This is a copy of a letter that had been found in the ruins of an old steel factory near St. Petersburg, Russia. It was a letter written from a city worker to apparently the czar. It was a time of great pain for Russia in the reign of Czar Nicholas. We have translated this unique letter here to get a glimpse of the pleas and concerns of people during that time. Enjoy.
Most Munificent Czar:

It might seem surprising to you, O King, that you have received a letter from one so lowly as me, a poor Russian worker toiling in one of Russia’s great factories. Indeed, our ancestors would never have dreamed of writing to one another. In my case, perhaps, they would have been illiterate. But I am not illiterate. I could read and write and I am penning this short notice to inform you of our toils and troubles in this – shall I say it – dying country called Russia.
1)
In my humble opinion, a monarch has the gargantuan duty to take care of his subjects. Frankly, like many of your ancestors, you have not done the same. Compared to our European neighbors, we Russians are the most backward of the lot. You should hear of the names those “civilized” Europeans call us, absolutely disgusting! Of course, one of your most forward-thinking ministers recently launched a program to move this great country forward and I highly applaud that. As a worker in one of your factories, however, I have my doubts. First, the working conditions here are horrible. We cannot move, we cannot even breathe, we have to work many, many hours a day to make steel and whatnot. My back is aching and I no longer feel healthy as I once used to be. It hurts to breathe and it hurts to see the miserable wages the owners toss at us contemptuously. Of course, you have never felt this feeling in your ostentatious life but believe me when I say ours is a pitiful and miserable life. We do not have money to buy food, my family is starving and so are those of my neighbors’. What little food there is, it is sent to the eastern front, along with fuel supplies. We have already sacrificed our soldiers, must we sacrifice our lives? What will the point be when the fighters come back and see us, their providers, all dead of malnutrition and hypothermia. The Russian winters are cold and doubly so without money or food or fuel supplies.
2)
Permit me to talk freely, Highness, but I feel disgusted at your recent actions during this horrible, horrible, time? As a king, how can you condone such gruesome fighting in the west? It was never our war, anyway. Our soldiers are out there dying and we are no better. Only you, who live a grand and rich life with three robust meals a day and much happiness and wine-drinking, how can you tolerate such warfare? Russia is suffering. This giant World War has caused our already tarnished reputation to diminish into mere shacks that dissolve at the first frosty blast of winter. Your leadership and those of your generals as well as incompetent. If, after seeing all the pain Russia is going through, you still have in it in your mind to fight in this war, couldn’t you at least chosen good people to plan for it? Our generals are horrible. We cannot keep up with the rise of technology. We, the hinterlands of the world, have the most repulsive and ineffectual leadership ever. Don’t get me started on Rasputin. Everyone is right; he is a mad monk…a MAD, insane lunatic out for power who cares nothing about common folks like us. Your Highness, please consider Rasputin’s true motives for our country. He does nothing to help us, the industrious workers, and you must help us, before you too fall completely and wholly under his spell.
3)
I am very disappointed in my country. But I still believe that it could be fixed. Give us agreeable working conditions and wages that could actually support our family instead of the mere pittance we get. Let us organize trade unions so we could help make our lives better. Get us out of this terrible war before the entire of Russia has fallen from war, hunger and heartbreak. Hire people who are more forward thinking and have in mind reforms that will make our lives much more fulfilling. Mostly, let us have a VOICE. Bring back the Duma so we could – together – build a happy Russia. Personally, all these complaints I have mentioned are completely solved by the theory of communism, which you no doubt have heard of. I strongly believe that with everyone must be equal economically and morally. Only then could we stop fighting for materialistic objects. Let the government take a strong interest in our lives, Your Majesty. Let us be lead by skilled people who know best for what is the country. Let the poor have money and most of all, a life. Communism solves these problems by giving everyone a chance to satisfy their needs…which we are obviously not doing nowadays. O Czar, listen to us, the communists and the people. Give us what we want and we will give you a Russia stronger than any country in the world. Bring our soldiers back and we will give you the most hardworking, industrious citizens found nowhere else on Earth. Fire Rasputin and we will discover a cure for hemophilia.
If you haven’t noticed, Czar, things are changing in the world. The Old Order would never work in this hectic world today. As a king, you need to build Russia from the ground up again by listening to the people and to the ideals of the communists above all. Only then will we ever able to be a productive, happy and healthy nation of this Earth.
Sincerely
Sonya Kovalevskaya