RUSSIAN REVOLUTION OF 1917

• The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a very important political event of the 20th Century.
• For the first time, Karl Marx’s idea of socialism and Proletariat revolution became a reality.
• Russia was a big and powerful country.
• Even Napoleon Bonaparte could not conquer Russia in 1812.
• However, during the beginning of the 20^th Century Russia was no longer a powerful country.
• During this time Russia was ruled by the ROMANOV DYNASTY.
• TSAR NICHOLAS II ruled Russia at the time of the Revolution.
• During his rule Russia faced serious domestic and international problems.
• Eventually, a series of political events led to the overthrow of the Tsarist rule by march revolution( Gregorian calender).
• BOLSHEVIK PARTY headed by LENIN led the revolution.
• Thus, Russia became USSR [UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS], which lasted until its disintegration in 1991.

CAUSES OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

POLITICAL

• Politically the Tsar’s rule was very weak.
• Russia fought a war with Japan in 1904-05.
• Small Asian Country Japan defeated the mighty European country Russia in the Russo-Japanese war.
• This lowered the international and domestic prestige of Russia.
• The Tsars believed in the divine right theory of kingship.
• Tsar Nicholas II was autocratic in his administration.
• The people had many grievances.
• The members of ZEMSTOVES AND DUMAS wanted liberal reforms from the Tsar.
• But Tsar was not prepared to sanction any reforms.
• Meantime, the working class of St. Petersburg went on strike.
• The striking workers went on a procession to Tsar’s place to present a petition to redress their grievances.
• They were led by FATHER GAPON.
• When the workers reached Tsar’s palace the guards fired on the unarmed crowed.
• This event is known as “BLOODY SUNDAY” as it took place on a Sunday, 22nd January 1905.
• This is also known as 1905 REVOLUTION.
• This event was indeed a prelude to the October Revolution of 1917.
• The Tsarist court was under the evil influence of RUSPUTIN.
• The Tsarina was strongly under his influence and at times the administration was affected by his influence.
• Hence, the nobles poisoned Rusputin to death.

ECONOMIC

• The economic causes of the Russian Revolution largely originated in Russia’s slightly outdated economy.
• Russia’s agriculture was largely based on independent peasants.
• They did not own modern machinery.
• Russian agriculture suffered from cold climate.
• The famine of 1891 had left many peasants in poverty.
• The rapid industrialization of Russia also resulted in urban overcrowding and poor conditions for urban industrial workers.
• Hence, the workers in general were in a discontented situation.

RISE OF SOCIALIST PARTY

• One of the most important events in the history of socialist movement was the formation in 1864 of the International Working Men’s Association or the FIRST INTERNATIONAL.
• During the short period of its existence, the International exercised a tremendous influence on workers’ movements in Europe.
• To unite the socialist parties in various countries into an international organization, a Congress was held in Paris on 14th July 1889, the centenary of the French Revolution of 1789.
• The result of this Congress was what has come to be known as the SECOND INTERNATIONAL.
• The formation of the Second International marked a new stage in the history of socialism.
• On the first of May 1890, millions of workers all over Europe and America struck work and held massive demonstrations.
• Since then the FIRST OF MAY is observed as the INTERNATIONAL WORKING CLASS DAY all over the world.
• In Russia when the workers’ organizations were set up they were dominated by Marx’s ideas on socialism.
• In 1883, the RUSSIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY was formed by GEORGE PLEKHANOV, a follower of Marx.
• This party along with many other socialist groups was united into the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1898.
• However, the party was soon split over questions of organization and policies.
• One group which was in a minority called the MENSHEVIKS [Russian it means minority].
• The majority party was called as the BOLSHEVIKS.
• The leader of the Bolsheviks was VLADIMIR ILYICH ULYANOV, popularly known as LENIN.
• He is regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the socialist movement after Marx and Engels.
• He devoted himself to the task of organizing the Bolshevik Party as an instrument for bringing about revolution.
• His name has become inseparable from the revolution of 1917.
• The Russian socialists, including Plekhanov and Lenin, had played an important part in the Second International.
• Besides the Menshevik and the Bolshevik parties, which were the political parties of industrial workers, there was the Socialist Revolutionary Party which voiced the demands of the peasantry.

WORLD WAR I

• Russia had a very adverse history of military failures.
• Even before the outbreak of the First World War, Russia had lost a war with Japan in 1904–05.
• Most of Russia’s fleet was sunk by the Japanese in that war.
• While the Russian army enjoyed some initial successes against Austria-Hungary in 1914, Russia’s deficiencies — particularly regarding the equipment of its soldiers and the lack of advanced technology (aeroplanes, telephones) proved the causes for Russia’s failures.
• Russia’s first major battle was a disaster.
• In the 1914 BATTLE OF TANNENBERG, over 120,000 Russian troops were killed, wounded, or captured, while Germany suffered only 20,000 casualties.
• Whatever nationalistic or patriotic support the Russian government had gained in the early stages of the war had been lost.
• In 1915, Nicholas had taken direct command of the army.
• The superior German army - better led, better trained, better supplied - was effective against the ill-equipped Russian forces.
• By the end of October 1916, Russia had lost between 1.6 and 1.8 million soldiers, with an additional two million prisoners of war and one million missing.
• Thus, a total of nearly five million men lost.
• These were heavy losses.
• Mutinies began to occur in the Russian army.
• Soldiers went hungry and lacked shoes, munitions, and even weapons.
• Nicholas was blamed for all these crises.
• As this discontent grew, the State Duma issued a warning to Nicholas to grant constitutional form of government.
• Nicholas ignored them.
• As a result, Russia’s Tsarist regime collapsed a few months later during the February Revolution of 1917.

FEBRUARY REVOLUTION

• The February Revolution was the result of the political, economic and social causes mentioned above.
• On the eve of the February Revolution there was food shortage in the city.
• People protested against war.
• As the protests grew, various political reformists (both liberal and radical left) joined together against the Tsar regime.
• In February the protests in Petrograd turned violent as large numbers of city residents rioted and clashed with police and soldiers.
• There was also total strike.
• Eventually the bulk of the soldiers garrisoned in Petrograd joined the protesters.
• On 12th March, 1917 the capital city of Petersburg (renamed Petrograd and now Leningrad) fell into the hands of the revolutionaries.
• Soon the revolutionaries took Moscow, the Tsar Nicholas II gave up his throne and the first provisional Government was formed on 15 March.
• The fall of the Tszar is known as the February Revolution because, according to the old Russian calendar, it occurred on 27 February 1917.

KERENSKY’S PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT

• The most important demands of the people were fourfold: peace, land to the tiller, control of industry by workers, and equal status for the non-Russian nationalities.
• The Provisional Government under the leadership of Kerensky did not implement any of these demands and lost the support of the people.
• Lenin, who was in exile in Switzerland at the time of the February Revolution, returned to Russia in April.
• Lenin gave his “APRIL THESES”.
• This promised people what they wanted.
• Under his leadership the Bolshevik Party put forward clear policies to end the war, transfer land to the peasants and advance the slogan “All power to the Soviets”.
• Lenin and his trusted associate LEON TROTSKY led the October Revolution.

OCTOBER REVOLUTION OF 1917

• The unpopularity of the Kerensky’s government led to its collapse on 7th November 1917, when a group of soldiers occupied the Winter Palace, the seat of the Kerensky Government.
• An All-Russian Congress of Soviets met on the same day and assumed full political power.
• This event which took place on 7 November is known as the October Revolution because of the corresponding date of the old Russian calendar, 25 October.

RESULTS OF THE REVOLUTION

• Russia withdrew from the First World War.
• Later, formal peace was signed with Germany later.
• The estates of the landlords, the Church and the Tsar were confiscated and transferred to peasants’ societies to be allotted to peasant families to be cultivated without hired labour.
• The control of industries was transferred to committees of workers.
• By the middle of 1918, banks and insurance companies, large industries, mines, water transport and railways were nationalized.
• Foreign debts were refused and foreign investments were confiscated.
• A Declaration of the Rights of Peoples was issued conferring the right of self-determination upon all nationalities.
• A new government, called the Council of People’s Commissars, headed by Lenin was founded.
• These first acts of the new government began the era of socialism.
• The first Soviet constitution was adopted on July 10, 1918.
•  It created the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic.
• Later, on December 30, 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics came into being.
• However, soon the new Soviet state was involved in a civil war.
• The officers of the army of the fallen Tsar organized an armed rebellion against the Soviet state.
• Troops of foreign powers—England, France, Japan, the United States and others—joined them.
• War was fought till 1920.
• By this time the ‘Red Army’ of the new state was in control of almost all the lands of the old Czarist Empire.
• Indeed, a revolutionary wave lasted until 1923.