Metal working shop of the L.Rabeneck factory, before 1917.
KONSTANTIN FILARETOV, BORN 1905
FACTORY life in early 20th century russia
Konstantin Filaretov was aged 12 at the time of the Russian Revolution in February 1917. He was working in the Rabeneck factory, one of the largest industrial complexes in the country. It specialised in the production and dyeing of cotton fabric, later switching to the production of sulfuric acid. The children were cheap labour, earning 20-25% of adult wages. Filaretov describes the joy with which the factory workers greeted the revolution; many of them having worked there since the age of eleven. After the revolution, Filaretov joined Komsomol, the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League. Its members were extraordinarily committed, staying in the factory after work and at weekends, repairing railway cars or going out into the peat bog to cut peat. Filaretov describes how in the 1920s young Komsomol members went to build factories in Siberia and the Urals, and went to Donbass to restore mines. Despite the threats of civil war and famine, Filaretov managed to continue his education. He describes sitting at his desk with a rifle leaning on it plus thirty rounds of live ammunition while the teacher, who had no proper materials, used a hat as a globe.
This life story was contributed in 2024 by Andrew Rabeneck, descendant of the Rabeneck factory owners, with acknowledgement and thanks to its source, the Trojza blog website.