Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
Wages and Cost of Living Before and During the Revolution explained
This chapter presents statistical tables compiled by various committees and ministries in October 1917, detailing the dramatic increases in wages, food prices, and other necessities from July 1914 to August 1917.
What happens
This chapter presents statistical tables compiled by various committees and ministries in October 1917, detailing the dramatic increases in wages, food prices, and other necessities from July 1914 to August 1917. While wages rose over 500 percent on average, the ruble's purchasing power fell to less than one-third, and food prices increased 556 percent, with other necessities skyrocketing over 1,100 percent. The chapter highlights that profits for factory owners, such as the Thornton Woollen Mills, rose 900 percent while wages increased only 300 percent, indicating that the economic burden fell on workers and the benefits went to speculators and merchants.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs when the narrator, after witnessing the destruction of sacred and historic Kremlin s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Class Conflict and Polarization
The stark contrast between wage increases (300-500%) and profit increases (900%) for factory owners underscores the deepening class divide and economic exploitation.
- Workers' Control and Economic Transformation
The data on wages and costs sets the stage for workers' demands for economic justice and control over production, a central issue in the revolution.
Characters to notice
- John Reed
Author and narrator, arriving in Petrograd in September 1917 and reporting on wage and cost data.
Key passages
“In spite of numerous stories of gigantic advances in wages immediately following the Revolution of March, 1917, these figures... show that wages did not rise immediately after the Revolution, but little by little.”
Contrary to popular belief, wages did not jump right after the March Revolution; they increased gradually over time.
Reed corrects the misconception that the revolution caused an immediate wage explosion.
“On an average, the above categories of necessities increased about 1,109 percent in price, more than twice the increase of salaries. The difference, of course, went into the pockets of speculators and merchants.”
The cost of essential goods rose over 1,100 percent, far outpacing wage growth, with the surplus enriching speculators and traders.
Highlights the profiteering that exacerbated workers' hardship.
