May day and eight hour's struggle in India

May Day is now universally recognized and observed as an international labour day. The eight hours' struggle of the American working class which reached it's climax in Haymarket episode of 1886 has continued to inspire the working class of all lands to fight for and ultimately to achieve an eight-hour day.

But the men who led the struggle of the American working class and finally em braced martyrdom were not just moved by simple eight hours' demand. Behind their heroic deeds, lay a revolutionary philosophy, which gave them the impulse to fight for final doom of capitalism and building up a socialist society. Marxist revolutionary doctrine might not have taken full shape in them; but no doubt, they were impelled by a deep class-hatred against the exploitative system of capi talism combined with a revolutionary zeal for ushering in a higher order of society.

The heroic and revolutionary perfor mance of the American working class and their immortal leaders ultimately acted as an inspiration to the Indian working class too in it's struggle for eight-hour day and more over, in it's struggle for ending the exploitation of capitalism and building a higher form of social order-socialism.