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

On January 9, 2025, the renaming of the city of Chemnitz in Karl-Marx-Stadt, which was carried out by the GDR government. Originally, an renaming from Eisenhüttenstadt to Karl Marx was planned from 1953, but this plan was rejected after Josef Stalin's death in March 1953. Instead, Eisenhüttenstadt received the name Stalinstadt. While Leipzig was spared from a renaming due to his trade fair tradition and role as a gateway to the world, one suspects that Walter Ulbricht prevented the renewal plan for Leipzig in order to later become a namesake of his place of birth.

At the end of April, the citizens of Chemnitz learned about the renaming, which was celebrated by GDR Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl with 180,000 working people on Stalinplatz. The ceremony not only served the renaming, but also as a demonstration of the connection between the SED government and the population, such as mdr.de reported.

strikes in the district of Karl-Marx-Stadt

In addition to the renaming, historians also consider the events of the 1953 elementary uprising, which took place in the district of Karl-Marx-Stadt. The strike centers were in Freiberg, Crimmitschau, Tannenberg, Penig and Werdau. The protests began on the night of June 17 to June 18, triggered by increases in norms, the deterioration in living conditions and the state of emergency imposed

On June 18, metal workers from VEB Wälzlagerwerk Fraureuth stepped on the strike. The party leadership tried to intimidate the workers, and the party secretary announced the state of emergency. The exception was read at 2 a.m. After initial protests, the workers started the work again, but 250 to 300 of them later gathered for violent discussions.

At the start of work of the early shift, the entire workforce formed and made demands on norms, free elections and political changes. An attempt by a demonstration train to the city commander was blocked by Soviet soldiers and folk police officers, but which withdraws after protests. Other companies, including the United Trikensgewerk and VEB heating technology in Crimmitschau, joined the strike, which led to constant work, such as bundesarchiv.de documented.

On June 19, the workforce again resigned for several hours to request the release of detained colleagues. During the strikes, the workers of the rolling warehouse chose a 22-member commission that should lead to negotiations with the SED and the work management. The MfS district service in Werdau arrested eight ringleaders. Despite the repression, all detained people came to the released on July 1st.