I enjoyed your analysis of the carpenter’s ethnicity and his likely religion. Do you think that the differences in culture and religion throughout various parts of the Russian Empire caused rifts within the Empire itself? Were these differences underlying causes of some of the conflicts throughout the 20th Century?
Kelly, I really enjoyed your metaphor when comparing Russian lifestyle to that of a tree. Especially for the peasantry at this time, hardships were evidently present but despite the fact many were forced to plant their roots deeper and brace the coming storms that would enclose around them.
Your photo, in my opinion, also shows the individual (in this case an elderly man) is able to escape and find peace with himself. He seems very content in the photograph and maybe Gorskii was trying to convey a sense of relaxation or reflection.
Erdely, your post has a direct correlation to my photo. My chosen photo was of peasants who were in the process of “haying” the fields, or as we now refer to it, bailing hay. While examining my photo, I had the question of what would happen to this hay after it was harvested? Although it is not entirely clear, it hints to the idea that the hay was compacted in bails (for easier transportation) and then distributed or transported by rail line.
You also ask many question about the haying process, which I believe I could be of assistance. According to a book written about the agrarian lifestyle of individuals in Wyoming, during the early 20th century, it took about 45 days to complete the haying process. I use this comparison only because, both these families and the Russian farmers used only domestic tools, no industrial equipment. I would also have to add that the time would also depend on the size of the fields. To answer your question about the women, yes they did assist in the haying process as well as their children.
Garceau, Dee. “The Important Things in Life: Women, Work, and Family in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, 1880-1929”. Canadian Journal of History. Accessed January 22, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjh.33.2.324.
I enjoy the composition of this shot a lot as well as the story behind it. It says a lot about how well the pictures is put together that it came out of a dark room from a train car. It is always interesting to learn how all the moving part worked up into the revolution rather than it being seen as one cause it as many things. You do a great job of summing up the railroad issue using this picture and how it can work in tandem with current public anger over the wartime push as well as the food shortages.
From what I understand, the Russian Revolution was kind of a perfect storm of grievances people had against the government, but I think his theory that the failure of the railroads to adapt to wartime needs seems like a plausible cause of food shortages and thus public anger. I do think it’s interesting that he introduces the contradictory theory at the end, but other sources I have read do lend credence to the idea of railway exhaustion, or at the very least, major problems with the project.
That’s great that Nhi is writing about the Murmask Railroad and found your post! I’m intrigued by the essay on the railways during the revolution you cite by Anthony Haywood. First of all — what a good find! Second — what do you think about Haywood’s argument — or rather the questions he asks about the role of the transportation system (and railroads in particular) in the revolutions of 1917?
