Conducts research and collects data on the global history of labour, workers, and labour relations

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Defenestration of an Employer
France saw a number of sharp labour conflicts in 1886. A miners strike in Decazeville broke out on January 26, after the announcement by the management of a wage cut of 34%. During skirmishes on that... [Item of the Day]
Senegalese fight in Verdun
During the First World War, there were roughly 480.000 soldiers and 225.000 workers in France from the colonies, including 134.000 West Africans. Moroccan, Somalian and Senegalese regiments played an... [Item of the Day]
Labour after the Black Death
After the plague called Black Death (1348-1351), Europe struggled with labour shortage and rulers in several countries promulgated laws to tackle the problem. The French king Jean II, surnamed 'the... [Item of the Day]
Workers Paradise
A successful social experiment during the industrial revolution took place in Guise in the north of France. Between 1856 and 1883 Jean-Baptiste Godin (1817-1888), an adherent of Charles Fourier,... [Item of the Day]
Louise Michel in Court
Louise Michel had to stand trial on 16 December 1871 due to her activities in the Paris Commune. The revolutionary schoolteacher and writer had been seen bearing arms and had served as an ambulant ... [Item of the Day]
Pétroleuses in Paris
The last week of the Paris Commune began on May 21, 1871. During this 'Semaine Sanglante' [bloody week] many people were killed and some government buildings were burned. During these events, women... [Item of the Day]
World Fair in Paris
The World Fair in Paris from May till October 1855 attracted five million visitors. Among them was Queen Victoria and, in September, the Algerian sultan Abd-El Kader. A visitor from the Netherlands... [Item of the Day]
"There Are No Jews in Morocco"
The German invasion of France in 1940 also had consequences for the French colonies. Morocco had been a French protectorate since 1912, with Sultan Mohammed V at its head. The decree of the French... [Item of the Day]
Index of Prohibited Books Cancelled
The Index of Prohibited Books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum) existed for over four hundred years when it was cancelled by Pope Paul VI on June 14, 1966. Catholics could now read Jean Jacques Rousseau... [Item of the Day]
Liberty Has a Last Supper
Liberty had a "Last Supper" on 29 July 1830, the third "glorious revolutionary" day (Les trois glorieuses) in Paris. This revolution brought an end to the autocratic regime of King Charles X.... [Item of the Day]

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