course of development of the labor movement were the following:
1. The Russian revolution, which was made known to the Chinese masses through several weekly propaganda papers.
2. The rising Chinese national movement which began to absorb masses into its ranks. A seamen's union was organized at that time under the influence of the Kuomintang; there existed the Social-Republican party, and also many anarchist groups. The political movement was especially strong in Canton.
3. The workers had lived through several insurrections which had failed; from these, the lessons of the necessity for strong, centralized organization had penetrated large masses.
4. Organization of the Chinese Communist Party, which furnished a central direction for the movement; this was done through a special organ, called the "Secretariat of the Chinese Labor Movement," with branches in Shanghai, Canton, and Hankow.
After 1919, the trade unions grew steadily. But it was not until 1922, when another wave of struggles broke out, that the First All-China Congress was held. First among the battles of 1922, was the great Hongkong Seamen's strike, which was declared on January 12 and lasted 56 days. Before it ended in the granting of the workers' demands, all Hongkong labor had been drawn into the struggle in a General Strike which included the railwaymen. The successful outcome of this struggle stimulated the workers of the entire country.
The center of the 1922 movement was the Railwaymen's organization, particularly that of the Peking-Hankow line, which had 16 branches with 18,000 members. A successful strike on this line was quickly followed by railway strikes throughout Central and Northern China; Peking-Mukden line, Changchow-Haichow line, etc. Through this movement 50,000 railwaymen were organized into the Union.
In the Province of Hupeh, a General Trade Union
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