In November 1831, the first armed uprising by workers in French history broke out in Lyon, the center of France’s silk industry. At that time, there were more than 30,000 weavers in Lyon (les canuts), who were subjected to cruel exploitation and oppression by factory owners and contractors, and were on the brink of death all year round. The workers worked 15 to 18 hours a day, and the wages they earned could barely buy a pound of bread, let alone support their families. In January 1831, after strong protests from more than 6,000 workers, the manufacturers agreed to raise wages, but later refused to do so, which aroused the anger of the workers. On November 21, Lyon workers took to the streets to hold a strike demonstration. During the parade, they were attacked by the army and police, and the workers immediately took up arms to fight back. The workers raised the political demand that “Lyon should have magistrates of her choice”. They chanted the slogan “Live Working or Die Fighting”. After three days of bloody fighting, the insurgent workers captured the city hall, arrested the governor, and became the master of Lyon. However, the insurgents failed to consolidate their victory because they were not led by a proletarian political party and guided by revolutionary theories. 10 days later, the uprising was suppressed by the reactionary government…
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