Strikes in Karl-Marx-Stadt: Workers raise their voices!

January 9, 2025 marks the anniversary of the renaming of the city of Chemnitz to Karl-Marx-Stadt, which was carried out by the GDR government. Originally it was planned to rename Eisenhüttenstadt after Karl Marx from 1953, but this plan was rejected after the death of Josef Stalin in March 1953. Instead, Eisenhüttenstadt was given the name Stalinstadt. While Leipzig was spared a renaming due to its trade fair tradition and role as a gateway to the world, it is believed that Walter Ulbricht prevented the renaming plan for Leipzig in order to later become the namesake of his birthplace.

The citizens of Chemnitz found out about the renaming at the end of April, which was celebrated by GDR Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl with 180,000 working people on Stalinplatz. The ceremony served not only for the renaming, but also as a demonstration of the solidarity between the SED government and the population MDR.de reported.

Strikes in the Karl-Marx-Stadt district

In addition to the renaming, historians also look at the events of the 1953 popular uprising that took place in the Karl-Marx-Stadt district. The strike centers were in Freiberg, Crimmitschau, Tannenberg, Penig and Werdau. The protests began on the night of June 17th and 18th, triggered by increases in standards, worsening living conditions and the declared state of emergency.

On June 18, metal workers at the VEB Wälzlagerwerk Fraureuth went on strike. The party leadership tried to intimidate the workers and the party secretary declared a state of emergency. The emergency order was read out at 2 a.m. After initial protests, workers resumed work, but 250 to 300 of them later gathered for heated discussions.

At the start of the morning shift, the entire workforce formed up and made demands on standards, free elections and political changes. An attempt to march to the city headquarters was blocked by Soviet soldiers and people's police, who, however, withdrew after protests. Other companies, including the United Jersey Works and VEBwärmetechnik in Crimmitschau, joined the strike, which led to ongoing work stoppages Bundesarchiv.de documented.

On June 19, the workforce again stopped work for several hours to demand the release of imprisoned colleagues. During the strikes, the workers at the rolling bearing factory elected a 22-member commission to conduct negotiations with the SED and the factory management. The Stasi district office in Werdau arrested eight ringleaders. Despite the repression, all but two people were released on July 1st.