berlin continues to be a beacon of worker struggles and a call for change.
As Rosa Luxemburg wrote in 1894, "May Day will be the yearly expression of these demands. And when better days dawn, when the working class of the world has won its deliverance, then too, humanity will probably celebrate May Day in honor of the bitter struggles and the many sufferings of the past."
(This history has been adapted from Nathaniel Flakin's new anticapitalist guidebook "Revolutionary Berlin" and his biography of Martin Monath.)
1. politics: The Nazi regime attempted to co-opt the workers' May Day tradition by declaring May 1 as the "Day of National Labour" and hosting a massive rally at Tempelhofer Field, despite smashing all workers' organizations.
2. general-news: The Kreuzberg Uprising in 1987 was sparked by police brutality during a peaceful festival, resulting in a neighborhood uprising where residents fought back, flipping cars, and creating barricades before the police could retake control.
