International Unemployment Day was a coordinated international campaign of marches and demonstrations, which saw several thousand people in major cities across the world protesting on the streets over the mass unemployment associated with the Great Depression.
History
During 1930, unemployment became a mass phenomenon after a stock market crash led to the fall of interlocked capitalist economies of the world. Unemployment became a mass phenomenon, and social services for those affected were minimal.
Significance
A proposal was made in the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) in Moscow, to establish March 6, 1930, as an "international day" of protest against unemployment.
The coordinated events were initially scheduled for February 26, 1930. However, the date was too early and did not allow sufficient time for preparation which is why it was postponed to March 6.
The marches resulted in two deaths of protestors in Berlin, injuries at events in Vienna and the Basque city of Bilbao, and less violent outcomes in London and Sydney.
In the United States, a total of 30 American cities, including Boston, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Cleveland, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Seattle saw mass demonstrations as part of the March 6 campaign,
Full-scale riots erupted in New York City and Detroit when thousands of baton-wielding police attacked tens of thousands of protesters.
