The Restoration of Socialist Political Unity and its Local Effects. The 1911 Docks Workers’ Strike in Galatz

Abstract

The paper looks upon the early history of the Romanian Socialist movement, its 1899 rupture and its 1910 restoration. The importance of the city-port of Galatz in the socialist political recovery, as well as the immediate effects that the Social-Democrat Party’s reestablishment had on the local harbour life have likewise been analysed. The Romanian Socialist movement was a rallying to European realities. In a time of massive industrialisation for the `old continent`, new political manifestations accompany the new realities. As much, Socialism comes out as a response to Liberalism. Based on the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Socialism was a political current that also emerged in the Old Kingdom of Romania, with Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea being the main partisan of local socialist ideas. Workers` needs for political representation and the ideas of scientific Socialism materialised after the Congress held between March 31st and April 3rd 1893, when the Romanian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party was created – the first Romanian party founded upon Socialist ideology. It will function until 1899, when it dissolves after having its foundation shaken by `the Generous Betrayal`. The Socialist movement itself will continue within clubs and circles across the country, as well as through syndicate activity. The second existence of a Romanian Socialist party or, better said, the resettlement of the old one, was directly linked to the city-port of Galatz. There were two important events that led up to this: the Union conference in 1906 which concluded the systematisation of the Union movement and the establishment of a General Commission of Syndicates in Romania (C.G.S.R) and the conference between June 29th–July 1st 1907 which decided the centralisation of Socialist circles and the founding of the Romanian Socialist Union, the forerunner for the Social-Democratic Party. These two major events, both held in Galatz, proved to be decisive in the Movement`s history, seeing as the Social-Democratic Party emerged as a unit in January 31st–February 2nd 1910. In what concerns the immediate effects that the 1910 political rearrangement had for the city-port, we will see a dock workers` strike on June 22nd 1911 in which syndicates where directly involved, especially the `Lumber Syndicate from the Galatz Docks.