| Show MINSK AN INCUBATOR OF bolshevism one ot of the least Inte interesting among amon 9 ilir cities in ili its physical aspects minsk lias has an econ economic ottile history that helps in ili understanding how bolshevism spread so readily among the russian kussian people the industrial history ot of minsk where the poles and the met to discuss peace terms Is especially significant in ili view of present conditions in russia it was one of the centers where ideas long germinated which blossomed forth so suddenly into bolshevism under the hothouse influences of oc war distress there in the early nineties of the last century a group of 0 dilettantes formed a working mans union later more accurately termed the union for struggle promulgation of literature smuggled into the country or printed in secret was a major activity of this group in minsk few workingmen belonged to it in the course of five years these groups working in iro moscow geow st reters petersburg burg and minsk had accumulated a number of oc followers few of whom agreed they aliey gave wide publicity to the doctrines of mars mixed indiscriminately ly with every variety of radicalism ical ism native and imported with stich a diversity of aims little was accomplished and it was with tile the hope of formulating a definite pro grain that the union for struggle and a committee of the jewish bund held their notable convention fit at mink mank in 1898 from that meeting arose the social democratic working li mens lens party minsk is built upon the river nearly COO miles southwest of moscow by rail and has a population of fully halt half of whom are jews it was the capital of the old hesslan government of minsk which included some of tile the least fertile and least developed regions of the fallen empire tile tie annual fair held in march furnished D IS he d th the e C chief 1 le f event in the towns life its trade mainly in corn lumber and leather gained perceptibly when it became the intersection point of the railway from moscow to warsaw and that from labau to kharlov Khar laar kov formerly it maintained a municipal pawnshop |
