on, in which the writer refrained from all reference to the
Autocratic Power, and described simply the condition of the labouring
classes, the heavy burdens they had to bear, the abuses of which they
were the victims, and the inconsiderate way in which they were treated
by their employers. This pamphlet was eagerly read, and from that moment
whenever labour troubles arose the men applied to the Social Democratic
agents to assist them in formulating their grievances.

Of course, the assistance had to be given secretly, because there were
always police spies in the factories, and all persons suspected of
aiding the labour movement were liable to be arrested and exiled. In
spite of this danger the work was carried on with great energy, and
in the summer of 1896 the field of operations was extended. During the
coronation ceremonies of that year the factories and workshops in St.
Petersburg were closed, and the men considered that for these days they
ought to receive wages as usual. When their demand was refused, 40,000
of them went out on strike. The Social Democratic Union seized the
opportunity and distributed tracts in large quantities. For the first
time such tracts were read aloud at workmen's meetings and applauded by
the audience. The Union encouraged the workmen in their resistance,
but advised them to refrain from violence, so as not to provoke the
intervention of the police and the military, as they had imprudently
done on some previous occasions. When the police did intervene and
expelled some of the strike-leaders from St. Petersburg, the agitators
had an excellent opportunity of explaining that the authorities were
the protectors of the employers and the enemies of the working classes.
These explanations counteracted the effect of an official proclamation
to the workmen, in which M. Witte tried to convince them that the Tsar
was constantly striving to improve their condition. The struggle was
decided, not by arguments and exhortations, but by a more potent force;
having no funds for continuing the strike, the men were compelled by
starvation to resume work.

This is the point at which the labour movement began to be conducted
on a large scale and by more systematic methods. In the earlier labour
troubles the strikers had not understood that the best means of bringing
pressure on employers was simply to refuse to work, and they had often
proceeded to show their dissatisfaction by ruthlessly destroying their
emp