Date: 1918
Source: ru:LS/v26

# Bloody Day

Source: Lenin's Collected Works, Volume 26
Pages: 115-119

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LENIN'S COLLECTED WORKS whenever the speech touches on autocracy, they shout: "This is of no use to us, autocracy does not hinder us!" However, in the speeches delivered in the premises of the "Union" by Zubatovists, all social-democratic demands are put forward, starting from the 8-hour working day and ending with the summoning of people's representatives on the basis of equal, direct, and secret suffrage. Only the Zubatovists assert that the satisfaction of these demands does not mean the overthrow of autocracy, but the bringing of the people closer to the tsar, the elimination of the bureaucracy that separates the tsar from the people.
"Social democrats also speak [inside] in the Union's premises, and their speeches are met with sympathy, but the initiative for practical proposals comes from the Zubatovists. Despite the objections of the social democrats, these proposals are accepted. They boil down to the following: on Sunday, January 9, the workers should go to the Winter Palace and present a petition to the tsar through Father Georgy Gapon, listing all the workers' demands, ending with the words: 'Give us all this, or we will die.' The leaders of the meetings add: 'If the tsar does not give, then our hands are untied—this means he is our enemy, and then we will rise against him, unfurling the red banner. If our blood is shed, it will be on his head.' The petition is accepted everywhere. The workers swear that they will all come to the square on Sunday 'with wives and children.' Today, the petition will be signed in different districts, and at 2 o'clock everyone must gather at the 'People's House' for the final meeting.
"All this is happening with the full connivance of the police—they have been removed from everywhere, although some gendarmes are hidden in the courtyards of certain buildings.
"Today, announcements by the city governor are posted on the streets, prohibiting gatherings and threatening the use of armed force. These are torn down by the workers. Troops are being moved into the city from the outskirts. Tramway employees (conductors and drivers) were forced to go to work by Cossacks with drawn sabers."

20766
BLOODY DAY.
Let us give the floor to foreign correspondents. They alone could send their reports by telegraph. They prepared as true war correspondents. We were indeed war correspondents in the full sense, say some of them, we observed military actions and repeatedly faced the danger of being shot. About how accurate the information from the correspondents of foreign newspapers is, we have already said above.
"St. Petersburg. January 22 (9). St. Petersburg woke up today to find itself in a state of siege. It was an unusually cheerful day. There were five degrees of frost. The air was clear and invigorating; the sky was almost cloudless. The gilded domes of churches and cathedrals and the snow-covered roofs and facades of houses, illuminated by the bright sun, formed a luxurious panorama when I looked out of the hotel windows, impatiently waiting to see what the new day would bring.
"I noticed a characteristic change in the behavior of passers-by. Instead of climbing the steps of St. Isaac's Cathedral as usual, the public silently turned towards the Winter Palace, either individually or in small groups. Joining the stream of workers, I walked along the Admiralty Garden towards the Winter Palace. One could not help but notice the strikingly sullen expression on the faces of the passers-by. Turning the corner, everyone directed their gaze towards the Winter Palace, trying to see what was happening there.
"The crowd had already gathered in the thousands. The cavalry did not let them onto the square. The masses of people began to press threateningly against the troops. The cavalry started at a trot, pushing the people to the right and left. Many curious onlookers, out of caution, began to extricate themselves from the crowd (not without difficulty) and went home. I also went to my main headquarters, awaiting news from my correspondents (reporters), who were stationed at all key points in the city.
"Events followed one another with such dizzying speed that the public was stirred up beyond description. Until the very last moment, no one believed that anything serious would happen. Traditionally believing in the power of the whip, everyone shrugged and said that the demonstrators would easily be dispersed after two or three clashes, that's all.
"Meanwhile, the city was in a state of open revolution for two hours.
"The first disturbances began at 11 o'clock, when the troops tried to drive back several thousand Putilov strikers on one of the bridges leading to the city center. The same thing happened almost simultaneously on several other bridges, where they had to fight a constant flow of workers heading to the appointed gathering place at the Winter Palace. The Cossacks started with whips, moved to sabers, and ended with shooting.
"The strikers in the front rows fell to their knees, begging the Cossacks to let them pass and assuring them that they had no hostile intentions. But blank shots did not scare the workers, and the order was given to load the rifles with live ammunition.
"When the people saw, after the shots, the dead and dying everywhere on the blood-stained snow of the streets, wild cries of vengeance rang out.
"Meanwhile, the situation at the Winter Palace was worsening. According to reports from the commanders, the troops were unable to hold back the pressing masses of people. Reinforcements had to be sent, and at two o'clock, the order to fire was given here as well. Men, women, and children fell with each volley. They were picked up and taken to outpatient clinics in sleds and carts. It was no longer just about the workers. Indignation and fury seized all classes. Students, traders, all classes of society were equally enraged. At the moment I am writing this, shooting is going on in all parts of the city.
"Gapon, leading a large crowd of workers with a cross in hand, was wounded in the arm and shoulder.
"The automobile that was transporting my telegrams to the telegraph offices (telegrams were sent every hour, sometimes every 5-10 minutes. Ed.) was seized and used to transport the wounded.
"Two groups of workers are now [separated] cut off from each other. Those on the other side of the Neva are arming themselves [with swords] with sabers, knives, [carpentry] carpenters' and blacksmiths' tools. [Energetically] Barricades are being quickly erected.
"Several officers were attacked on Nevsky Prospekt. Their sabers were taken away, and their epaulettes were torn off. Panic and confusion are greatest everywhere. The troops act mercilessly, firing to the right and left, often without any need. The strikers shout at them: 'Are you Russians? Why [do you act] do you behave like bloodsuckers and executioners?' When the dead and wounded are carried or transported, the crowd takes off their hats and shouts: 'Hurrah! Glory to you!' in honor of the fallen.
"I walked around Vyborg Side and Petrograd Side [and the old part of Pctcisburg]. Troops are stationed at various points, especially concentrated on the bridges over the Neva.
"Dense crowds of workers, among whom there are many women and children, are behaving calmly, only whistling at the officers riding at the head of the military units.
"Returning to Nevsky, I found myself in a huge crowd, so "Thick crowds of workers, among whom there were many women and children, behaved calmly, whistling only at the officers riding at the head of the troops.

Returning to Nevsky, I found myself in a huge crowd, consisting of representatives of all classes of society. Unacquainted people excitedly exchanged news and impressions about the events of the day, [drawn closer to each other, united] by a common danger. Everyone was agitated and outraged by the horrors committed by the soldiers at the Putilov factory, where there was a real slaughter (shamble). There, under the threat of shooting, the workers lay on the ground, and the troops fired at the lying!

At the Narva gates, the troops fired [at] the demonstrators, led by Father Gapon and Sergei, who were walking with a cross, an icon, and a portrait of the tsar. The portrait was riddled with a hail of bullets. [Father] Sergei was killed.

The police and soldiers guarding the bridge over the Neva tried to push back the crowd with bayonets, but the pressure did not weaken. A bugle sounded (bugle rang out?), and two volleys were directed at the crowd. Many were killed and wounded. Pleas, curses, and cries for revenge were heard against the officers...

... After sunset, the battle subsided. I visited all the main centers of the city and found everything calm... Almost every corner in the center of the city is occupied by bivouacked troops around campfires. Here and there, cavalry squadrons are stationed. There are more passers-by on the streets than one could expect after the terrible events of the day...

... Factories are guarded by soldiers in anticipation of disturbances. Troops are stationed at the Narva gate, leading to the Putilov factory. In the morning, reinforcements from the army and police were sent there. A company of soldiers is stationed near the Nevsky Shipyard.

Around 10 o'clock in the morning, about 15,000 people headed for St. Petersburg, but around 11 o'clock they were stopped by two hundred Cossacks, blocking their path. The Cossacks fired three times with blank cartridges. Some strikers went across the ice of the Neva, while the rest refused to return. The detachment commander requested reinforcements and ordered the rifles to be loaded with live ammunition. However, the Cossacks attacked the crowd with whips and drove the demonstrators back.

... At 11 o'clock in the morning, workers began to gather on Vasilievsky Island. Uhlans (there was no police) stood on the Nikolaevsky Bridge. Infantry detachments stopped the workers. Street traffic was halted. Many troops were stationed near the Academy of Sciences and [Arts] Fine Arts. Uhlans, infantry, and Cossacks were also gathered on the Vyborg side. Workers were gathering on the streets leading to the Liteyny Bridge. They were allowed to pass in groups of two or three, but not in crowds. The workers behaved calmly.

... Near the Narva Gate, a cavalry detachment did not let anyone into the city. On Vasilievsky Island, one worker addressed the crowd and called on them to go to Palace Square. Several thousand workers set out for the Nikolaevsky Bridge.

One o'clock in the afternoon. The crowd coming from Vasilievsky Island was stopped by a strong detachment of infantry, uhlans, and Cossacks. The strike leaders appealed to the soldiers not to shoot their brothers. The infantry lowered their rifles, but the uhlans and Cossacks obeyed the order and drove the crowd back with sabers. Many were wounded. A military band played during the clash.

All the streets leading to the Winter Palace are occupied by troops... 1:20 p.m. 'Just now, there was an attempt to storm (rush) Palace Square. Strikers gathered in large numbers in the Alexander Garden, near the Admiralty, and tried to break down [the gate leading to] the square. The troops stopped them and...

... Excitement and disorder are increasing everywhere. Demonstrations on Vasilievsky Island have become particularly threatening and violent. The troops are firing. Crowds of people are trying to get into the city center via bridges connecting it with the islands and the Vyborg side. Clashes are occurring.

On the Troitsky Bridge, the cavalry attacked a crowd of about 10,000 people with sabers. The strikers fled, pursued by the cavalry. The bridge is now closed to traffic. Only selected individuals are allowed to pass, and even for them, it is dangerous to show themselves nearby, as during the clashes, they do not distinguish between anything or anyone. The leaders of the movement are giving speeches before huge crowds of people and reading appeals, calling on everyone to go to the Palace and die there. The appeals are met with applause.

... When the Putilov workers were prevented from reaching the Palace, they gathered near the union's headquarters, numbering about 10,000. Revolutionary appeals are thrown from the windows. The leaders give fiery speeches, protesting against the use of military force, pointing to the tsar's attitude toward the people. The speeches are met with applause and cries of 'Down with the monarchy!'

2:38 p.m. The crowd and the troops are fighting (open conflict) around..."