The general strike of 1918 (in German Landesstreik which means strike of the country) is a Grève which began in Suisse the November 12th 1918.
1917 - The riot of Zurich
The first steps of the strike proceed the November 17th 1917 at the time of the riot of Zurich. A spontaneous festival is organized by the pacifist marginal ones and circles of the youth of left, to celebrate the victory of the Bolchevique S in Russia. It caused the death of three demonstrators and a police officer. One allotted the full responsibility for it to the PS and the US which had not however played any part in these events.
1918 - The general strike
One year later, with the approach of the first birthday of the Russian revolution, various personalities whose general Wille, announce their concern to the Federal council which orders the preventive military occupation of the town of Zurich to avoid any revolutionary insurrection.The Committee of Olten which gathers the political clouts and trade-union Swiss socialism, answers by strikes of protest. The Federal council refusing to go into reverse, the Committee of Olten calls some with the general strike (12 November 14th, 1918).
The committee of Olten presents nine claims:
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immediate Renewal of the National council according to the system of the representation proportional,
- Right to vote and of eligibility for the women,
- Introduction of the right to work for all,
- Introduction of week the 48 hours, in all the state enterprises or private,
- Organization of a primarily popular army,
- Measurements aiming at ensuring the supply,
- Old-age insurance and survivors,
- Monopoly of the State for the imports and exports,
- Payment of the national debts by having.
The strike is followed by some 250 000 workmen, one notices a very strong participation in the industrial towns, but much weaker in French-speaking Switzerland and with the Tessin, which are occupied celebrating the Armistice of 1918. The participation of the railwaymen is déteminante because it allows the extension of the strike even the isolated rural regions. The strike proceeds in the calm one, the trade unions, had taken precautionary measures like the prohibition of alcohol. There are only few skids, as with Granges, where three strikers are killed on November 14th.
After three days, the soldiers sent number by the Federal council are Masters of the situation. The committee of Olten yields without condition, the strike is a failure. The Friday the 15th, work begins again almost everywhere if it is not in Zurich where the workmen of wood and the metallurgists resume work only the Monday the 18th.
Consequences
More than 3500 people are committal for trial by the military Justice of which great number of railwaymen, 147 people are condemned.
Certain points of the claims are however applied:
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item 1 had in fact accepted as of on October 18th, 1918. The first election with the system proportional should have taken place in 1920. It is held in 1919.
- item 4, the 48 hours week, is introduced in 1919.
- As for item 7, the AVS which is accepted by the people in 1925 comes into effect only in 1948.
As regards workman, the general strike is the event which made tremble the middle-class. Middle-class side, it acts of the day when Switzerland failed to pass to the Bolchevism .
From this strike, it results the birth from a certain policy of social consensus. But the middle-class parties will be wary a long time of the socialist party which obtains a first seat at the Federal council only in 1943.
See too
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General strike of 1932 in Geneva
Sources
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Switzerland during the First World War and the general strike of 1918 on Cliotexte
- General strike DHS
- General strike the Mail
- the Communists
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