Page:Michael Farbman - The Russian Revolution & The War (1917).djvu/43

 first days of the Revolution. But its difficulty throughout has been to know what line to take. It knew that the alliance of soldiers and workers was the granite rock of the Revolution, and its first effort was to destroy that alliance. A stream of accusations was let loose. The workers were betraying the soldiers by their selfish strikes. They were stopping the output of munitions. They were regardless of the fate of the soldiers at the front and thought only of themselves, etc. But the manœuvre did not succeed and was very soon abandoned. To show how unfounded this charge was I need only mention one fact. On the appeal of the C. W. S. D. the Petrograd workers collected in three weeks a million and a quarter roubles as a First of May Gift to the soldiers. They did this by forfeiting their pay on Saturdays and holidays, when they have to work. In face of such a voluntary sacrifice as this accusations of betrayal could hardly prosper.

Other methods were tried and dropped, and finally the counter-revolution had