Today in Labor History August 22

1600s

Today in Labor History August 22, 1614: The Fettmilch Rising occurred in Frankfurt, a pogrom by artisans against the Jews.Vincenz Fettmilch led the riot through the Judengasse (Jewish Ghetto), attacking and looting their properties and expelling the Jews from the city. The Frankfurt Judengasse was one of the earliest and largest ghettos in Germany.

The pogrom was a classic case of dividing the lower classes and pitting them against each other. The guilds wanted more political power and a reduction in grain prices. They blamed the money-lenders in the ghetto for their economic woes. The Town Council had reached an agreement with Fettmilch, granting the guilds increased power and rights. However, when the public learned about the city’s extensive debts, Fettmilch deposed the Council and seized the city gates. The emperor demanded a reinstatement of the Town Council and threatened anyone who opposed him with an Imperial Interdiction. The rebellious craftsmen took to the streets, directing its anger against the weakest member of the dispute, the Jews. All inhabitants were driven into the Jewish Cemetery, while the mob plundered their homes. 

Next month, the emperor arrested and executed Fettmilch and his followers for their persecution of the Jews. Imperial soldiers escorted the Jews back into Frankfurt. The soldier erected a stone Imperial Eagle above the gates with the inscription: “Protected by the Roman Imperial Majesty and the Holy Empire.”

Haitian Revolution

Today in Labor History August 22, 1791: Encouraged by the French and American revolutions, Toussaint Louverture led over 100,000 Haitian slaves in a revolt against the French. They were ultimately successful, making Haiti the first black republic in the world.

The US refused recognition of Haiti until 1865, as a result of pressure from Southern slaveholders. The French demanded $21 billion In today’s dollars) in reparations for the losses to the former slaveholders, in exchange for peace and recognition of Haiti as an independent nation. The debt was financed through French banks and the U.S. bank, Citibank. The Haitians finally paid it off in 1947. However, the huge interest payments for their independence debt, and the debt incurred through the corruption of the Duvalier dynasty, have made Haiti one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere. Prior to independence, Haiti was the richest and most productive of all of Europe’s colonies.

The best book I’ve read on the Haitian Revolution is “The Black Jacobins,” by Trinidadian socialist C.L.R. James. Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier explores the revolution in his novel, “The Kingdom of This World” (1949). You can read more about Toussaint Louverture and the slave uprising in Madison Smartt Bell’s trilogy called “All Souls’ Rising” (1995) and Isabel Allende’s 2010 novel, “Island Beneath the Sea.”

1790s-1890s

Today in Labor History August 22, 1798: French troops landed at Kilcummin, County Mayo, Ireland to aid the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Today in Labor History August 22, 1893: Sam Gompers and other trade unionists met with New York mayor Gilroy pressing for a municipal public works program to relieve unemployment.

1910s-1920s

Today in Labor History August 22, 1917: Italian police opened fire on protesters against the hunger caused by World War I. Most of the protesters were women. The next day, workers declared a General Strike. On the 24th, a state of siege was declared, but the strike continued until the 26th. Police violence during the strike resulted in the deaths of 60 people. 

Today in Labor History August 22, 1922: Michael Collins, Commander-in-chief of the Irish Free State Army, was shot dead in an ambush during the Irish Civil War.

1940s-1970s

Today in Labor History August 22, 1947: A two-month strike by United Packing Workers began in Canada.

Today in Labor History August 22, 1978: The Sandinistas captured the Nicaraguan National Palace launching the Sandinista revolution. The red and black symbolism on the flags of the modern Sandinistas, as well as Sandino’s movement in the 1930s, came from the anarchosyndicalists. Sandino spent much of the 1920s with Mexican anarchosyndicalists.