The Russian Revolution Flashcards
4 Factors leading to Nicholas II abdication
- Political
- Economic
- Impact of WWI
- Social (Peasant/worker discontent)
Incompetence of Nicholas II
Politics
- Ineffective leader who made poor decisions
- Refused to accept any reduction in his power
- didn’t understand the plight of the Russian people and alienated ethnic minorities
- Declared himself Commander in Chief of the army in 1915
- Went to fight on the Eastern Front & left Alexandra in charge
The war and Tsarina Alexandra
Politics
- Quality and effectiveness of the Russian Gov called into question
- Alexandra not very popular in Russia (reserved, awkward in public
- and German)
- People suspicious of where her loyalties lay in the war
- Appointed less threatening and sometimes** incompetent ministers** in order to protect her husband
Rasputin
Politics
- Imperial family brought into disgrace as Alexandra fell under the influence of Grigori Rasputin
- He advised her appointments of ministers & interfered in all decision making
- Rasputin symbolised everything that was wrong with the Imperial Government
- The court and the royal family became objects of ridicule who were despised
- Rasputin assassinated December 1916 by Russian Nobles
Economic Conditions
- Prior to the war, economic conditions in Russia weren’t great
- From the start of the war, Russia’s economic problems get steadily worse
- By the beginning of 1917, the country was facing economic collapse
- Main problems appear within Industry; Transport; Agriculture
Discontent among peasants
Social Conditions
- Made up a large portion of army conscriptions
- As the Russian army retreated form Poland and Lithuania in 1915, they employed a ‘scorched earth policy’
- ** = destroyed farmland = obliterated peasant livelihoods**
- Poverty and poor living conditions among the peasantry continued
The workers
Social Conditions
- ‘war economy’ = increase of workers in the cities = city admin struggled to deal with housing and service provision
- Unemployment rose in industries that weren’t contributing to thewar effort (no raw materials)
- Living conditions deteriorated – especially with the food shortages
- Resulted in social unrest
Impact of WW1
- Brought terrible suffering for soldiers and civilians
- Russia suffered a number of military defeats at the hands of Germany
- Estimated 2 million Russian soldiers were killed
- Morale extremely low
- Russian people looked for someone to blame – Tsar was a suitable target for their discontent
- Food shortages, weapons/medical/equipment shortages, transport problems all linked to the war
February Revolution
- 18 February 1917 = Putilov workers strike:
- Workers locked out of armaments factory – sparks protest in the streets (10000 people)
- Following this, women workers in Petrograd (St Petersburg) went on
strike on International Women’s Day (23 Feb). - This brought thousands into the streets, carrying placards saying “Bread!” and “Our Children are Starving!”
- Wives of soldiers, called soldatki also joined and urged the soldiers not to fire on the women.
- The Putilov Strike & women’s march triggered the February Revolution
- by March around 500 000 angry protestors were marching in the streets.
- Mikhail Rodzianko, President of the Duma, recommended that the Tsar form a new govt.
- The Tsar was forced to abdicate on 2 March
- A provisional govt took power under Prince Lvov and the royal family was arrested, ending the Romanov dynasty.
Provisional Government
- Members of the state Duma formed the **Provisional
- Government**
- Only meant to have power temporarily until a Constituent Assembly was elected
- Shared power with the Petrograd Soviet
- The new govt allowed political exiles back into the country (e.g. Lenin from Switzerland, Trotsky from the USA and Stalin from Siberia).
- The new Big Three (Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin) would be outspoken against the new govt.
- The Prov Govt did not deal with land redistribution.
- This govt also did not pull out of WWI.
- The people and the army were unhappy about this
Petrograd Soviet
- Represented the cities workers and soldiers controlled the capitals transport, troops and communications
- much more Radical than the Provisional Government
The April Theses
Upon Lenin’s return to Russia, he issued a series of directives
In his Theses he called for:
1. An end to the war with Germany
2. For land to be given to the peasants
3. An end to the food shortages
4. For power to be given to the Soviets
Lenin’s slogans ‘PEACE, BREAD, LAND’ and ‘ALL POWER TO THE
SOVIETS’ won wide support
Lenin’s Plan & Charisma
Lenin had a very clear plan to seize power
- First the Bolsheviks had to gain control of the Petrograd Soviet
- Then they would take power in the name of the Soviet
- The process would then be repeated in other cities
Lenin’s energy, charisma, and drive convinced the Bolsheviks to agree
on this plan
Lenin constructed and drew on his Slogans to appeal to the masses so
that he could win their support in the Soviets
Weakness of the Provisional Government
- Provisional Government was not elected by the people
- Did not deal with land issues
- Did not pull out of the war
- Shared power with the Petrograd Soviet (Social Revolutionaries & Mensheviks) – increased the potential for political disagreement
- Provisional Government only wanted moderate changes
- The Petrograd Soviet wanted to give power to the working class
Economic Problems
The price of goods continued to increase
Food was in short supply
Fuel shortages made living conditions unbearable, especially during
the harsh Russian winter
The government** could not guarantee** enough grain, ammunition or weapons for troops fighting in the war.
Only increased support for the Bolsheviks
Peasants took things into their own hands and started killing their
landlords and seizing the land
