manuscript

Nomination of Marat

Nomination de M. Marat pour député du département de Paris à la Convention nationale 9 septembre 1792.

Great people movement, the French Revolution was also a place of affirmation and conflict of great personalities that became object of imitation, narration and endless discussions.

Manuscript, signed by Jean Claude Bernard. Paris 1792

The Match Workers Strike Fund Register

The main part of the Register provides details of the workers on strike at the Bryant & May match factory at Bow, East London in March 1888. There are three lists showing 263 workers from the Centre and Top Centre workshops, 186 workers at the Victoria factory and 263 workers at the Wax and Box Stores and Patents. The lists show the name and address of each workers, together with marital status, occupation, last week's wages and whether living at home or independently. Additional notes show rent owed or dependents. Boy workers are indicated.

Prison diary of Nuutti Niemelä

The text reads as follows: “Discipline number 1. Damn and blast you red Russki, bloody cadger! By the wall right away! If I don’t kill you, you are sure to kill me! (The words of K, a defender of the fatherland, in Hennala soup queu anno mundi 1918).” The Finnish civil war in 1918 was one of the cruellest and bitterest in western countries. During the war c. 3200 whites and c. 3500 reds were killed. Arbitrary executions were made in both sides: the reds killed c. 1 650 and the whites c. 8400 persons. The final numbers are still unknown.

First minutes of the Helsinki Workers’ Association

It appears from the first article of the minutes that already on the 3rd of March people had gathered in order to pursue the case on the initiative of manufacturer V. J. von Wright. Then the case was to found a craftsmen’s association but the 3rd of May meeting in 1883 is already called a meeting of workers’ association. At this phase the idea was cooperation between employers and employees and the raising of the educational level of workers. The objective of employers was to prevent the spreading of socialism to Finland.

A message from Bucharin

The Norwegian Labour Party's future relations with the Comintern was the key issue of the party's national congress in February 1923. From Comintern met Nikolaj Bucharin, who during the congress sent this note to Martin Tranmæl, the main strategist of the Norwegian party. The translation was done by a Swedish delegate. Bucharin's strong personality and great charm failed, however, to prevent that Tranmæls course, the so-called Kristiania-motion, was adopted with a very small margin.

Minutes from the Meeting of the Trade Union of Carpenters in Stockholm

These minutes belong to the union of carpenters and joiners in Stockholm 1880.
During the 1880s the social democratic ideas were accepted by many trade unions in Sweden. The oldest trade union minutes kept at the lnstitute were written by the typographs association in Stockholm 1846. At that time the association was more or less an association for professionals. Later on -in the 1870s -they started to handle even economical questions and signed an agreement with the principals.
These minutes are very detailed and an important source of knowledge.

Manuscript from Otto Lang

Tagebuchartige Notizen von Otto Lang (1863-1936) über den Gründungsparteitag der Sozialdemokratischen Partei der Schweiz vom 16. September 1888 in Aarau. Bei dieser dritten Gründung der SPS spielte Lang eine aktive Rolle; langjährige Aktivität als Parteitheoretiker und Politiker.

Edmond van Beveren's last will

Als neveneffect van de toenemende industrialisatie had onder de arbeidersbevolking een ontkersteningsproces plaats. De arbeider verwierp het geloof dat hem tevredenheid met zijn aardse ellende predikte. De werking van de verenigingen van vrijdenkers, die tot de eerste arbeidersgroeperingen behoorden, was in hoofdzaak gericht tegen de invloed van de Kerk. Deze werd gezien als een instrument dat de machthebbers inschakelden bij de uitbuiting van de arbeidersklasse en dat belette de juiste maatschappelijke verhoudingen te zien.