Aloysius Landrigan

Aloysius Landrigan (PhD in History, 2024), May Day 1890–1914: Internationalism and Unity across the Labour Movement and Working Classes of Britain, Australia and the United States of America

This thesis uses annual May Day demonstrations as a prism through which to examine how the labour movement strove to instil internationalism in British, Australian and American working-class consciousness from 1890–1914. As May Day demonstrations developed, they reflected the shifting membership, power, conflicts, and ideals of the British, Australian and American labour movements. Demonstrations drew on similar practices including banners, marches, speeches, and resolutions. May Day was experienced locally and as such was influenced by local politics, economics, and concepts of leisure. However, May Day was also an internationalist event that created and maintained transnational ties. Consequently, May Day exists as a duality, both local and international. By closely considering this duality analysis of May Day can reveal the relationship between the local working class and international socialism.

Because demonstrations drew on their locality, they also reflect the politics, economics, and culture of their respective labour movements. In London, demonstrations regularly changed in their size, composition, location, and function. This process highlights how May Day changed annually as it oscillated between celebration and protest, adopting features of each. In Melbourne, May Day demonstrations were far more political because of pre-existing celebrations of the working-class. This political nature meant that when May Day no longer suited an organisation’s political needs there were no cultural bonds to prevent them from ending their participation. In New York, organisers had to demonstrate their loyalty to the United States with overt patriotism leading to many debates over Red and American flags. May Day in each city adapted to local needs while maintaining its internationalist principles.

May Day’s beginning in 1890 coincided with an era of manufactured traditions and drew upon pre-industrial traditions as part of its practice. Children dancing around Maypoles and other traditional, pagan, medieval and naturalist motifs gave these demonstrations a sense of an ancient rite reclaimed. Labour’s May Day seemed ancient and historic as it adopted these rituals. It espoused an internationalist ideology that had its participants acknowledge internationalism and socialism as an extension of their working-class identity. This was dialectically opposed to the cosmopolitan, capitalist, identity of the bourgeoisie. They were expected to embrace their comrades from across the globe as internationalists. They shared newspapers, artwork, poetry, fraternal greetings, victories and defeats with them each May Day as they professed universal peace. May Day was a vital time in the labour movement and is a key moment to study its strength, composition, unity, transnational ties, artistic representation, cultural practices, unity, ideas, objectives and failings.

Supervisors: Professor Sean Scalmer, Professor Joy Damousi