Michael S. Farbman

“ And the exhaustion of the country under the mobilisation of industry went further in a few months than a sound economical exploitation of the country's resources, even in war time, could have brought about in as many years. Undoubtedly, the mobilisation of industry enormously increased the supplies of the army, but under it the wants of the civil population became more and more intolerable. In a few months the Russian Army had plenty of munitions, but the nation was exhausted, its transport system paralysed, and its industry almost ruined. ”

“ Revelations published since the Revolution confirmed the many rumours about favouritism and corruption in the distribution and execution of munition orders, even involving highly reputable members of the Industrial Committees.
But whether the motive was patriotism or gain, or both, certain it is that the manufacturers exploited this golden opportunity to the utter exhaustion of industry. The future of industry concerned nobody. All principles of sound economy and care in the use of machinery and plant were thrown over. ”

“ Only when they were faced with the failure of all their efforts to achieve victory—partly in co-operation with the Tsar's constantly-changing Government, partly in defiance of it—only when they saw that their last endeavours were only leading in the end to greater internal, political, and economic chaos, only then did the Revolution emerge. ”

“ The Galician disaster laid bare the terrible lack of munitions in the Russian Army, which was regarded as the primary cause of the military collapse. This led to the widespread idea that to achieve victory all Russia needed was a great and well-supplied army. The people, therefore, decided to make munitions, and a great movement was started with the watchword, "All for the Army." There had been no precedent for this movement in the earlier months of the war. ”

“ Then, as things went from bad to worse, the people began to assert themselves. The popular forces came into conflict with the bureaucracy. This period was marked by the rise of the Zemstvos and the consolidation of the Progressive Block in the Duma. And, at a still later stage, when the bankruptcy of Tsardom was complete, the popular forces demanded that the entire direction of the war should be handed over to a representative Government which enjoyed the confidence of the people. ”

“ In every big provincial town there was a local Industrial Committee, again presided over by the local political or industrial chiefs of capitalism, and consisting of the leading manufacturers of the district. ”