Notes on HIST 3625 Reading

Prompt: Based on the Kanatchikov and Lenin texts, what are some of the main
issues/challenges that Russia is facing in the late 19th & early 20th centuries? Based on your
reading, what is your sense of some of the underlying problems in the empire?  What do these
texts tell us about conditions in Russia, particularly in the cities? In your response, please
reference specific examples from the text(s) & cite your sources!!!

Lenin: He’s talking about the importance of a political party being organized. It needs to form when
things are slow, because they won’t be able to make the most of sudden opportunities. Terror: he thinks
the use of terror is acceptable, but just not the best course of action right now. It has to be independent
of the masses that are protesting. He talks about recent events, where if the leaders went to terror, they
would be separated from the masses, which would weaken their movement. It can only be used in a
decisive assault.

When they say “political party”/movement, they imply they have some sort of military/militia attached
to it, it’s not purely political like US political parties.

Seems very chaotic/hard for people to organize. Lenin wants to start his own newspaper to spread his
propaganda and help organize his movement. His movement is “fragmented”. He wants an “All-Russian”
political newspaper to expose and bring down the Tsarist government. If the people are so fragmented,
what fragments them? It must be class as well as geographic separation.

He mentioned student demonstrations in big cities that they supported, and future potential
movements that they could support.

Government is campaigning against “Zemestvo”, and that’s making things tense politically.

Labor strikes in the 90’s that were carefully timed and made definite demands. Union struggles.

He says that “brutal treatment of the people by the police, persecution of religious sects, flogging of
peasants censorship, torture of soldiers, …” are happening.

They have no Parliament for representation, and they have no freedom to assemble (page 374), so they
have to work and organize in secret.

Kanatchikov: Child mortality rate was very high; it was a struggle to survive (528-529)
Very little economic mobility, even within a single class. (529)
School was nothing short of abuse, even the humane teachers were abusive, and it was seen as ordinary
or even as a good thing.
He finished “elementary school” at age 13, and they couldn’t afford more schooling, so it obviously
costed money/wasn’t public (531).
Life of a peasant was monotonous and difficult. (531-532)
While people did live long enough to become elders, people in their 50’s were often in bad health.
Long workdays in the factories (11.5 hours plus lunch break) (534).
Notes on HIST 3625 Reading

Unsanitary living conditions (534)

Lots of drinking and burning money on payday. (534-536)
Dissidents exist, but are looked at with skepticism and fear, some books are banned.