Unit 3: Compare and contrast the causes and nature of the two 1917 Russian Revolutions.
The country of Russian experienced two separate revolutions in the course of a year: the first occurred in February of 1917 and the second in October of the same year. The February Revolution concluded in the annulment of Russia’s tsarist regime led by Nicholas II and the creation of the short-lived Provisional Government. The forthcoming October Revolution terminated the temporary government and unknowingly empowered the Bolshevik party. The two revolutions sought for different forms of government making them political revolutions by definition, but they also were social revolutions because of the suppression made toward masses by their governmental bodies.
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Politically, the more educated class of Russia resented the autocracy of the Tsar and with Russia having been defeated in the First World War, the more educated and the less educated had now undermined the standing of the Tsar. The educated elite and the masses of Russian society had certainly linked together in their mutual dissatisfaction of Nicholas II. In social and economic terms, the aftermath of the First World War in Russia angered its people: “the life toll accumulated to over 15 million hostilities, the military interference with the railway network, which contributed to the breakdown of communication and distribution systems that was the main cause of urban food shortages.” These misfortunes kindled the discontent amongst the Russian crowds which influenced the surge of strikes. It also inclined peasant unrest driven by appeals for land distribution. The Tsar’s government collapsed in February of 1917 due to the “indecision and fatalism of the Tsar himself. Nicholas II couldn’t compromise his own autocracy and his brother refused the crown.” Thus, the sudden creation of the Provisional Government, in which total political and religious freedom was permitted, complete amnesty for all political prisoners, and the promise of elections to a constituent assembly were all policies adopted by this government. The growth of liberal …show more content…
Miliukov saw no reason to abandon the original aims of annexations in eastern Europe and in the Turkish empire, but was so far out of touch with popular opinion that he was forced to resign.” The Provisional Government was pressured by popular demand whilst compromising the obligations to Russia’s allies only set itself up for failure. Then, the establishment of the main war aim was to institute peace on the basis of the self-determination of nations. The war effort formally collapsed, thus proving a major failure for the new government. By October 1917, the Provisional Government was politically bankrupt, having failed in all its main policy aims and their lack of aid towards the peasantry. The failure of the Provisional Government granted the Bolsheviks to “seize power and hijack what had had become a large popular revolution.” Derby argues that the Provisional Government was set to very high standards in too little of a time frame once the tsar abdicated; the conditions it was to meet by the soldiers, workers, peasants, politically articulate, and even different nationalities of Russia were seemingly impossible tasks. Not only this but the government failed because they wasted time over legal niceties, they themselves were
This gave the people a lot more rights and a national parliament, the Duma. All seemed well, but there was one. problem. Then there is the problem. The Mensheviks, who were the less radical majority of the Social Democratic Labour Party, argued that the revolution had gone.
Revisionist historians have also benefited from the post-glasnost era and hence have both greater access to more sources as well as the advantage of hindsight. To understand the reasons for the collapse of the Provisional Government it is crucial to be aware of the events leading up to the October Revolution and the atmosphere politically and socio-economically at the time. The year 1917 was a turbulent year of strikes, bad harvests and inflation. ' Week by week food became scarcer'[1] and any that was available usually went to the soldiers. Russian agriculture was primitive and machinery was rarely used hence production was not efficient.
The Russian Revolution occured in two stages/times, February nd October of 1917. As cited in document 1, "Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown and a liberal democratic government came to power." What lead to the Febraury Revolution was the peasant agriculture to the Russian population, autocracy, and the outbreak of WW1. A long-term cause was the peasant agriculture to the Russian population. As said in document 1, "For all of its history before the 20th cwntury, 80-95% of the population were poor pasants, farmers just barely scratching a living form the land. For most of that history (between 1694-1861) the majority of these peasants were enserfed." to enserf means to be aprovd of liberty and personal rights. Before 1917 peasants recieved sympathy from
I recollect as a child how I cherished the way my mom took care of me and made all my executive decisions. I recall getting excited about my weekly allowances and about her picking out my clothes for school. However, when I became a teenager I wanted my independence. I know longer wanted her to buy my clothing and I wanted to financially support myself by getting a job. I was so tired of her telling me what to do and how to do it that I revolted. At first it was difficult trying to establish independence in my mother's house, but after a while it seemed as if I had won the battle. Unbeknownst to me that battle would be short-lived and ultimately my mom won the war. Basically, I had constructed my own crazy revolution against my mother. You see a revolution is “a fundamental change in political organization; especially: the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed .Activity or movement designed to affect fundamental changes in the socioeconomic situation (Webster Dictionary).”One revolution that is said to have inspired communism was the Russian Revolutions of 1917.
The Russian revolution of February 1917 was a momentous event in the course of Russian history. The causes of the revolution were very critical and even today historians debate on what was the primary cause of the revolution. The revolution began in Petrograd as “a workers’ revolt” in response to bread shortages. It removed Russia from the war and brought about the transformation of the Russian Empire into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, replacing Russia’s monarchy with the world’s first Communist state. The revolution opened the door for Russia to fully enter the industrial age. Before 1917, Russia was a mostly agrarian nation. The Russian working class had been for many years fed up with the ways they had to live and work and it was only a matter of time before they had to take a stand. Peasants worked many hours for low wages and no land, which caused many families to lose their lives. Some would argue that World War I led to the intense downfall of Russia, while others believe that the main cause was the peasant unrest because of harsh living conditions. Although World War I cost Russia many resources and much land, the primary cause of the Russian Revolution was the peasant unrest due to living conditions because even before the war began in Russia there were outbreaks from peasants due to the lack of food and land that were only going to get worse with time.
Tsar Nicholas II was a major symbol of an autocratic government, a centralized government where an individual had all the power, and also failed to solve Russia’s economic and agricultural issues (Doc. 1). The Tsar’s desire to enter WWI also pushed the nation further into experiencing a revolution. Due to his inability to stabilize the country, riots and strikes arose and in the February
In 1905 , Russia had a prerevolution that was put down of the Czar. Instead of learning from this prerevolution, Czar Nicholas II, made a very big mistake by in not introducing some reforms to correct the problems. So because of his actions, the situation grew worse. In 1917, the Russians were fighting in World War I. A good majority of the Russian people were weary and uncontent with the way the war was going and with the Czar's rule. This uncontent along with economic hardships caused riots and demonstrations to break out. The Czar called for the army to put down the revolution as they did in 1905. But the army joined the revolt and the Czar was kicked out of power soon afterwards. A temporary government was set up to decide on what kind of government Russia was gonna set up. Two political parties were set up. The Bolsheviks were one of the two. The leader of the Bolshevik party was a man named Lenin. Lenin was a firm believer of the theories and ideas of Karl Marx. So with his slogan of "Bread, Peace and Land", Lenin gained the support of the peasants and gained control of Russia and setup a communist state.
Revolutions are usually associated with change. Although change is monumental and significant, the way change happens and why it happens are more important things to consider. Looking at two specific revolutions in history, the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution, there are two major leaders who stand out. In these two primary sources they share their goals, characterization of democracy, and opinions of violence in their movements that greatly influenced change. The French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1799 and had a main goal of decreasing powerful monarchs and increasing democracies and nationalism.
Lenin’s pragmatic leadership was the most considerable factor in helping to fortify Bolshevik power. His willingness to take power in October/November 1917 and the successes of the move, through his right-hand man, Trotsky, was critical as it helped give him unquestioned authority within the party despite members of the Central Committee i.e. Zinoviev and Kamenev who suggested industrialisation needed to occur first. This highlighted Lenin’s communist ideology in practice which was essential to the Bolsheviks maintaining power. Following the failure of the Provisional Government, Lenin recognised that it was the Bolshevik’s priority to legitimise their government. As a result, issues of ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ were addressed through the issuing of a number of decrees in late 1917 including decrees on land, peace, Workers’ Rights as well as reforms to marriage and religion. ...
In February of 1917 a group of female factory workers and led a revolt in which the Tsar was dethroned, only to be replaced by a provisionary government composed of the Russian elite. When this government did not live up to its promises of an end to Russian involvement in World War I, the Bolsheviks (“majority”), a revolutionary movement led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the provisionary government in what bacame known as the October revolution.
Russia and the USSR 1900-1995Oxford HistoryRussia and the USSR1905-1941Russia and the USSR;Empire of RevolutionModern World HistoryRussia and the USSR1905-1956Heinemann HistoryThe Russian RevolutionHeinemann Historywww.bbc.co.uk/education/modern/russia/russihtm.htm#q1
The Russian Revolutions of 1917 led to the riddance of the czarist Russia as well as the ushering in of the socialistic Russia. The first of the two revolutions forced Nicolas II to abdicate his throne to a provisional government. Lenin headed the second of the two revolutions in which he overthrew the provisional government.
The discontentment of industrial workers in Russia was an important factor behind the 1905 revolution in Russia. The conditions in the factories left a lot of workers dissatisfied with how they were treat, with many factories completely forsaking anything resembling health and safety regulations and others making their employees work 11 hours a day throughout the week and 10 hours on a Saturday. However, there were several other important factors that led to the 1905 revolution such as the Russo Japanese war in 1904-1905, The policy of Russification and the events of Bloody Sunday. All of these factors will be discussed in the
Russian Revolution Essay. Throughout history, there have been many revolutions between the population of a country and its government. People always wanted change, usually in the directions of freedom, peace and equality and in the lead up to the 1917 Russian revolution; there were a variety of social, political and economic situations that all played their part. In the years leading up to the revolution, Russia had been involved in a series of wars. The Crimean war, the Russo-Turkish war, the Russo-Japanese war and the First World War.
The twentieth century was a turbulent era of history. From world wars that destroyed nations to movements that formed new nations, the events of the twentieth century changed the landscape of the world and transformed it into what it is today. The October Revolution of 1917 was a defining event in Russian history where the Bolshevik Party came into control. Although the revolution was an overthrow of the Provisional Government established after the February Revolution, its roots lie within tensions built up from autocratic Russia which were intensified under the Provisional Government. The revolution was political, economic, and social in nature and have impacted Russia’s course through