Single instances may be picked out at will. Although these do not give a whole picture, they can serve as illustrations of the events. In the Seelman district of the German Volga colonies, 2,000 soldiers made their entry into the villages about the end of May, in order to take the last grain supplies away before the new harvest. In the village of Novo Djevitch there were peasant riots three times, each time suppressed. I have also heard of similar cases in the Ukraine.
Another cause for peasant rebellions or discontent is the law about mobilization of labor power. By means of this law the peasants can be compelled to fell trees. Frequently the peasants do not want to go. They prefer to go after their work in the fields. I came to a village in which a government deputation had just arrived, in order to make the peasants start felling trees. The women were also required to go along. They did not want to do it, and they began to cry. But finally they went. The peasants were willing to fell trees at some other time, they said, but not then. But it was easy to understand that they would rather not go at all. And why should they? They reaped no advantage from so doing. The pay which they were to receive for it is so insignificant, that they do not want to work for the state.