Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 524 Russian Turmoil
While Carlo was still worrying about the various supplies in Spain, Russia, thousands of kilometers away, was already in chaos.

Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov is a senior engineer at a private machine shop in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia. Thanks to his exceptional abilities, he earns several times the salary of ordinary workers and enjoys various subsidies and holidays that are unavailable to them, making him a true member of the middle to upper class in Russian society.

Before the war, Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov's work alone could have ensured a comfortable life for his family.

But after the outbreak of war, those good days vanished completely. Prices in Russia rose at an alarming rate after the war began, and even dozens of times the wages of an ordinary worker were no longer enough to support a family, let alone several times their usual wage.

Even with both Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov and his wife working, the money they earned was barely enough to cover their family's food needs.

Yes, it was just about food. Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov didn't know how long it had been since he and his wife had bought new clothes; he only knew that he hadn't touched red wine for several months, and hadn't smoked a cigarette for a year.

Wine and cigarettes were not considered luxuries for the Russian people before the war, and for Peter Ivanovich Kurganov, who had a relatively high income, they were everyday necessities that he could enjoy every day.

However, after the outbreak of war, not only did the price of food increase several times, but the prices of wine and cigarettes also skyrocketed nearly tenfold.

With prices rising, Russian workers began demanding higher wages from factories. However, the factories' actual revenue did not increase significantly; in fact, rising raw material costs led to losses.

Most factories did indeed meet the requirements of a few technical experts, increasing their salaries several times over to ensure that factory operations were not affected.

But ordinary workers without any special skills weren't so lucky. For Russian capitalists, technical experts were hard to find, but workers were practically everywhere.

Faced with difficulties in factory operations, many Russian capitalists began to cut spending, the first of which was to lay off a large number of workers and reduce factory wage expenses.

Those who weren't fired weren't so lucky either. Although they kept their jobs, their working hours were constantly being extended.

Capitalists always have various ways to get workers to "voluntarily" work overtime, which makes it seem like workers' income has increased, but in reality, it is done by sacrificing their free time.

Under such high pressure, Russian workers have developed considerable discontent with capitalists and even the government.

Amid such immense discontent, a turmoil large enough to engulf the entire country of Russia was quietly being plotted.

Although Peter Arkadyevich Stolypin was a senior engineer at the machine shop, his daily work was not much easier than that of an ordinary worker.

Because he worked in a small, privately owned processing plant, he was the only engineer in the entire plant, which forced Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov to work overtime every day, increasing his work hours from 10 hours to at least 12 hours.

That night, as Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov was wearily inspecting the equipment in the factory, he suddenly overheard several workers in the workshop talking quietly.

"Hey! Uncle Andrei, will you participate in the strike the day after tomorrow?" A worker who sounded relatively young asked his coworker with great interest.

"Oh, Ivan, where did you hear this news from? I didn't know there was going to be a strike the day after tomorrow. You haven't been tricked by someone, have you?" The older-looking worker asked the young man next to him cautiously.

Unlike other European countries, Russia maintains a relatively high level of vigilance against worker demonstrations. Moreover, Russia's current economic situation is so dire that participating in a strike means offending factory owners, which would almost certainly result in job loss.

“Hey, this isn’t fake news.” The young worker named Ivan smiled and said mysteriously, “I heard it from my brother. He secretly joined the workers’ union, and they say the workers’ union is going to organize a big march in St. Petersburg and call on workers all over Russia to participate in a general strike!”
It is said that nearly 10,000 workers from hundreds of factories have pledged to participate in a major strike. It's time to let those unscrupulous capitalists understand that exploiting workers will not end well.

Upon hearing that it was a large-scale strike organized by the workers' union, the older worker named Andrei's doubts lessened considerably, but he still replied with some concern, "I won't go, Ivan."

You're young, you don't have the worries of supporting a family. I'm different, I depend on this job to make a living. Damn it, I can't lose this job.

"Go ahead if you want, but remember not to tell the rest of the guys, or they might leak it."

The young worker named Ivan nodded and said matter-of-factly, "Of course, I was just telling you, Uncle Andrei."

I'm ready to participate in the march, and I really hope it succeeds. Those damned capitalists should be hung on lampposts; they're vermin of all of Russia!

Although the two were speaking very quietly, Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov, who was eavesdropping nearby, heard everything clearly.

Although no longer young, Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov remains very interested in the large-scale marches and strikes organized by the so-called workers' union.

For Russian workers and young people, participating in demonstrations and strikes was perfectly normal. On the one hand, the revolutionary party's propaganda was deeply ingrained in people's minds; on the other hand, the corrupt Tsarist government's rule was so terrible that it had not won the trust of the young people at all.

Thinking of this, Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov coughed, then walked in and looked at the two people discussing.

Hearing the coughing outside, Andrei and Ivan immediately turned their attention to the production line, grabbed a few parts and busied themselves, pretending that nothing had happened at all.

Seeing that the two men were a little nervous, Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, guys."

When I was young, I also participated in protests. Only protests could make the government realize our dissatisfaction and thus deal with these unscrupulous capitalists.

Damn it, I'm absolutely fed up with my life. If you don't mind, could I join you for the march the day after tomorrow?

Upon hearing what Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov said, Andrei and Ivan exchanged a glance, and then the younger Ivan smiled and said, "Of course, Pyotr, welcome to the team."

The two men had no doubt about Pyotr Ivanovich Kurganov's intentions. At that time, similar events were happening throughout Russia; for most workers, participating in demonstrations and strikes was simply a way to vent their frustrations with life.

Workers within Russia are constantly connecting and rallying more people to participate in the demonstrations. As the number of workers pledging to participate grows, the situation in Russia is like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

On February 27, 1915, large-scale demonstrations suddenly broke out in the streets of St. Petersburg. Workers held up banners with slogans such as "We need jobs" and "We need bread and milk," and launched a vigorous march.

Because the revolutionary party, led by the workers' union, had secretly recruited a large number of workers to join the march, the march attracted nearly 10,000 workers as soon as it broke out, making it a very large event.

As the large-scale demonstrations erupted, many workers began to take notice of them. Especially those laid-off workers who received no compensation, facing the extreme situation of starvation without income, seemed to have no other choice but to join the demonstrations.

The situation escalated, with at least 100,000 workers participating in demonstrations in the vicinity of St. Petersburg alone.

This wasn't even the worst news. Even more alarming was the fact that, as news of the demonstrations spread, it seemed that workers in cities surrounding St. Petersburg were also beginning to organize marches. This massive demonstration appeared poised to spread rapidly throughout Russia, potentially causing nationwide unrest.

On the afternoon of the day of the march, Tsar Nicholas II finally received news of the workers' organized demonstration and strike.

Demonstrations and strikes are inevitably linked. When tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people participate in a demonstration, it means that these workers and citizens are unable to work.

The inability to work naturally leads to strikes, which in turn means that protests will not only cause considerable chaos but also have a significant impact on the economy and industrial production.

Upon learning the news, Nicholas II was furious. He was deeply displeased with the large-scale demonstration organized by the workers' union, believing that these revolutionaries, for their own benefit, had disregarded the safety of the nation and the situation within Russia, as well as the lives of the demonstrators. Before his Empress and his favorite minister Rasputin, Nicholas II angrily rebuked the revolutionaries and the workers participating in the demonstration, and demanded that Prime Minister Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin immediately take action against the workers participating in the demonstration to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Before the true head of government, Stolypin, could even voice his opinion, Rasputin, a favorite of the Emperor and Empress, eagerly jumped out, his face contorted with anger, as if he were already sharing Nicholas II's sentiments:

Your Majesty, this grand demonstration was absolutely instigated by capitalists and the revolutionaries behind them. We must not tolerate this demonstration, nor can we let any of the revolutionaries and capitalists who organized it go unpunished.

We haven't even settled accounts with the capitalists for their responsibility in the war, and they've already stepped forward. I think this is a golden opportunity for us to eliminate these two threats: the capitalists and the revolutionaries.

"As long as we win the war, these clowns will not shake the foundations of the empire."

Faced with domestic workers' demonstrations, Rasputin was even more furious than Nicholas II. The reason for his anger was simple: thanks to the favor of Nicholas II and the Empress, Rasputin had become one of the highest-ranking officials in the Russian government and military, wielding even more influence than Prime Minister Stolypin.

Nicholas II's power was his own, and Rasputin was naturally furious at the workers' demonstrations that directly threatened his power.

The chaos in the Russian government can also be attributed to Queen Victoria, who is known as the grandmother of Europe.

Queen Victoria's hemophilia gene was passed on to several princes and princesses, and eventually spread to several European royal families through marriages between the British royal family and other European royal families.

Unfortunately, Nicholas II's heir apparent, Alexei, happened to be a hemophiliac.

Although Alexei was not very close to Queen Victoria, his mother was Queen Victoria's granddaughter, and his maternal grandmother, Princess Alice, inherited Queen Victoria's hemophilia gene.

The severity of hemophilia goes without saying. Nicholas II had thought his son was nearing the end of his life, but unexpectedly, under Rasputin's treatment, Crown Prince Alexei's hemophilia was slowly being cured.

This marked the beginning of Nicholas II and his empress's favor towards Rasputin. Because he had saved their heir, Nicholas II and his wife greatly favored Rasputin, trusting him even more than Prime Minister Stolypin.

To some extent, this was one of the reasons for Russia's eventual collapse.

Nicholas II entrusted many political and military affairs to Rasputin, who was essentially just a charlatan.

His attachment to power does not mean he is capable of handling these administrative affairs.

The various crises in Russia, both on the front lines and domestically, are largely due to Rasputin's poor competence.

But this situation is something that no one else can resolve; Russian Prime Minister Stolypin couldn't persuade them, and naturally, neither could France and Spain.

Upon hearing Rasputin's statement, Nicholas II nodded, his eyes filled with hatred for the revolutionaries, and said, "I absolutely cannot allow these revolutionaries and capitalists to succeed, and I absolutely cannot allow the power of the country to be stolen by the revolutionaries."

"Prime Minister Stolypin, you can mobilize troops around St. Petersburg. I have only one request: to suppress this demonstration as quickly as possible and ensure that the situation in Russia does not change as a result."

Resolving this protest quickly is crucial for Nicholas II. Several years ago, large-scale protests erupted in Russia, eventually escalating into nationwide unrest.

Nicholas II absolutely did not want to experience nationwide turmoil again, as it could very well lead to the end of the Romanov family's rule in Russia.

As Tsar, Nicholas II harbored great ambitions. He never imagined that the Tsarist rule would end in his generation; what he wanted was for Russia to rise again and for the Romanov family to reign supreme in Russia for generations to come.

"Your Majesty, if we use force to suppress this demonstration, will it cause more discontent among the workers?"
According to the banners displayed by these workers during their march, all they wanted was jobs and food, which should be reasonable demands for them.

Instead of fighting these workers' demands, we could even unite them to crack down on domestic capitalists. Once we gain the workers' support, the so-called workers' alliance will naturally pose no threat.

After all, the workers' union also needs the support of the workers; otherwise, it would be like a castle in the air, potentially collapsing at any moment. Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin was actually somewhat reluctant to hear Nicholas II's idea of ​​using the army to quickly quell the demonstrations.

When it comes to protests, military suppression is absolutely the last resort. If there are other options, the military should never be used.

Because at this time, the purpose of the workers' demonstrations was not to oppose the government, but to resist unscrupulous capitalists and factory owners.

In Stolypin's view, the government really didn't need to take all the hatred upon itself. After all, the workers' demands were just reasonable; it would be better to grant them their requests and gain their goodwill.

Upon hearing Stolypin's advice, Nicholas II hesitated for a moment, but Rasputin immediately said, "Your Excellency, do you know what you are doing?"

We must quell this workers' demonstration in a very short time, otherwise it may spread to the whole of Russia, and even if you want to use the army, it will be absolutely impossible to resolve it in a short period of time.

I know this will anger some workers, but that's only temporary. As the Prime Minister of Russia, you should be concerned with the safety of the whole of Russia, not just the tens of thousands of workers in St. Petersburg.

After quelling the protests, we can purchase more supplies from France and Spain to compensate these workers.

If we provide these workers with a large amount of food and other supplies at low prices, we believe we can alleviate their dissatisfaction with the government.

We no longer have time to choose. If the protests spread throughout the country and even affect the war on the front lines, that would be the worst possible outcome for us.

It's not too late to make a choice now; at least none of this has happened yet.

Rasputin would absolutely not endorse Stolypin's proposed decision in support of the workers.

Because supporting the workers means targeting the factory owners. If these factory owners are dealt with, then who will bribe Rasputin?

These factories were able to lay off large numbers of workers so easily because of Rasputin's support. After all, these factories provided Rasputin with substantial bribes every year, and Rasputin did not want these factory owners to fall from power.

As it turned out, Rasputin's words still had a significant impact on Nicholas II's mind.

Nicholas II had initially wavered, but after hearing Rasputin's rebuttal, he immediately felt that Rasputin was right.

Of the more than 100,000 workers who participated in the march, the latter was certainly more important than the whole of Russia.

Nicholas II was absolutely unwilling to compromise himself for the sake of these workers. As Rasputin said, at worst, he would compensate the workers after suppressing the demonstrations.

In any case, as long as the protests are confined to the area around St. Petersburg, even if these workers are dissatisfied, they won't be able to cause any significant trouble.

But if the scale of the protests cannot be limited, and they lead to nationwide demonstrations and strikes, then there will be no other choice.

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(End of this chapter)