Workers of the world, unite ! - Wikipedia Workers of the world, unite ! 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The political slogan Workers of the world, unite ! is one of the most famous rallying cries from the Communist Manifesto ( 1848 ), by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels ( German : Proletarier aller Länder vereinigt Euch !, literally `` Proletarians of all countries, unite ! '' but soon popularized in English as `` Workers of the world, unite ! You have nothing to lose but your chains ! '' ) A variation of this phrase ( `` Workers of all lands, unite '' ) is also inscribed on Marx 's tombstone. The essence of the slogan is that members of the working classes throughout the world should cooperate to achieve victory in class conflict. Contents 1 Overview 2 Variations 3 Non-English usage 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links Overview Five years before the Communist Manifesto, the phrase appeared in the 1843 book `` The Workers ' Union '' by Flora Tristan. The International Workingmen 's Association, described by Engels as `` the first international movement of the working class '' was persuaded by Engels to change its motto from the League of the Just 's `` all men are brothers '' to `` working men of all countries, unite ! '' It reflected Marx 's and Engels ' view of proletarian internationalism. The phrase has overlapping meanings. First that workers should unite in unions to better push for their demands such as workplace pay and conditions. Secondly, that workers should see beyond their various craft unions and unite against the capitalist system. And thirdly, that workers of different countries have more in common with each other than workers and employers of the same country. The phrase was used by the Industrial Workers of the World ( IWW ) in their publications and songs, and was a mainstay on banners in May Day demonstrations. The IWW used it when opposing World War I in both the USA and Australia. The slogan was the Soviet Union 's state motto ( Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь ! Proletarii vsekh stran, soyedinyaytes ' ! ), appeared in the State Emblem of the Soviet Union, on 1919 Russian SFSR banknotes ( in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Russian ), on Soviet coins from 1921 to 1934, and in most Soviet newspapers. The nascent USSR under Vladimir Lenin was oriented toward international communism. Contemporarily, some socialist and communist parties continue using it. Moreover, it is a common usage in popular culture, often chanted during labor strikes and protests. Variations This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2015 ) Marx 's grave at Highgate Cemetery, bearing the slogan `` Workers of All Lands Unite ''. In the first Swedish translation of the Communist Manifesto, published in 1848, the translator Pehr Götrek substituted the slogan Folkets röst, Guds röst ! ( i.e. Vox populi, vox Dei, or `` The Voice of the People, the Voice of God '' ). Later translations have, however, included the original slogan. Amongst Maoist - oriented groups a variation invented by Vladimir Lenin, `` Workers and Oppressed Peoples and Nations of the World, Unite ! '', is sometimes used. This slogan was the rallying cry of the 2nd Comintern congress in 1920, and denoted the anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist agenda of the Comintern. Non-english usage This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2015 ) The phrase has been translated into many languages. All of the Soviet Socialist Republics in the Soviet Union had it as their motto translated into the local languages. An extensive list of such translations is available at Wiktionary. See also From each according to his ability, to each according to his need Labour movement Proletarian internationalism Social Patriotism Communist society World communism World revolution Notes Jump up ^ The final paragraph of the Manifesto is translated by Samuel Moore as `` The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE ! '' This translation is the authorised translation by Marx and Engels, and is the most commonly used version in English. References Jump up ^ Gabrijela Kišiček ; Igor Ž. Žagar ( 3 October 2013 ). What Do We Know About the World ? : Rhetorical and Argumentative Perspectives. University of Windsor. p. 471. ISBN 978 - 0 - 920233 - 70 - 2. One of the most famous rallying cries of communism Workers of the world, unite ! Jump up ^ Simon Levis Sullam ( 21 October 2015 ). Giuseppe Mazzini and the Origins of Fascism. Palgrave Macmillan US. p. 91. ISBN 978 - 1 - 137 - 51459 - 2. only a few years later, would give the famous rallying cry Workers of t... Jump up ^ Rick Sirmon ( 30 November 2011 ). In Search of George Washington : The Story of the 28th Amendment. Xlibris Corporation. p. 98. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4653 - 9768 - 3. slogan `` Workers of the World Unite... is the famous rallying cry of Communism foundin Marx 's 1848 publication, The Communist Manifesto. Jump up ^ Edward R. Kantowicz ( 1999 ). The Rage of Nations. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8028 - 4455 - 2. titled The Communist Manifesto, which contained the famous rallying cry : `` Workers of the w... Jump up ^ Ronald Niezen ( 15 April 2008 ). A World Beyond Difference : Cultural Identity in the Age of Globalization. John Wiley & Sons. p. 129. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4051 - 3710 - 2. The famous rallying cry from The Communist Manifesto, `` workers of the world unite ! '' was meant only to hasten the... ^ Jump up to : `` Translator 's note to the Communist Manifesto ''. Marxists.org. Marxist Internet Archive. Retrieved 14 February 2015. Jump up ^ Marx, Karl ; Engels, Friedrich ( 2002 ). Jones, Gareth Stedman, ed. The Communist Manifesto ( New ed. ). London : Penguin. ISBN 978 - 0 - 140 - 44757 - 6. Jump up ^ Wheen, Francis ( 2002 ). Karl Marx : A Life. New York : Norton. Introduction. Jump up ^ Marie M. Collins and Sylvie Weil - Sayre ( 1973 ). `` Flora Tristan : Forgotten Feminist and Socialist ''. Nineteenth - Century French Studies. 1 ( 4 ) : 229 -- 234. JSTOR 23535978. Jump up ^ Lucia Pradella in ' The Elgar Companion to Marxist Economics. ' Edited by Ben fine and Alfredo Saad - Filho, 2012, p. 178. Jump up ^ Wiktionary, entry for `` Workers of the World '' Jump up ^ Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto, 1848. ( 1 ) Jump up ^ Joseph Grim Feinberg, `` The Gifts of the IWW, '' Against the Current 117, July -- August 2005. ( 2 ) ^ Jump up to : Melvyn Dubofsky, We Shall Be All, Quadrangle Books, 1969. Jump up ^ Nick Armstrong, `` The Industrial Workers of the World, '' Socialist Alternative, June 2005. ( 3 ) Jump up ^ Thurston, Robert W. ; Bonwetsch, Bernd ( 2000 ). The People 's War : Responses to World War II in the Soviet Union ( illustrated ed. ). University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252026003. Retrieved 19 March 2015. Jump up ^ `` May Day celebrated on both sides of Line of Control ''. socialistworld.net. 06 / 05 / 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2010. Check date values in : date = ( help ) External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Workers of the world, unite !. Look up workers of the world, unite in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Chapter 4 of the Manifesto Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Workers_of_the_world,_unite!&oldid=797358208 '' Categories : Communism Marxism National mottos Political catchphrases Hidden categories : CS1 errors : dates Articles containing German - language text All articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from May 2012 Articles needing additional references from March 2015 All articles needing additional references Talk Variants Contents About Wikipedia অসমীয়া Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Буряад Català Čeština Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Estremeñu Euskara فارسی Français Galego Хальмг 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ქართული Қазақша Latviešu Lumbaart Magyar മലയാളം مصرى 日本 語 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Română Русский Sardu Scots کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Tagalog Татарча / tatarça Türkçe Удмурт Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 26 August 2017, at 15 : 10. 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Question: who said the proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains
Answer: Karl Marx