productivity decreased, and some new move was obviously
necessary. This first move in the direction of industrial
conscription, although no one perceived its tendency at the
time, was the inauguration of what have become known
as "Saturdayings".


Early in 1919 the Central Committee of the Communist
Party put out a circular letter, calling upon the Communists
"to work revolutionally," to emulate in the rear the heroism
of their brothers on the front, pointing out that nothing but
the most determined efforts and an increase in the
productivity of labor would enable Russia to win through her
difficulties of transport, etc. Kolchak, to quote from
English newspapers, was it "sweeping on to Moscow," and
the situation was pretty threatening. As a direct result of this
letter, on May 7th, a meeting of Communists in the sub-district
of the Moscow-Kazan railway passed a resolution
that, in view of the imminent danger to the Republic,

Communists and their sympathizers should give up an hour
a day of their leisure, and, lumping these hours together, do
every Saturday six hours of manual labor; and, further, that
these Communist "Saturdayings" should be continued "until
complete victory over Kolchak should be assured." That
decision of a local committee was the actual beginning of a
movement which spread all over Russia, and though the
complete victory over Kolchak was long ago obtained, is
likely to continue so long as Soviet Russia is threatened by
any one else.