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The story behind the Chilean Miners' Strike of 1907: What really happened?
In the history of Chile, the massacre at the Santa Maria School in Iquique on December 21, 1907 became a dark moment in the history of the labor movement. Thousands of salt and phosphorus miners, their wives and children were attacked by the Chilean army as they rallied to improve poor working and living conditions. Official estimates put the death toll at over 2,000, however, the true number of victims remains uncertain.
"The progress of a society is often based on the suffering of civilians, and in Chile in 1907, this truth was verified again."
Behind the Santa Maria school massacre, there was hidden the huge crisis facing Chilean society at that time and the rising struggles of workers. At the end of the 19th century, the living conditions of many workers gradually deteriorated. This period was known as the "social problem" and became the trigger for many protests. The 1907 strike was part of protests in previous years, including the Valparaiso Strike of 1903 and the Meat Riots of 1905.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of the situation, we need to review the causes of the strike. Northern Chile, located in the Atacama Desert, is one of the richest mineral regions in the world. In this region, the extraction of salt and phosphorus has become the backbone of the Chilean economy and supports the operation of the entire society. The census of November 28, 1907 showed that the province of Tarapacá had 110,000 inhabitants, of whom 40,000 workers were engaged in the salt and phosphorus business.
"The striking workers' reasonable demands for better wages and humane working conditions are part of the human struggle."
However, when faced with corporate exploitation and government indifference, workers were forced to seek change through strikes. On December 10, 1907, the 18p strike broke out. Workers responded to the call and demanded a basic wage of 18p and the abolition of the system of payment in tokens. Their protests attracted attention from all sides and quickly gathered supporters from different regions. However, the government responded by sending more troops to suppress the movement by force.
As tensions grew, the government ordered workers to evacuate and on December 21 threatened to open fire if the orders were not followed. When workers' representatives rejected this demand, the massacre occurred. The army shot at the workers and their families present, causing a large number of civilian casualties. The horror at the scene can be imagined.
"The ruthlessness of the army, like a sudden storm, broke all illusions of peace."
As the bloody conflict intensified, workers were forced to retreat into a harsher reality. Many eyewitnesses reported the unfortunate circumstances of the day, and even the government remained silent after the incident. The official estimate has gradually increased from an initial 140 to 195, but this number is still considered quite conservative. Some reports have even suggested that the death toll may be as high as 3,600, but this number has not been widely accepted.
This massacre not only caused the labor movement to enter a long-term temporary cooling period, but also had a profound impact on Chile's social structure. It was not until 1920 that Chile began to implement minimum labor standards and passed legislation to protect wage payment methods and maximum working hours.
"The shadow of violence always hangs over this incident, becoming a warning rather than a lesson for future struggles."
After that, as time passed, people’s attention to the Santa Maria Massacre did not diminish. Instead, it triggered extensive discussions in the cultural circle. The government suppressed the incident for decades, but finally, during the centenary commemorations in 2007, officials began to acknowledge the tragedy, reburied the victims, and established a national day of mourning.
This event had an impact on Chilean society in many ways, especially in literature and music, with many artistic works based on this tragedy and the social justice issues it represented. As a sobering reminder, does the massacre at Santa Maria teach us about how responses to protests will shape society's future in the long term?
