remuneration from that of the productivity of labour. It found its
utmost expression in the fact of a complete abolition of wages for piece-
work, which all socialistic systems considered to be the most condemnable
form of capitalistic exploitation.
The result of the consequent introduction of communism was a terrible
:conomic catastrophe unprecedented in the world’s history and a complete
paralysis of industry which compelled the Bolshevics to repudiate, in
order to retain the power, some communistic principles in the labour
question and in certain others. This became apparent in the following
relations of the Bolshevist rulers to the workmen: — 1) Wages were
to increase, henceforward, only conformably to the growth in productivity
of labour; in connection with this, wages for piece-work were to be
introduced wherever it was technically possible. 2) Every Interference
of the workmen in the technical and commercial management of the
enterprise was to be repealed. 3) A strict labour discipline within the walls
of the enterprise was gradually to be re-established. As far as the com-
munistic experiments of the first years of the Bolshevic reign were being
liquidated, the productivity of labour grew and the situation of the workmen
improved.
The following summary data, taken exclusively from official Soviet
sources, are to show how far this situation has improved or grown worse
in comparison with that of the pre-war period with regard to the following
main factors: wages, working time, housing conditions, unemployment and
accidents.
Wages.
After their unprecedented fall during the years of consequent Com-
munism, wages begin to rise gradually owing to the declaration of the
NEP (New Economic Policy) and to the abandonment of socialistic prin-
ciples within the Bolshevist enterprises. Soviet statistics give the following
data of this growth of wages compared with the average pre-war wages of
the industrial workman and taking into consideration the purchasing power
of the Chervonetz-rouble (real wages)*).
Wages (monthly) in oo to the year 1913.
100.0
‘9.2
I
6
1913
1922/23
023/24
Gzl'al
[ ‘ot.
‘azh/27 (1
h:
*) Rabinovitch : Movement of wages and productivity of labour. Economicheskaja
lisn. No. 179, August oth, 1927.
£ 4
~