Kostroma Strike of 1915

a mass strike by the workers of Kostroma, caused by the worsening of the conditions of the workers during World War I.

The workers of the spinning factory went on strike on June 2, and all 6,600 workers of the Bol’shaia Kostroma Flax Works struck on June 5. The strike was economic in character. Management agreed to satisfy the strikers’ demands for rent money, in return for a general 10 percent reduction in wages. In response, the workers on the evening of June 5 organized a protest demonstration. Together with the workers of the Bel’giia Mill, they were marching toward the Zotov brothers mill, to join up with the workers there and to free nine workers who had been ar-rested earlier, when they were met by a detachment of police and soldiers. The detachment opened fire, killing 12 and wounding 45. The workers of all enterprises in Kostroma, responding to a Bolshevik call, struck on June 6. The Bolsheviks also made an appeal to the soldiers. Political demands were advanced along with economic ones. The strike continued until June 10. The government declared martial law, and mass arrests were carried out in Kostroma. The Kostroma events aroused protest strikes in various regions of Russia.