Rebels, workers, radicals: The making of 'Red Berlin'
Bloody May, student sit-ins and the squatter movement: Berlin has a long history as a hotbed for working-class organizing and radical left-wing politics.
Berlin has a long history of rebellion, protest, and revolution, with the city's labor movement gaining prominence in the 19th century. The General Workers' Brotherhood, one of the first worker's organizations in Germany, was founded during the March Revolution of 1848. As industries grew in the city, the labor movement became more radical, partly in response to oppressive policies under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) was formed in 1875, and by World War I, it had won significant vote shares in Berlin. However, the SPD's leadership and trade unions decided not to oppose the war in 1914, leading to widespread labor strikes in Berlin. The January Strike of 1918, supported by the Spartacus League, marked a turning point, with half a million workers joining the anti-war movement.
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