Workers Movement in Siberia in 1895-1917: the analysis of statistics

The incorporationof Siberia in the all-Russian labor market brought the conditions of Siberian workers' life and struggle closer to those in the other parts ofRussia. The rapid growth of industrial proletariat and the social-democratic propaganda accounted for an unprecedented upsurge of workers'movement in Siberia in the pre-revolutionary period. It was qualitatively different from the struggle of Siberian workers inn the previousperiods. The article gives a statistical analysis of the workers' movement in Siberia in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The major figure ofthe workers' movement in Siberia in 1895 - 1917 was an industrial worker employed in machine transportation, mining and factories. In1895 - February 1917 factory workers accounted for 52 % of strikers, and together with coal miners and gold miner who were in transitionfrom manufacture to factory production - for four fifths of strike participants. A strike, the specific means of proletariat's struggle, became amajor weapon of Siberian workers. The intensity of workers' movement multiplied. While in 1830 - 1894 1700 employees took part in activeprotests annually, in 1895 - February 1917 this figure rose to 34.3 thousand and in the time of the First Russian Revolution - to 235.6thousand. In 1895-1904 Siberian workers went on strike 321 times with 45036 participants, in 1905 - May 1907 - 2089 times with 146940participants, in June 1907 - February 1917 - 960 times with 98667 participants. The workers' protests became predominantly organizedones. Siberian workers developed a political vanguard, the RSDRP organizations, although the organizations of PSR, liberal and rightistmovements were also active. In the pre-revolutionary period 10 committees and groups of RSDRP were active in Siberia, in the period of theFirst Russian Revolution - 29 committees and groups with 2685 members (PSR had 18 with 129 members), in the inter-revolutionary period- 65 with 1942 members (PSR had 10, the Part of People's Freedom - 3, monarchists - 3). On the whole, the political activism of Siberianworkers was not high. In 1895-1904 3% of strikers participated in political strikes, in the time of the First Russian Revolution - 56 %, inJune 1907 - February 1917 - 26 %. Workers were in the focus of the major propagandistic efforts of social-democrats: 210 leaflets and brochuresin 200 thousand copies in the pre-revolutionary period, 637 editions in 1665 thousand copies in the time of the First Russian revolutionand 152 editions in 100 thousand copies in the inter-revolutionary period when the opportunities for legal propaganda expanded. Thepolitically active Siberian workers were mostly influenced by social-democrats, without a clear preference to any faction of RSDRP. Thelayer of workers members of RSDRP was thin - 1.2 thousand or 0,2-0.4 % of Siberian workers. The layer of politically active Siberianworkers numbered 50 - 60 thousand persons, or about one tenth of employees. On the eve of the revolutionary events of 1917, most of Siberianworkers were a passive mass. However, on the whole Siberian workers were the most active stratum of population in the region.

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