ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Russia's lower orders, particularly workers and peasants in their capacity as civilians and as members of the armed forces. Some soldiers avoided the military draft, although fewer than pre-war rates of evasion might lead one to expect. Social upheaval manifested itself in population displacement. Soldiers were wrenched in huge numbers from the fields and the factory in order to serve in the Tsar's army, where they were exposed to personal risk. Industrial enterprises recruited migrant workers and employed them in defence production where the tempo of work never ceased. Factory workers, particularly those working in munitions, handled dangerous substances and occasionally suffered collective catastrophe. Their health suffered from working in confined conditions. The faster pace of work also carried the risk of industrial injury. Whatever their background or occupation, plebeian Russians asked themselves if the risk and the sacrifice made sense, and when the war would end.
