In 1912 a thin line of Russian soldiers, confronted by a large crowd 
of gold miners on strike for several weeks, reacted with fear and 
anger. At their officers' orders, they opened fire, shooting five 
hundred unarmed protestors. The event reverberated across Russia.

    The Lena goldfields massacre can be viewed from several 
distinct viewpoints, each presenting a contrasting story. Author 
Michael Melancon avoids prematurely picking a "right" way of 
looking at the massacre. Instead, he explores all aspects of the 
incident, from the despair of the miners at the poor conditions they 
faced, to the calculations and priorities of the mining entrepreneurs 
and state officials, and even the rationale of the soldiers who pulled 
the triggers.

    The Lena Goldfields Massacre and the Crisis of the Late 
Tsarist State will appeal to anyone interested in labor relations, 
in revolutionary movements, and in transitions associated with 
modernization. Its comparative framework will be helpful for 
generalists and Europeanists. It will also provide food for thought 
for those interested in Russian society during the early twentieth 
century.

_________________________________________________________

MICHAEL MELANCON, who received his Ph.D. from Indiana 
University, is a professor of history at Auburn University.


Eugenia and Hugh M. Stewart '26 Series on Eastern Europe


What people are saying about this book

"Not only labor historians but also historians of late imperial Russian 
society and politics have long considered the Lena events an anchor 
in the era’s periodization. It is therefore remarkable that we have not 
had a thorough investigation of the event and its repercussions before 
Michael Melancon’s thoroughly researched and engagingly written 
study. The early chapters of this book read like an adventure story 
in which a motley assortment of migrants, including religious 
dissidents, prospectors, land-hungry peasants, and outlaws, found 
their way to the sparsely populated Lena River region. . . . Melancon 
seeks a reinterpretation of late imperial society that can accommodate 
evidence of an emerging consensus on matters of labor-management 
relations and social welfare. What is at stake is nothing less than our 
understanding of where revolutions come from; not, perhaps, from 
social fragmentation, but from profound, possibly shocking, and 
usually fleeting unanimity."—American Historical Review, February 
2007
 
" . . . an excellent piece of historical detective work and analysis. 
The subject is one of those major watershed events that seem to 
define an era. . . . [It is] a work of impeccable scholarship and of 
patient investigation of the events itself."—Daniel Orlovsky, 
Southern Methodist University

 ". . . the author has done an exemplary job. There is no other book 
in English that covers the subject, and none in any language does 
so as well as it does. This book is important, well-researched, well 
written, and has a greater than average chance of making an 
impact on the field (this latter I consider high praise, not faint 
praise)."—Rex A. Wade, George Mason University