In what ways was the working population in Russia different from other countries in Europe, before 1917?

The five differences between the peasants of Russia and peasants of Europe are

(i) About 85 per cent of Russians were agriculturists. In France and Germany, the farmers were between 40 per cent and 50 per cent.

(ii) Industrialisation started late in Russia and industries were only found in small pockets. Workers were a divided social group and maintained strong links with the villages they had come from.

(iii) In Europe, the Industrial Revolution changed a mainly rural society into an urban one.

(iv) In Russia, sometimes the working hours for workers were 15 hours, compared with 10 or 12 hours in Europe.

(v) In France, during French Revolution, the French peasants respected nobles and also fought for them. But in Russia, peasants wanted the land of the nobles. They refused to pay rent and even murdered landlords.