历史小径·世界史英语30篇（2）

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工人运动与八小时工作制

In the 1800s, factory workers in Britain, the U.S., and Germany often labored 12 to 16 hours daily, six days a week, with no paid holidays.
Unions formed despite legal bans, organizing strikes, publishing pamphlets, and lobbying lawmakers for safer, fairer conditions.
The 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago began as a peaceful rally for eight-hour workdays but ended in violence and controversy after a bomb exploded.
Still, public pressure grew—especially after journalists exposed child labor, factory fires, and exhaustion-related accidents in textile mills and mines.
Australia introduced the eight-hour day in 1856; the U.S. adopted it nationally in 1938 through the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Trade unions won not just shorter hours but also minimum wages, overtime pay, and the right to collective bargaining.
Today, remote work and gig economies raise new questions about working time, rest periods, and employer responsibility.
Historians see the eight-hour movement as foundational—not only for labor rights but for redefining dignity, family life, and leisure itself.