Ivanovo City Empire

Country: Russia
Federal Subject: Ivanovo Oblast
Administrative Centre of: Ivanovo Oblast
Urban Okrug: Ivanovo Urban Okrug
Area: 104,8 km (40,5 sq mi)
Population:
2002 year - 431, 721
2010 year - 409, 277

HISTORY:
Ivanovo was created by merging the old flax-processing village Ivanovo (first documented in 1561) with the industrial Voznesensky Posad in 1871. Until 1932, its official name was Ivanovo-Voznesensk. Because of its textile manufacturing industry, Ivanovo earned the sobriquet of the "Russian Manchester" during the 19th century.[9]

By the early 20th century, Ivanovo competed with Łódź (also a part of the Russian Empire at that time) for the title of the primary textile production centre in Europe. As the workers' living conditions were appalling, the strikes were frequent. One of these strikes (May 14-July 22, 1905) led to the first Russian revolution. According to the Soviet historiography, e.g., Great Soviet Encyclopedia, article "Soviets of Workers' Deputies" (Russian: Советы депутатов трудящихся), the Ivanovo Soviet (created May 28, 1905) was one of the first Soviets in the history. However this statement is contested, see Saint Petersburg Soviet. Ironically, the Soviet was founded on the advice of a government factory inspector.