V.I. Pudovkin's brilliant and powerful dramatic reconstruction of the events leading to the birth of the city of Leningrad. Russian peasants leave the fields and walk to St. Petersburg, the capital of the Tsars, to seek a living in the brutal factories. A strike ensues but strike breakers are brought in. War is declared with Germany and 'Mother Russia Calls!' On the same night barricades appear in the working class districts and the army is mobilized to deal with the 'war' situation there to quell a potential revolution. At home shells are being produced instead of bread but 'peace' is demanded and the Coalition Government proclaims the overthrow of the Tsar and the intention to end the war while the capitalists still reap the hedonistic benefits of their profits. For the communists this is not the solution and they declare 'war against war' and 'all power to the Soviets'. Troops are brought back to St Petersburg to support the coalition government but after a confrontation where a Tsa