Walloon Jacquerie of 1886
Encyclopedia
The Walloon jacquerie of 1886 was a working class jacquerie
of a bloody spring as many Walloon scholars are calling it This violent upheaval of the Belgian, especially Walloon proletariat, caused a profound psychological shock in an atmosphere of fear of an inevitable and explosive social polarisation. César de Paepe
wrote the strike spread through whole Wallonia from the Prussia
n border as far as Tournai
Other historians thought Wallonia sprang from the strike.
by the 'Groupe anarchiste et révolutionnaire' summoning workmen to a meeting to-morrow and concluding with the words: Let each man bring a revolver.Then forward !
Unexpectedly many workingmen responded to this anarchistic appeal on 18 March, 15th anniversary of the Commune de Paris. At Liège (Jemeppe-sur-Meuse
, Seraing
, Tilleur), there was an open conflict between the troops which had been massed there for the protection of the place and a large body of Anarchists who were marching against the town for the purpose of attacking and looting it. The fight was severe and prolonged, but finally resulted in the repulse of the Anarchists. They were not driven from the field, however, until the troops charged upon them with fixed bayonet
s. A large number of men on both sides were injured. Some idea of the serious nature of the Anarchist demonstration may be formed from the fact that to-da y no less than 6,000 regular troops are on duty guarding the district disturbed by the rioters on Saturday.
and the radical Hainaut movement led by A. Defuisseaux were the main agitators in the biggest and most violent strike ever to sweep across the industrial Wallonia. It started in March 1886 in LIège's metal sector and quickly expanded to the three Hainaut industrial areas. Violence and destruction, including the demolition of a glass factory, unleashed the traditionnal repressive mesures: the army intervened and killed dozens, ten in the town of Roux
alone. Hundred of workers were condemned in court and several leaders were prosecuted. But the battle-hardened Hainaut workers of the Defuisseaux movement were not impressed and in May 1887 they organised a second wave of strikes. This time, the general revolutionnary strike also had the political aim to secure universal suffrage. Neither in Liège, nor in the rest of industrial Belgium, however, did it have the same effect.
General Baron Vandersmissen was ath the head of the troops leading an almost military campaign (Henri Pirenne
.
, and with it the cooperative and health care organisations, came out against the strikes and even expelled Defuisseaux. In reaction, he immediately founded the more radical Parti socialiste républicain (1887) mainly based on a strong Walloon-Hainaut grassroots support, started a militant propaganda and unleashed the local strikes of 1887...
Alfred Defuisseaux published Le catéchisme du peuple which established the principle of universal suffrage to right social wrongs. This pamphlet had a most astonishing success. It sold in thousands, 200,000 in Wallonia and 60.000 in Flanders The three first questions and answers of Catéchisme du peuple were 1. Who are You? Answer. I am a slave 2. You are not a human being? A. From the point of view of humanity, I am a human being, but in relation to the society, I am a slave. 3. What is a slave? A. It is someone which has an only duty, to work and to suffer for the others.
Jacquerie
The Jacquerie was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe by peasants that took place in northern France in the summer of 1358, during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt, which was violently suppressed after a few weeks of violence, centered in the Oise valley north of Paris...
of a bloody spring as many Walloon scholars are calling it This violent upheaval of the Belgian, especially Walloon proletariat, caused a profound psychological shock in an atmosphere of fear of an inevitable and explosive social polarisation. César de Paepe
Cesar De Paepe
César De Paepe was a medical doctor and a prominent syndicalist whose work strongly influenced the Industrial Workers of the World and the syndicalist movement in general...
wrote the strike spread through whole Wallonia from the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n border as far as Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
Other historians thought Wallonia sprang from the strike.
Liège and the basin of Liège
Placards have been posted in LiègeLiège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
by the 'Groupe anarchiste et révolutionnaire' summoning workmen to a meeting to-morrow and concluding with the words: Let each man bring a revolver.Then forward !
Unexpectedly many workingmen responded to this anarchistic appeal on 18 March, 15th anniversary of the Commune de Paris. At Liège (Jemeppe-sur-Meuse
Jemeppe-sur-Meuse
Jemeppe-sur-Meuse is a section of the Belgian city of Seraing located in Wallonia, in the province of Liege. It was a separate municipality before the merging of municipalities in 1977. The inhabitants are about 10,000 and are called 'Jemeppians'.This town is best known for its steel industry, and...
, Seraing
Seraing
Seraing is a Walloon municipality of Belgium in Province of Liege. The municipality of Seraing includes the old communes of Boncelles, Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, and Ougrée. With Liège, Herstal, Saint-Nicolas, Ans, and Flémalle it forms the greater Liège agglomeration...
, Tilleur), there was an open conflict between the troops which had been massed there for the protection of the place and a large body of Anarchists who were marching against the town for the purpose of attacking and looting it. The fight was severe and prolonged, but finally resulted in the repulse of the Anarchists. They were not driven from the field, however, until the troops charged upon them with fixed bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s. A large number of men on both sides were injured. Some idea of the serious nature of the Anarchist demonstration may be formed from the fact that to-da y no less than 6,000 regular troops are on duty guarding the district disturbed by the rioters on Saturday.
In the Province of Hainaut
Revolutionnary anarchists in Liège and VerviersVerviers
Verviers is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. The Verviers municipality includes the old communes of Ensival, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Heusy...
and the radical Hainaut movement led by A. Defuisseaux were the main agitators in the biggest and most violent strike ever to sweep across the industrial Wallonia. It started in March 1886 in LIège's metal sector and quickly expanded to the three Hainaut industrial areas. Violence and destruction, including the demolition of a glass factory, unleashed the traditionnal repressive mesures: the army intervened and killed dozens, ten in the town of Roux
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
alone. Hundred of workers were condemned in court and several leaders were prosecuted. But the battle-hardened Hainaut workers of the Defuisseaux movement were not impressed and in May 1887 they organised a second wave of strikes. This time, the general revolutionnary strike also had the political aim to secure universal suffrage. Neither in Liège, nor in the rest of industrial Belgium, however, did it have the same effect.
General Baron Vandersmissen was ath the head of the troops leading an almost military campaign (Henri Pirenne
Henri Pirenne
Henri Pirenne was a Belgian historian. A medievalist of Walloon descent, he wrote a multivolume history of Belgium in French and became a national hero....
.
Rupture between the social-democratic wing and the revoltionnary wing
During the strikes of 1886-1887, the social-democratic wing clearly made its abhorrence of violence known. For fear of disappearing, the newly formed POB-BWPBelgian Labour Party
The Belgian Labour Party, called Belgische Werkliedenpartij in Dutch and Parti Ouvrier Belge in French, was the first socialist party in Belgium, founded in 1885.-History:...
, and with it the cooperative and health care organisations, came out against the strikes and even expelled Defuisseaux. In reaction, he immediately founded the more radical Parti socialiste républicain (1887) mainly based on a strong Walloon-Hainaut grassroots support, started a militant propaganda and unleashed the local strikes of 1887...
Alfred Defuisseaux published Le catéchisme du peuple which established the principle of universal suffrage to right social wrongs. This pamphlet had a most astonishing success. It sold in thousands, 200,000 in Wallonia and 60.000 in Flanders The three first questions and answers of Catéchisme du peuple were 1. Who are You? Answer. I am a slave 2. You are not a human being? A. From the point of view of humanity, I am a human being, but in relation to the society, I am a slave. 3. What is a slave? A. It is someone which has an only duty, to work and to suffer for the others.
External links
See also
- List of strikes
- General strikeGeneral strikeA general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
- Belgian general strike of 1893Belgian general strike of 1893The Belgian general strike of 1893 was ordered by the General Board of the Belgian Labour Party after the Belgian Parliament rejected the Law Proposal on universal suffrage....
- 1960-1961 Winter General Strike1960-1961 Winter General Strike1960–1961 Winter General Strike was the most important strike of the 20th century in Belgium and was called the Strike of the Century. Its triggering factor was Eyskens' government introducing a number of austerity policies under the general name Loi unique...
- Belgian general strikesBelgian general strikesThe Belgian general strikes were a peculiar phenomenon of the social, economical and political life in Belgium due to huge concentrations of workers in the Belgian Cities as Ghent, Antwerp, mainly in Wallonia, in Charleroi and Liège but also in other places in the Walloon Sillon industriel, e.g....