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11 November 1918: Switzerland general strike
Published 4 days, 2 hours ago
Description
On 12 November 1918, 250,000 men and women began a general strike across Switzerland. The government had deployed troops in the streets, in the wake of revelations in Germany and Russia, as a pre-emptive measure, which provoked a short protest strike on November 9, which later escalated.
The workers formulated numerous demands, which were relatively moderate considering the revolutionary situation in other countries: immediate new elections on the basis of proportional representation; the introduction of women’s suffrage; a general duty to work; the 48-hour working week; democratic reforms of the army; adequate food supply; state pensions for the elderly and disabled; state monopolies in export and import; as well as coverage of the national debt by the rich.
95,000 troops were brought in to defeat the strike, and on 13 November the government issued an ultimatum.
The next day, union leaders decided to end the general strike in order to prevent further escalation. That same day, after the strike ended, three people in Grenchen were killed by troops.
In the aftermath of the strike, over 3500 workers – including many rail workers – were charged with various crimes. 147 workers ended up getting convicted by military tribunals.
While the strike was widely considered a failure, it did result in a significant reduction in working hours, to 48 hours, in 1919, and employers and the government began negotiating much more widely with unions.
Women did not get the right to vote until 1971.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8342/250,000-swiss-general-strike
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
The workers formulated numerous demands, which were relatively moderate considering the revolutionary situation in other countries: immediate new elections on the basis of proportional representation; the introduction of women’s suffrage; a general duty to work; the 48-hour working week; democratic reforms of the army; adequate food supply; state pensions for the elderly and disabled; state monopolies in export and import; as well as coverage of the national debt by the rich.
95,000 troops were brought in to defeat the strike, and on 13 November the government issued an ultimatum.
The next day, union leaders decided to end the general strike in order to prevent further escalation. That same day, after the strike ended, three people in Grenchen were killed by troops.
In the aftermath of the strike, over 3500 workers – including many rail workers – were charged with various crimes. 147 workers ended up getting convicted by military tribunals.
While the strike was widely considered a failure, it did result in a significant reduction in working hours, to 48 hours, in 1919, and employers and the government began negotiating much more widely with unions.
Women did not get the right to vote until 1971.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8342/250,000-swiss-general-strike
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
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