the revolutions of 1917 Flashcards
Discontent among peasants
- Approximately 80% of Russia’s population were peasants who lived in communes in villages.
- In most villages, peasants received a little strip of land to live on which contrasted sharply with the aristocracy who formed just over 1% of society but owned approximately 25% of Russia’s land.
- Although prosperous peasant farmers known as ‘kulaks’ existed, the majority of peasants faced awful living and working conditions. Famine was rampant and the most common life expectancy was only until 40 years of age.
- Very few peasants were literate as there was no basic education in Russia.
Discontent amongst town workers
- Workers in the cities of Russia in the early 1900s lived in filfthy and overcrowded conditions where disease was rife and alcoholism was prevalent.
- Tsar Nicholas II’s industrial workers experienced awful working conditions including brutal discipline, low pay and long 15 hour work days. However, the workers could not complain as trade unions were illegal.
- Likewise, citizens were starving as the inefficiency of the railway systems meant that little food was supplied into the cities.
Socialist revolutionaries
The Socialist Revolutionaries were a radical and violent group who resented the huge amount of land that was owned by the Tsar, aristocracy and the Church. They wanted to take this land and give it to the peasant population. It is therefore not surprising that the movement had vast support from the peasantry in both towns and the countryside
Social democrats
The Social Democrats were a smaller but more disciplined political party who followed Karl Marx’s ideology which advocated communism in order to end the proletariat’s class struggle. The party split in 1903 into the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks as the Bolsheviks were keen to start a revolution in Russia but the Mensheviks argued that it was not the right time to do this.
Constitutional Democrats
The Constitutional Democrats, also known as the Kadets, were a liberal group that was formed in 1905. It comprised of lots of middle-class professionals and businessmen who believed that change could be brought about through a constitutional monarchy
Octobrists
The Octobrists approved of Tsarist rule, but saw Nicholas II’s incompetence as the problem. They wanted him to be replaced by his son Prince Alexei
Military defeats of wwi
- The Russian army suffered many military defeats during the First World War including at the Masurian Lakes. This was largely because they were badly led and short of key military equipment such as rifles and shells. Moreover, many soldiers lacked substantial parts of their military uniform such as boots.
- Ammunition and food was also poorly supplied to the Russian soldiers in 1914 as the railway networks struggled to transport the goods. The railways were however, extended and improved by 1916.
- Tsar Nicolas II joined the Front Line in 1915. By being the Commander-in-chief of the army, he was held responsible for all military defeats. It also meant that he was away from Petrograd and unable to be in good communication with his people, nor able to know what was really going on in the country.
- Discontent was therefore rife and many soldiers joined the revolutionary Bolshevik Party.
social and economic effects of wwi
Despite an initial wave of patriotism, the Tsar began to lose support of his people as the strains of war became apparent.
The huge mortality figure of nearly 2,000,000 Russians was devastating and meant that there was an increase in widows and orphans who needed state pensions which were often not received.
The development of munitions factories in the cities meant that more people migrated there to look for work. This led to overcrowding in already limited living conditions and also meant that there were food and fuel shortages as the rail network could not cope with transporting extra goods to the increased population in the cities.
Political effects of wwi
The Tsar’s decision to leave his German wife Alexandra Feodorovna in control of the country whilst he was fighting on the Front Line was extremely unpopular as her nationality meant that many Russians believed that she was a spy.
Likewise, the influence of his wife’s advisor Grigori Rasputin, was very alarming to the leading aristocrats as he was a mystic figure who was employed to treat the Tsar’s ill son yet he became close to the family and started giving the Tsarina advice on how to run the country. The aristocrats murdered Rasputin in 1916.
The Tsarina did not inform the Tsar of the severity of the situation at home and the Tsar did not listen to Rodzianko, President of the Duma during this time, in fear that he was trying to gain too much power.
Finally, the devestating number of casualties, combined with the unstable situation in Russia meant that the Council of the United Nobility called for the Tsar to step down in 1916.
February revolution and the Tsar’s abdication
Tsar Nicholas II faced many challenges as he was failing during the war and food shortages were rife.
During World War One, the celebration of International Women’s Day in 1917 became the February Revolution as marches that were planned for women’s day became the focus of opposition protests and strikes.
The main causes of the February Revolution of 1917 were opposition to the Tsar Nicholas II’s autocratic rule, the negative impact of World War One, and the unpopularity of Bloody Sunday.
In particular, on the 26th of February 1917, over 250,000 workers went on strike and although the Tsar ordered the army to quash the insurgency, the army refused and joined in with the mutiny.
Likewise, a strike at the Putilov steelworks in Petrogad on the 7th of March 1917 was joined by thousands of workers who demanded bread. The number of strikers rose to 250,000 people by the 10th of March 1917, and industry came to a halt.
Royal authority therefore collapsed and Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate on the 15th of March 1917.
The Provisional Government
The Provisional Government was set up by members of the Duma whilst Russia tried to find a new form of governance after the abdication of Tsar Nicolas II in 1917.
The Provisional Committee saw itself as an intermittent stage after the abdication of Tsar Nicolas II and prior to a General Election. It had little power outside of Petrograd. Because it was not elected, many people viewed the Provisional Government as an extension of Tsarist Rule.
The committee faced the problems of how to get food to starving workers in the city, how to distribute land to the peasants and whether or not to continue with the war. However, it made no attempt to push through any major changes and asked the people to be patient and to wait for elections to take place.
The provisional government - leaders and failures
Georgy Lvov was the first leader of the Provisional Government from the 23rd of March to the 7th of July, 1917, when he resigned. Alexander Kerensky followed and was Prime Minister of the Provisional Government from the 21st of July until its demise on the 8th November 1917. Kerensky was forced to ask the Bolsheviks for help in August 1917 as he was nearly overthrown by the Army Commander General Kornilov in what was known as the Kornilov Revolt.
The Provisional Government largely failed as rebellions were rife, the peasants ignored the government’s orders and began seizing land, and the committee’s inability to terminate war with Germany was extremely unpopular as the Russian army were struggling to resist German attacks. By September 1917, the Bolsheviks had the support of 800,000 members and held a majority in the Petrograd, Moscow Soviet and in most of Russia’s other towns.
Lenin’s return and activities, and the growth in support for the Bolshevik Party
During the ‘July Days’ of 1917, the Bolsheviks attempted to take power and take a lead in the protest of workers and soldiers against the Provisional Government. However, the military put down the revolt and many Bolsheviks were imprisoned, and their leader Lenin fled to Europe.
Lenin returned to Russia from exile for the final time on the 16th of October 1917. On his arrival at the Finland Station in Petrograd, he announced his April Theses which was to be the Bolshevik’s programme. In particular, Lenin tried to rally the support of the peasants as he wanted the Bolsheviks to undertake a second revolution.
Lenin denounced the Provisional Government and called for a Socialist takeover. He promised that the Bolsheviks would bring ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ to the people if they gained power. This then became a Bolshevik slogan and meant that support for the Bolsheviks grew rapidly amongst the peasants, as well as amongst soviets, sailors and the army as this was exactly what the people wanted.
The Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917 (i)
On the 24-25th October 1917, the Bolsheviks attempted to overthrow the Provisional Government and take control of Russia in what has become known as the October Revolution.
During the Revolution, the Bolsheviks gained control of important buildings in Petrograd such as post offices, railways and banks.
On the 7th of November 1917, with the help of the Red Guards, the Bolsheviks invaded the Winter Palace and arrested the Provisional Government’s ministers.
Although Justice Minister of the Provisional Government Alexander Kerensky tried to rally troops against the Bolsheviks, he failed and fled into exile.
The Bolshevik seizure of power October 1917 (ii)
On the 8th November 1917, the Bolsheviks announced that “The Provisional Government had been overthrown.”
Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet Trotsky was the public figurehead that led the Bolshevik army to success during the October Revolution as Lenin remained behind the scenes until the takeover had occurred.
The Bolsheviks were largely able to take over Russia due to the unpopularity of the Provisional Government which had very little support due to it being an unelected body that failed to make any improvements to Russia’s turmoil.
