lena river massacre：The Lena River Massacre 1912

The Lena River Massacre 1912

The Lena River Massacred occurred on the 5th April 1912 on the Lena Goldfields in Siberia. The result was between 150-300 workers dead and a similar number wounded, killed by the Russian police who were at the goldfields under request of the company to quell the strikes that had been occurring since February 1912. Tensions had arose between the miners and the company due to the poor working conditions and the long hours, demonstrated by the fact that 70% of the Lena River workers suffered some form of traumatic injury and that they were working 15-16 hour days. In February 1912, 6000 miners formed a strike committee demanding, eight hour working days, significant wage increases, abolition of company fines and caps of food prices at the canteen, as the workers relied on the company for food and other goods but often struggled to afford them due to the inflated prices and minimal wages. The company rejected these demands and requested the help of the po...