The Early Labor Movement

Sources for The Early Labor Movement

Social conditions

The early labor movement grew out of the demand for better working conditions and a democratic social order, but also out of the severe social distress created by the class society that many working-class families lived in the 1800s. Here you can read two descriptions of the conditions for Copenhagen workers.
V. Munck on poverty in Copenhagen 1868

Child in Nørrebro 1882-85

The Battle of Fælleden

A number of interesting sources describe the events surrounding the socialist demonstration on Nørre Fælled in Copenhagen on May 5, 1872, which later became known as the “Battle of Fælleden”.
Socialisten, May 2, 1872, page 1 page 2 page 3 page 4

Police officer Korn’s report of May 4, 1872

Section chairmen’s flyer, May 5, 1872

Letter from painter Thorvald Niss to master painter N.J. Friis, Slagelse, May 5, 1872

Report from the police officer in charge, May 6, 1872

Fædrelandet, May 6, 1872

Henrik Cavling’s account of the Battle of Fælleden

The rise and fall of Louis Pio

Along with Poul Geleff and Harald Brix, the main man behind the early labor movement was Louis Pio. Among other things, he was in contact with the socialist theorist Friedrich Engels, with whom he corresponded. Pio was imprisoned in 1872-75 and in 1877, under pressure from the authorities, he emigrated to the USA.
Engels’ letter to Louis Pio, March 7, 1872

Pio’s letter to Engels from prison, August 19, 1872

Inspector Hertz’s report on the negotiations with Pio, December 12, 1876

Louis Pio’s memoirs from the editorial office and prison, 1877

Poul Geleff: The plain and simple truth about Louis Pio and myself 1877

Programs before the Gimle program

The Social Democratic Workers’ Party’s first congress-approved program of principles and work was adopted by the congress at Gimle in Frederiksberg in June 1876. Hence the name Gimle Program. During the first five years of the labor movement’s activities, from the founding of the International Workers’ Association for Denmark in October 1871 to the Gimle Congress, the labor movement had no officially adopted party program as a political guideline.

In 1872, Louis Pio planned to convene a congress, but it was thwarted with the imprisonment of Poul Geleff, Harald Brix and himself on May 5, 1872. In 1873, the International was banned and the subsequent associations, the Democratic Workers’ Association and the Social Democratic Association Broderbåndet, only existed for a short time. The more viable Central Board of Free Trade Unions issued a manifesto in August 1874 and it developed into a well-organized national organization, which Louis Pio was again able to lead upon his release from prison on April 1, 1875. In the framework of this organization, a congress was held the following year and a program was adopted. Naturally, all the associations mentioned above had principles and purpose clauses to work by. Purpose clauses cannot be equated with a congress-adopted program, but they give a signal of where you want to work.

General Statutes and Regulations of the International Labor Union, September 1871

Program, April 2, 1872

Laws for the association “Broderbåndet”, 1873/74

Draft laws for the Democratic Labor Union, August 1873

Manifesto from the Central Board of the Free Trade Unions in Copenhagen, August 1974

Laws for the Mixed Trade Union, 1874