The Russian Bolshevik Revolution (Classic Reprint) Book

THE RUSSI~iN BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION CHAPTER I THE REVOLUTIONARY HONEYMOON WHEN in lvlarch, 1917, the rotten tsardom unexpectedly fell, a wonderful spirit of brotherhood swept through all classes of Russian society. Save its paid and petted defenders no one stood up for the old regime. Only the police were willing to risk their skins for it. They, indeed, were ruthlessly dealt with, but they were usually taken fully armed while playing machine-guns from roofs and belfries upon the unarmed people in the streets. After the rat-tat-tat of Protopopov's machine-guns died away there were no guardians of public order except the hastily organized youthful "mili tia. ' , N evertheless, the people made it a point of honor to preserve order and for several weeks life in the large cities was almost perfectly safe. Sympathetic association has an almost magical value. After the San Francisco fire it was remarked that families that had lost all and were camped in the parks weTable of Contents CONTENTS; CHAPTER I; PAGR; THE REVOLUTIONARY HONEYMOON; Moral exaltation of the Russian people after the fall of; the tsardom-FeIIowship in happiness-The spirit of; mutual aid-Symptoms of unselfishness and good willTreatment; of prisoners-Hopes for a new Russia-~Vrongdoers; dealt with summarily-Why the ecstatic fraternal; mr>d could not last; CHAPTER II; THE BACKGROUND OF THE TOILING MASSES -; The peasant's background of experience-Life in the; villages-Chronic undernourishment-How the peasants; were "done" at the time of emancipation-Low wages of; the farm laborer-Sickness and infant mortality-Theorietl; as to the cause of the peasant's wretchedness-The tWble8,e; -How the peasant feels about the estates; The worker's background of experience-Gigantic factories-; Outrageously low wages-Long hours-Tolstoi on; Russian freight handlers-AbuRead More