Russian Revolution Notes (2024)
Russia Pre-1905
Peasant Life in Russia & Serfdom
What was it like?
Treated like slaves ( serfs)
Hard to make money
Early deaths
Relied on crops ( Bad harvest = lots of deaths)
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
Anger at the Tsar because of the bad conditions they had to live in
Russia is not as advanced as Europe and was not industrialized
End of Serfdom & Alexander II Reforms
What was it?
Emancipation Manifesto ( freed serfs from landlords)
Now they pay the government for land instead of the nobles
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
It didn't help the lives of the peasants due to the minimal change
Russian Industrialization
What was it?
Russia attempted to construct factories to catch up to the other European countries
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
People start to move to the cities, working-class emerges
Very uneven development, slow, not very successful
Alexander III Counter-Reforms & The Famine of 1891-1892
What were they?
Russification: One Russian identity forced upon all citizens of Russia
Secret Police ( suppresses the people's different political ideas)
People formed groups with radical political ideas that opposed the Tsar
How did the famine play a role in the Russian Revolution?
Caused the death of half a million people because of the bad harvest/ less food
The government was called incompetent for sending grain to other countries
Socialism/Marxism gains influence in radical political groups
Marxism
What was it?
Communism (a utopian society where workers control everything and everything is equally split between the citizens and no social classes)
Socialism is supposed to be the step before communism ( some social classes, and government controls some things)
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
Workers were highly influenced
Bolshleviks ( wanted an immediate change) and Mensheviks ( wanted a gradual change and what to compromise with other parties) formed with the marxisms ideas
Political group ( trying tp take control of the government and are led by lenin)
Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
What was it?
Attempt to take territory from Japan
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
Lose horribly in many events of the war
The economy goes into issues due to the low resources after the war
Not a good look to the Russian people
Russia looks weak to the rest of the world
Bloody Sunday
What was it?
Peaceful march ( led by Russian citizens) to the Winter Palace to address economic problems
Ended in a blood bath created by Tsar's guards ( attacked the people)
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
Angers the people of Russia which shatters the vision of the tsar ( the protector of the people)
Country-wide strikes that demanded government change (led by Soviets: Workers Council)
October Manifesto (1905 Revolution)
What was it?
List of reforms ( allowed political parties, unions, legislature, elections by the people, and to create a constitution)
Tsar adepts the reforms
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
It gave people the ability to spread more political ideas ( ex. socialism/marxism)
Labor unions allowed workers to communicate/organize more
Tsar’s powers after the 1905 Revolution
Why did the 1905 Revolution fail to produce change in Russia?
Tsar could dissolve Duma if he disagreed with it whenever
Tsar could still implement his own laws
Many of the ministers were still picked to be in the government by the Tsar ( Tsar picked the people on his side to be involved in the government in order to make sure they would support him)
Russia 1905-1917
Duma Elections
Why did the Duma elections fail to bring change to Russia?
Dissolves Duma until Tsar gets one filled with loyalists
How was this failure important to the Russian Revolution?
Reforms that people wanted were ignored
Soviets gain more power and influence
Russia’s & World War I (1914)
What side was Russia on?
Britain, France, Russia ( Triple Entente)
Which countries were on the opposing side?
Germany, Austria-Hungary ( Triple Alliance)
Why did World War I start?
Archduke of Austria-Hungary is assassinated
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia which was allied with Russia
Tsar Nicholas and World War I
What did he do?
Went on the front lines to take control of the army
War was going poorly, so he hoped to boost the morale of the army
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
His wife rules while he was gone
She was German, leading to rumors spreading of betrayal
Russia continues to do poorly in the war, and the Tsar is blamed for the losses
Food Shortages & the Soldiers’ Mutiny
Why were their food shortages in the cities?
All resources kept going to the army
Going to a losing effort
How were the shortages important to the Russian Revolution?
Women go on a strike to protest the lack of food
Soldiers began to join the strikers after they were ordered to kill their friends and families
Tsar loses control over the people, his ruling is no longer respected
The Tsar’s abdication (February Revolution, 1917)
Why did the Tsar abidcate?
No one listened to him
began to get pressured by the government ministers to resign
He abdicated the throne ( steps down)
The Provisional Government & The Petrograd Soviet
What were they?
Provisional Government- temporary government created by the former members of the Duma voluntarily to restore order
Petrograd Soviet- Main Soviet, in the capital
How were they important to the Russian Revolution?
Soviets influence workers and soldiers (soldiers who join)
Two groups compete for political power
Worker Strikes
Why did so many strikes emerge shortly after the Tsar’s abdication?
More power to the Soviets
Influenced by Bolsheviks
Economic problems (like shortage of food)
Still in war
How were they important to the Russian Revolution?
Soviets gain even more power over the Provisionary Government
Bolsheviks (led by Lenin) gained more influence over the Soviets
Bolshevik Takeover in 1917 & Beyond
Kerensky’s Offensive
What was it?
Offensive ( attack) against Germany to reclaim the lost territory
Doesn't go well, and Russia ends up losing more of its territory and lost many people ( over the span of a couple of months)
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
Undermines support for the provisional government
Increases support for the Bolsheviks
Bolshevik Opposition to the Provisional Government
What was it?
Wanted Revolutionary change led by the Bolsheviks
Wanted to get out of war
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
Increased Bolshevik's popularity because of the opposition to the war
Bolsheviks do not want to compromise with the other socialist groups who work with the Provisional Government
Bolshevik Seizure of Petrograd
What was it?
Bolsheviks take over key areas of Petrograd which give them control over government functions
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
Provisional Government is declared ‘out’ ( irrelevant), Bolsheviks get full power over Russia
Mensheviks and other socialists leave the Congress of Soviets in protest but goes wrong and gives the Bolsheviks over the soviets
Constituent Assembly was formed which was a democratically elected government ( first ever for Russia) but they met once and got shut down by the Bolsheviks
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
What was it?
Treaty between Russia and Germany to end Russia's involvement in WWI
Russia had to give up a lot of land to stop aggression
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
People opposed Lenin's decision to sign a treaty
Opposition forms to fight the Bolsheviks
Bolsheviks can focus on dealing with the people who oppose them since they are no longer in war with Germany
Russian Civil War
What was it?
A war between the Red ( bolsheviks) and white (people who opposed them) armies
How was it important to the Russian Revolution?
White army is not united unlike the red army, red army wins
Bolshleviks have full control over Russia and the poeple in it