Zlatoust, Massacre of 1903

the massacre of strikers at the government munitions plant in the city of Zlatoust in the Urals by the tsarist authorities on Mar. 13 (26), 1903.

The strike, which began on March 10 (23) upon the appeal of a circle of revolutionary workers, was in response to the introduction of new rules at the plant. Among other changes, the rules abolished the right of the workers to use the land of the plant and increased the amount of fines. The representatives elected by the workers to conduct negotiations with the administration were arrested on March 12 (25). The governor of Ufa Province, N. M. Bogdanovich, arrived at the plant and demanded that the strikers resume work. On March 13 several thousand workers gathered on the square and demanded the release of the prisoners, but the soldiers, on the order of Bogdanovich, opened fire, killing 69 persons and wounding about 250. The funerals of the victims, held on March 16–17 (29–30), turned into a mass demonstration. Thirty-four persons were put on trial and five of them were sentenced to prison.

The Massacre of Zlatoust aroused protests by the advanced workers of Russia. Materials on the Massacre of Zlatoust were published by Iskra in numbers 37, 38, 39, and 50 for the year 1903.