The Russian Revolutions of 1917
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The Russian Revolutions of 1917
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Reasons for Rev. of March 1917:

  • Defeat of Russia following entry in WWI
  • Some argue that Rev. was inevitable regardless of WWI (terrible living standards)
  • Incompetence of the Czar
  • Corrupt and inefficient Gov.
  • Weak ruler (Nicholas II)
  • Rasputin damage the reputation of the royal family in the eyes of other nobles (he was seen to be the de facto ruler of the country)
  • Food shortages
  • Army losses in 1916 (the army morale declined)
  • The Czar assumed command of the army and was associated with military defeat
  • Formation of the Provisional Gov.
  • Established by the Duma
  • A soviet committee was established
  • Causes of the October (Bolshevik) Rev.
  • Weaknesses/mistakes of Prov. Gov. : failed to decisively — didn’t satisfy demands for change / the power of the Soviets / allowed opposition to form / kept Russia in the war / handicapped by internal divisions (not efficient and united)
  • The power of the Bolsheviks
  • The return of Lenin
  • The Mensheviks supported the Prov. Gov. and opposition sided with the Bolsheviks as a result
  • Lenin adapted Marxist doctrine to fit revolutionary needs
  • The simple message of Bolshevism: "Peace, bread and land"
  • The Bolsheviks strengthened power in the cities as opposed to the countryside which meant success in elections.
  • They gained a military force (the Red Guards) which other political parties did not have
  • Benefited from divisions amongst their opponents
  • The Bolshevik Revolution
  • Timing was a result of Lenin’s belief that war with Germany must be ended at any costs.
  • Were the 1917 Revolutions inevitable?
  • Improvement in living standards meant chances of revolution might fade: the establishment of a middle peasant class / improvements in working conditions / lack of incentive in revolutionary parties
  • BUT The Czar had failed to carry out his promised reforms (the situation was deteriorating before WWI)
    • Stolypin’s reforms failed to match a growing peasant pop.
    • Little relaxation of secret police activities
    • The royal family was discredited
  • Growing agitation amongst the workers / combined with the fact that the army was not loyal to the Czar following Russian defeat in war.

Other Notes in this Category

  1. Czar Alexander II (1855-1881)
  2. Czar Alexander III (1881-1894)
  3. Czar Nicholas II (1894-1917)
  4. End of the Tsars according to Orland Figes
  5. Foreign Policy 1919 to 1934
  6. Russia Time-Line
  7. The Civil War 1918-1921:
  8. The New Economic Policy (NEP)
  9. The Period of Lenin’s Rule (1917-24)
  10. The Period of Stalin’s Rule (1924-53)
  11. The Russian Revolutions of 1917

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