I find it appalling that there is no basic education in Russia and most peasants 1cannot read or write making it very hard for them to get decent work. This forces them and leaves them no choice but to work within the farming industry, they have very little space and still use ancient farming techniques to survive. For those peasants who are fortunate enough to get work in factories the brutal discipline and safety for these workers is diabolical. There are young children working 12-15 hour days who are starving and exhausted all because there is no government regulations on child labour. with the unguarded machinery I think it is safe to say that working in a factory is no better than working on the land which is horrific.
Having seen how these peasants live I find it hard to digest as the contrast between them and the higher society is massive. For instance the upper class eat regularly and have plenty of food and drink at their service, also they live in glamorous cities and clean decent housing; because of this they are healthy and have a longer life expectancy unlike the peasants.
A typical village in the north of Russia shows utter filth and squalor. The average peasant lives in a two room cottage; the rooms have dirt floor and very few furnishings, unlike the upper class houses which are fully furnished with spotless flooring. The peasants sleep on stacks of straw which must be ridiculously uncomfortable however the upper class have proper home comforts.
The class divide between the peasants and the aristocrats is stopping society from moving forward, this is because the aristocrats are stopping the peasants from bettering themselves by paying low wages for long working hours which means they benefit from the work done by the peasants whilst saving themselves money.
Also another major issue is that one individual has absolute power to rule Russia this making it easier for corruption within the government because all the decisions are always in favour of the aristocrats. I am outraged that family members and friends of the government are appointed important positions, such as working in the courts. Whilst many of these people are corrupt and incompetent they are also making huge fortunes for bribes.
I fear if you don't take action on the above issues, opposition groups such as The Socialist Revolutionaries could cause the whole of society to turn against the government in which there would be a revolution. As they have already assassinated two government officials, as well as murdering a large number of Okhrana (police).
I strongly advise you to act now before it's too late.
Charlie Doughty.