3.8 What is the origin of International Women's Day?

International Women's Day

On the website of the United Nations introducing International Women's Day, the origin of "March 8" International Women's Day is attributed to a series of major events in the women's movement in the early 20th century, including: 1909, and American socialists designated February 28th as National Women's Day;

19 10, more than 0/00 women representatives from 17 countries, under the leadership of Clara Zetkin, planned to set up International Women's Day, but no specific date was set. 1 9 11March 20091day, more than110,000 women from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and other countries gathered together to celebrate International Women's Day.

19 13 On the last Sunday of February, Russian women celebrated their International Women's Day by holding demonstrations against World War I;

1965438+on March 8, 2004, women from many European countries held anti-war demonstrations;

19 17 On March 8 (February 23, Russian calendar), Russian women went on strike to commemorate nearly 2 million Russian women who died in World War I, thus opening the "February Revolution". Four days later, the tsar was forced to abdicate, and the interim government announced that it would give women the right to vote. ?

It can be said that it was this series of feminist movements that took place in Europe and America at the beginning of the 20th century that led to the birth of International Women's Day on March 8th, instead of people taking it for granted that International Women's Day was only the legacy of the international capitalist movement.

Festival development:

The idea of setting up International Women's Day originated in the early 20th century, when western countries were in the stage of rapid industrialization and economic expansion. Poor working conditions and low wages have led to various protests and strikes.

On March 8th, 1857, women garment and textile workers in new york, USA took to the streets to protest against poor working conditions and low wages. Although the authorities later dispatched police to attack and disperse the protesters, this protest led to the establishment of the first trade union organization in March two years later. ?

In the next few years, there were similar protests on March 8 almost every year. The most striking thing is that in 1908, nearly15,000 women took to the streets of new york, demanding shorter working hours (ten-hour working days), higher wages (minimum wages) and the right to vote (women's right to vote).

And shouted the slogan of "bread and roses" symbolizing economic security and quality of life. The following year, 2,000 people attended the Women's Day rally in Manhattan, new york. Women's Day was first celebrated on February 28th. 1909. At that time, the American Socialist Party issued a declaration calling for a commemoration on the last Sunday of February every year. This annual celebration lasts until 19 13. ?

1909, garment women workers launched a general strike, and 20,000-30,000 shirt women workers took part in the strike in the cold winter of 13 weeks in order to increase their wages and improve their working conditions. The Federation of Women's Trade Unions submitted a deposit and a large number of strike funds for the arrested strikers. ?

1910 On August 26 -27, 2000, on the eve of the Second International Copenhagen Conference, Clara Zetkin, as the secretary of the International Women's Registry, presided over the Second International Socialist Women's Conference.

International solidarity of exploited workers all over the world has long been a socialist principle. The German Socialist Party has a strong influence in the international socialist movement. There are many women's rights advocates in the party, including leaders like Clara Zetkin.

More than 65,438+000 delegates from 65,438+07 countries attended the meeting, representing trade unions, socialist political parties and professional women's clubs, including three women who were elected to the Finnish Parliament for the first time. Encouraged by the actions of American women workers and their socialist sisters, Clara Zetkin drafted a resolution on the basic principles of women's voting rights. ?

This resolution stipulates that "proletarian-conscious political organizations and trade unions in all countries unanimously agree that socialist women in all countries should have a festival every year, the main purpose of which is to help women obtain the right to vote, and women's right to vote must be treated together with the whole women's issue in accordance with socialist principles." Women's Day must be internationalized and carefully prepared. " ?

The Second International Socialist Women's Congress did not have a resolution on the establishment of International Women's Day, nor did it specify which day was Women's Day. Because the Copenhagen Women's Conference did not set a specific date for International Women's Day. So the activities to celebrate this festival before 1922 are random. ?

19 1 19 March 19, proletarian women in some European countries held the first celebration of International Women's Day in history. Rallies for voting rights were held all over Germany, and more than 5,000 male and female workers participated in Berlin alone. Women in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and other countries also held rallies and parades. ? A total of/kloc-0.00 million people held various activities to celebrate International Women's Day. ?

Six days later, on March 25th, a fire broke out in the famous new york Triangle Underwear Factory in new york, which killed 140 female garment workers, most of whom were Italian and Jewish immigrants. Poor working conditions are considered to be the main cause of such heavy casualties. The fire later had an important impact on American labor legislation.

On the eve of the outbreak of World War I, European women also took to the streets on March 8, 2003 1965438+2003 to oppose the war by holding peaceful assemblies and other forms.

During the period of 1912-15, on March19, Tzetkin published an article in Equality, the official publication of the International Women's Registry, to commemorate International Women's Day. The celebration of International Women's Day was chosen on this day to commemorate the uprising of Parisian workers and working women on March 187 18 against the attack of government forces on the artillery positions of the National Guard in Mont martel. This uprising led to the birth of the Paris Commune. ?

The commemoration of International Women's Day later proved to be a prelude to the Russian revolution. During the February Revolution in Russia 19 17, women workers in Petrograd responded to the call of Bolsheviks and held a demonstration to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 (February 23 in Russian calendar), demanding "bread and peace" and taking part in the strike of 90,000 male and female workers.

Later, it developed into an uprising against the imperialist war and the czar's autocratic system and was overthrown. ? After the success of the October Revolution, Bolshevik feminist Alexandra mikhailov Koruntai persuaded Lenin to make March 8th a legal holiday. In the Soviet era, this day was commemorated every year as a "heroic female worker". ?

After the November Revolution in Germany 19 18, the celebration of International Women's Day in191921was held on March 5th. Today is Luxembourg's birthday. Two commemorative articles published by Lenin in 1920 and 192 1 were written on March 4th.

1921September 9- 15, the second international conference of women representatives was held in Moscow, attended by 82 representatives from 28 countries. At the meeting, Bulgarian woman party member suggested that March 8th every year be designated as International Women's Day to commemorate the heroic struggle of Russian women workers in the February Revolution of 19 17. The Second International Conference on Productive Women adopted this proposal and adopted a resolution to designate March 8 as International Women's Day. ?

Since then, proletarian women all over the world celebrate their festivals in different forms every year on this day, but because of the development and changes of the times, their purpose is not only to fight for women's right to vote.

Starting from 1922, Pravda and International Newsletter of the Soviet Union, that is, the organ of the Executive Committee of Production International, all opened columns in March to introduce International Women's Day, the struggle of proletarian women in various countries and their living and working conditions.