Developments In Working And Living Conditions In Towns

• Between 1867 and 1917 Russia’s urban population quadrupled from 7 to 28 million as peasants arrived to seek work in the new factories and workshops.
• By 1914 3/4 of St Petersburg’s population were peasants by birth. In Moscow theatmosphere was that of a peasant village
• Between 1855 and 1912 there were some attempts to improve conditions:

  reducing working hours. Enforcing the use of contracts. Banning the employment of children under 12. Providing sickness and accident insurance. Increasing educational provision
• Political discontent spread easily in towns and cities. Strike action was rare before and immediately after the events of 1905 partly because strike activity was illegal and the Secret Police efficient but it escalated in 1912
• The government’s only response was repression. When workers at the Lena Goldfields in Siberia went on strike for example in 1912 troops were sent in and 270 workers were killed
• Conditions for peasant farmers did not improve substantially and there was still widespread rural poverty despite Stolypin’s agricultural reforms
• Although the kulak class prospered life became harsher for the poorest peasants
• Many had to leave their farms and look for seasonal farming work or industrial employment
• The commune remained the heart of rural life and living standards varied but were generally poor
• Mortality rates remained high and there were too few doctors. Many were deemed too unfit for military service and there were not enough teachers
• Peasants therefore remained at the bottom of the social ladder
• Conditions in towns were grim:

  Barrack -like buildings. Overcrowded. Lack of sanitation. High rent. Communal bath houses. Wages failed to keep pace with inflation