On May Day in 1886, hundreds of thousands of workers across the United States joined a mass strike, pressing for an eight-hour workday instead of long, exhausting shifts that could stretch to 15 hours. Chicago emerged as a focal point of this upheaval, drawing roughly 40,000 people into the streets as the movement gained momentum.
As one observer notes, American workers faced brutal conditions. Factories ran around the clock, with workers rotating shifts in tight, profit-driven cycles and little to no social protections. The strain of such labor bred anger and a sense that reform was unavoidable. Vitaly Tepikin, a historian and scholar, emphasizes that the era’s conditions included extended hours, no social security, low wages, and the prevalent use of child labor. This context helped propel protests that could not be ignored by factory owners.
Despite the demonstrations, many employers refused to concede rights or benefits. After the May Day actions, a large Chicago plant reacted by laying off about 1,500 workers, prompting a fresh wave of strikes. The city’s workers continued to protest in the streets for two additional days until May 3, when police moved against a factory crowd with firearms, causing multiple fatalities and many injuries. The harsh police response spurred a wave of anti-authority sentiment, and anarchist circles published thousands of leaflets urging workers to resist police brutality and to converge on Haymarket Square.
Among the materials circulated were provocative broadsides describing the conflict as a clash between workers and a brutal police force. The language called on workers to defend themselves against what was portrayed as a merciless machinery of control, insisting that the fight was a fight for dignity and freedom from exploitation. The tone reflected the anger felt by those who had endured years of poverty and deprivation while their labor powered the factories that profited the owners.
Haymarket Square became a focal point for a broader dialogue about workers’ rights and the meaning of solidarity during this period. A large gathering formed on May 4, drawing men, women, and children who hoped to advocate for fair treatment. Although many protesters hoped to remain peaceful, tensions escalated when unseen forces sparked a violent confrontation. There is a widely cited moment when a bomb was thrown toward law enforcement, followed by a volley of gunfire that left casualties on all sides.
The immediate aftermath saw a sweeping crackdown on unions and workers’ clubs. Authorities arrested numerous people suspected of anti-government activity, and some were charged in connection with the Haymarket incident. Among those charged were several leading organizers and editors connected to the workers’ press, while others faced charges tied to the events of that day. The legal proceedings revealed contested evidence and highlighted the difficulties in assigning culpability for the violence in Haymarket Square.
Guilt and punishment varied. Certain defendants were executed after trials that illuminated deep-seated tensions between the authorities and the labor movement. As the defendants faced the gallows, some chose to recite or sing revolutionary anthems that had become associated with the labor struggle, reinforcing the sense that the fight for workers’ dignity would continue beyond any single courtroom or battlefield. The sentences that followed affected families and communities, underscoring how political conflict can shape the lives of ordinary people for years to come. In later years, more nuanced assessments emerged, recognizing that the prosecutions may have reflected prejudice and political pressure as much as evidence of criminal action.
In the years that followed, historians and labor activists revisited the events of Haymarket and the broader campaign for the eight-hour day. The Chicago tragedy served as a catalyst for international solidarity among workers. In 1889, the Paris-based Second International formally commemorated May 1 as International Workers’ Solidarity Day, casting the incidents of 1886 as a shared history of labor struggle. This international acknowledgment helped transform May Day into a symbol of worker rights and collective action that persisted across borders.
May Day in the Soviet Union
After May Day was formally recognized as a holiday, it spread to many countries, including the Soviet Union. In 1917, following the February Revolution, May Day was celebrated on a public scale in the USSR. It soon became one of the key holidays, though its meaning shifted with historical and political changes. The celebration initially carried the name International Day, later evolving into International Workers’ Solidarity Day and sometimes simply May Day. Observances included official ceremonies, processions, and interactive gatherings that highlighted labor and unity.
Analysts note a series of iconic moments and traditions associated with the holiday in Russia and across the Soviet states. May 1 featured large-scale marches, family participation, and public demonstrations that celebrated labor and the collective enterprise. Over time, the holiday gained a cultural resonance, becoming a moment for public gatherings, picnics, and community celebrations that blended political ideals with social life.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the holiday’s political significance in Russia shifted. It was renamed Spring and Labor Day and retained a sense of public festivity. Contemporary observers describe May 1 as a long weekend that encourages outdoor activities and family time, even as it no longer carries the same political charge as in earlier decades. Nevertheless, May 1 remains a meaningful waypoint for communities across Russia, inviting people to celebrate spring, labor, and shared cultural heritage.