The Revolution in the Factories
Naturally it was during the early days of the Revolution that the loss of time in discussions, speeches, and workshop meetings was most considerable. As the enthusiasm died, more methodical work became possible, and the output increased. Regarding all those factories of Petrograd which we visited—and these were chosen among the largest—and in which we made the closest inquiries, we made the same observation; the output, which had diminished amazingly during the month of April, had increased during the month of May, often reaching a pre-Revolution level, and in many cases even exceeding it. The increase was general except in some rare cases, where causes, quite apart from the good-will of the workmen, such as the lack of raw material, prevented it. It is very striking to note that this increase took place especially in factories of skilled workmen. It was the technically skilled workmen who seemed to possess in the most eminent degree the moral qualities of the producer. Thus, in gun factories the skilled workers and polishers everywhere exceeded their pre-Revolution production in such a degree
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