Yes, you interpreted it correctly. The workers were instigated by people who obviously would benefit from the workers creating chaos.

It is impossible to know the meaning of "otherwise" without further context. Here is an example in which expanded context makes the meaning of "otherwise" clear: "There was a population of workers who supported the government in return for handouts. A mythology developed that saw the workers as mobs of misled people who could not otherwise have earned a comfortable living." "Otherwise", in this context, would mean "without handouts".

This is a very awkward sentence to make a contentious statement. An act, plan, plot, riot, etc is 'instigated', but a mob would be aroused, fired up or 'egged on' ie encouraged. The suggestion is that the agitators were earning or hoped to earn 'a comfortable living' by their actions, and that they were not able to do so by other means. 'Otherwise' means 'by other means', 'in another way'. 'The bourgeois mythology' is the way in which the upper middle class of society viewed the working class and the 'agitators'; 'mythology' implies that it is a false impression - a myth.

Who = the instigators Otherwise = other way The instigators couldn’t find other way to earn a living Remember we use clock-wise and counter clock-wise , to refer to the way the clock moves. I hope it helps.

The agitators instigated because it was convenient for them, since that was the only way that they could earn a comfortable living. The instigators probably didn’t have the education, knowledge or money to earn money so they resorted to instigate the agitators