The political slogan "Workers of the world, unite!" is one of the rallying cries from the The Communist Manifesto (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (German: Proletarier aller Länder vereinigt Euch!, literally "Proletarians of all countries, unite!", but soon popularised in English as "Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!"). A variation of this phrase ("Workers of all lands, unite") is also inscribed on Marx's tombstone. The essence of the slogan is that members of the working classes throughout the world should cooperate to defeat capitalism and achieve victory in the class conflict.
Overview
Five years before The Communist Manifesto, this phrase appeared in the 1843 book The Workers' Union by Flora Tristan.
The International Workingmen's Association, described by Engels as "the first international movement of the working class" was persuaded by Engels to change its motto from the League of the Just's "all men are brothers" to "working men of all countries, unite!". It reflected Marx's and Engels' view of proletarian internationalism.
The phrase has overlapping meanings: first, that workers should unite in unions to better push for their demands such as workplace pay and conditions; secondly, that workers should see beyond their various craft unions and unite against the capitalist system; and thirdly, that workers of different countries have more in common with each other than workers and employers of the same country.
The phrase was used by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in their publications and songs and was a mainstay on banners in May Day demonstrations. The IWW used it when opposing World War I in both the United States and Australia.
The slogan was the Soviet Union's state motto (Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!; Proletarii vsekh stran, soyedinyaytes'!) and it appeared in the State Emblem of the Soviet Union. It also appeared on 1919 Russian SFSR banknotes (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Russian), on Soviet ruble coins from 1921 to 1934 and in most Soviet newspapers.
Some socialist and communist parties continue using it. Moreover, it is often chanted during labor strikes and protests.
Variations
In the first Swedish translation of The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848, the translator Pehr Götrek substituted the slogan with Folkets röst, Guds röst! (i.e. Vox populi, vox Dei, or "The Voice of the People, the Voice of God"). However, later translations have included the original slogan.
The guiding motto of the 2nd Comintern congress in 1920, under Lenin's directive, was "Workers and oppressed peoples of all countries, unite!". This denoted the anti-colonialist agenda of the Comintern, and was seen as an attempt to unite racially-subjugated black people and the global proletariat in anti-imperialist struggle.
As the national motto of countries
Use by the Soviet Union and its satellites as an official motto, as used in the official emblem of the Soviet Union:
- Armenian: Պրոլետարներ բոլոր երկրների, միացե՛ք
- Romanization: Proletarner bolor yerkrneri, miats'ek'!
- Azerbaijani: Bütün ölkələrin proletarları, birləşin!
- Cyrillic: Бүтүн өлкәләрин пролетарлары, бирләшин!
- Belarusian: Пралетарыі ўсіх краін, яднайцеся!
- Łacinka: Praletaryji ŭsich krajin, jadnajciesia!
- Estonian: Kõigi maade proletaarsed, ühinege!
- Finnish: Kaikkien maiden proletaarit, liittykää yhteen! (before 1956)
- Georgian: პროლეტარებო ყველა ქვეყნისა, შეერთდით!
- Romanization: Proletarebo q'vela kveq'nisa, sheertdit!
- Kazakh: Барлық елдердің пролетарлары, бірігіңдер!
- Romanization: Barlyq elderdiń proletarlary, birigińder!
- Kyrgyz: Бардык өлкөлордүн пролетарлары, бириккиле!
- Romanization: Bardık ölkölordün proletarları, birikkile!
- Latvian: Visu zemju proletārieši, savienojieties!
- Lithuanian: Visų šalių proletarai, vienykitės!
- Romanian: Proletari din toate țările, uniți-vă!
- Russian: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!
- romanization: Proletarii vsekh stran, soyedinyaytes'!
- Serbian: Пролетери свих земаља, уједините се!
- romanization: Proleteri svih zemalja, ujedinite se!
- Tajik: Пролетарҳои ҳамаи мамлакатҳо, як шавед!
- Romanization: Proletarhoi hamai mamlakatho, yak shaved!
- Turkmen: Ähli ýurtlaryň proletarlary, birleşiň!
- Cyrillic: Әхли юртларың пролетарлары, бирлешиң!
- Ukrainian: Пролета́рі всіх краї́н, єдна́йтеся!
- Romanization: Proletari vsikh krayin, yednaytesya!
- Uzbek: Butun dunyo proletarlari, birlashingiz!
- Cyrillic: Бутун дунё пролетарлари, бирлашингиз!
Use as official motto by the German Democratic Republic:
- German: Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt Euch!
Use as official motto by the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic:
Use as official motto by the Hungarian People's Republic:
- Hungarian: Világ proletárjai, egyesüljetek!
Use as official motto by the Socialist Republic of Romania:
- Romanian: Proletari din toate țările, uniți-vă!
Use as official motto by the People's Socialist Republic of Albania:
- Albanian: Proletarë të të gjitha vendeve, bashkohuni!
Use as official motto by the People's Republic of Bulgaria
- Bulgarian: Пролетарии от всички страни, съединявайте се!
- Romanization: Proletarii ot vsichki strani, saedinyavayte se!"
