The Reconstruction of Moscow

so the exploiting classes of ancient Moscow — the feudal lords and merchants-— in the course of centuries extended the city in all directions from the Kremlin, turning the old rural roads that led into the neighbouring villages into streets and alleys. But because of a d'eferenee to the interests of private property owners, who built wherever ithey chose to do so, and because of the consequent isporaddc and chaotic methods of house building these streets were narrow and uneven, crooked and winding. They were dusty in sum- mer and muddy in spring and autumn. Moscow, like all capitalist cities, was characterized by the glaring contrast between the luxurious residences of the parasitic classes, on the one hand, and the slums, hovels and cellars of the urban poor, on the other. Of all European and American capitals and large cities, Moscow was the most backward and poorly laid-out city, and its population had the highest death rate (twenty deaths per annum per thousand inhabitants) . , To give an idea of the level of the municipal "facili- ties" in рге -revolutionary Moscow, we cite a descriptive passage from the book of a certain I. Slonov, From the Life of Merchant Moscow (1914) . "At that time" (the end of the nineteenth century) were lighted with kerosene lamps, and the suburbs and outlying streets were lit with .dim vegetable oil lamps. The lighting and cleaninjg of them was the duty of the firemen. A large part of the hempseed oil, which was supplied for lighting purposes and which was of a rather inferior quality, was eaten by the firemen with their porridge. As a result, iwhat few lamps there were, barely penetrating the darkness of the night, went . "the central streets of Moscow

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