Today in Labor History June 28, 1956: 100,000 workers struck in Poznañ, Poland, shouting "Bread & Freedom.” The protests were violently suppressed, with at least 67 workers killed. The government sent in tanks and 10,000 soldiers. The next day, another 70 would be killed, 700 would be arrested, and hundreds more would be wounded. Several months later, anti-government protests would break out in Hungary, during its Revolution. The Soviets sent in tanks to suppress that uprising, killing thousands. And from these events came the term “tankie” to refer to hardline communists who continued to support (or not criticize) these authoritarian governments and their repressive actions against their workers.
