land arrangement following the liberation of the serfs, and created massive poverty among the peasants. In these worst years, “hordes of ragged and hungry peasants roamed the country, searching for work, sometimes walking hundreds of miles to get it.” Members of the “barefoot brigade” became increasingly desperate, proving themselves capable of violence. In the provinces of Kharkov and Poltava in 1902, thousands of peasants burst into rebellious violence and destroyed and looted noble homes. The Russian peasantry could no longer feed itself from their lands. The responsibility for this suffering rested upon the shoulders of the Russian government. Civil unrest also originated in urban Russia with the suffering of the industrial labour force. Rapid industrialization typically occurs at the expense of the common worker. Greater profits and production are favoured over the well being of the worker. Russian industrialization was no exception to this trend. Most workers were exploited both physically and financially. These workers had no recourse but to endure or be terminated. In addition a period of industrial recession left many workers unpaid or laid off. The problem of labour unrest would become a major spark for revolution. Reports of official factory inspectors illustrated the inhumane conditions of the industrial workplace in Russia. Workers usually slept under their stations at night, “carpenters slept on their workbenches and weavers slept beneath their looms.” No precautions were taken to ensure the health and safety of workers. Employees in dye works slept all over the plant, even in rooms containing harmful fumes from bleach and other chemicals . In chemical factories, workers were exposed to toxic fumes from a variety of chemicals including mercury, which individuals sought to protect themselves against by means of a cloth held against their mouths. One inspector describ...
