The The Middle Middle East East
Dec 17, 2015
The Russian Revolution
Causes & Events
EQ• What is meant by the term Russian Revolution?
• How many revolutions were there in Russia?
• What was accomplished by the March Revolution?
• What was the fateful decision of the leaders of the March Revolution that led to the November Revolution?
• What were the consequences of the November Revolution?
Background• Oppressive rule of the Romanovs
(1613-1917) caused much social unrest in Russia
• Feudalism had been in place until 1868 & resulted in miserable treatment of the peasants
• Revolutionaries & secret societies developed through Russia to challenge the Czar
Background• Ethnic diversity contributed to
instability of imperial Russia
• Poles rebelled twice in 19th century
• Russia had largest Jewish population in Europe
• Only 45% of people in Russia spoke Russian
Background
• Moderate Czar, Alexander II, made some reforms
– Emancipated the serfs in 1868 in part to better their lives in part to create cheap labor for industrialization
Reforms were not enough to make the people happy
– Czar was assassinated in 1881
Background• Czar Alexander III followed his father to
throne in 1881• Halted all reforms & wanted to strengthen
“autocracy, orthodoxy & nationality”– Autocracy: rule of one person– Orthodoxy: believing in the traditional
religious views (Eastern Orthodox Church)
– Nationality: making everyone Russian
Background
• To enforce these new policies, Alexander III used:
• Censorship
• Secret police
• Torture
• Exile
• Pogroms
Background
• Pogroms: state sponsored, organized violence against the Jews in Russia
Regroup
• How is absolute monarchy partly responsible for the Russian Revolution?
• How is nationalism partly responsible for the Russian Revolution?
• How were the attempts at reform in Russia a double-edged sword?
• At whom were pogroms aimed?
Nicholas II
• Followed same path against reform as his father
• Believed in tradition of autocracy
• Failed to see times were changing
Nicholas II• Under Nicholas the government:
• was corrupt
• Unavailable to the people
• Still spending too much
• Not doing enough to modernize Russia
Russo-Japanese War 1904-05
• Weakness of Russia exposed in Russo-Japanese War
• Japanese were better trained and led
• Russian supplies came across Russia on rail which was too slow to be effective
• Russian navy destroyed by Japanese fleet
• Embarrassing defeat caused popular uprising, the Revolution of 1905
Revolution of 1905• January 1905: 200,000 protestors outside
Winter Place in St Petersburg
• Guards feared revolution & shot into crowd killing 1000 people
• The “dress rehearsal” for the revolution resulted in the creation of the Duma or parliament
• Nicholas dissolved Duma after 10 weeks
World War I• At start of war had largest army, but
generals were incompetent, army lacked supplies & soldiers were poorly trained/equipped
• Russian army suffered defeat after defeat to Germans
• Too many men in army & not enough to run trains, factories or farms
World War I• People of Russia suffered from food &
fuel shortages in winter 1916-17
• Czar’s court just as luxurious as ever
• No help coming for the people
• No end in sight for the war
• Soldiers deserted in droves
• Revolutionaries gaining strength
Regroup
• What did Lenin call the “dress rehearsal for the Revolution”?
• What were some of the causes for this?
• What did Nicholas II create for the Russian people after this event? Why was that both good and bad?
• How did the Russo-Japanese War and WWI helped to seal the fate for the czar?
March Revolution
• In March 1917, riots broke out over pricves, food and fuel shortages
• Food ran out in St. Petersburg in early March
• Soldiers sent out to quiet the rioters joined them
March Revolution
• Soviets were created (small groups of workers, peasants & soldiers)
• Soviets took control of factories and barracks
March Revolution• Nicholas II abdicated & Alexander
Kerensky formed a new Provisional Government
• Kerensky made decision to continue on in the war (possibly looking for help from the Allies afterward)
• Decision to continue in war enraged the people & cost Kerensky his support
Lenin & the Bolsheviks
• Sent back to Russia by the Germans
• Declared “Peace, Land Bread” would be his goals
• Wanted all power given to te Soviets
The November Revolution• November 1917: Lenin’s forces attacked
Winter Palace & arrested Kerensky, the Provisional Government & any & all rivals
• All private land was nationalized
The November Revolution
• Peasants had to hand over all crops without compensation & many resisted
• Factories taken over by Bolsheviks & peasants forced into mandatory labor brigades
The November Revolution
• Secret police, the Cheka, was created to spy on people
• Bolsheviks sued for peace with Germany
The November Revolution
• Signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk March 1918
• Terms of Treaty with Germans enraged the people of Russia and led, in part, to civil war
The Russian Civil War• Civil War lasted 1918-22• Fought between Reds (communists or
Bolsheviks) & Whites (Mensheviks or non-communists)
• Western nations sent troops to help White Army
• Approximately 15 million died in the fighting or as a result of the famine & disease caused by civil war
Problems Face the Bolsheviks
• By 1921 Russian economy was in ruins
• one-sixth of prewar levels
• Factories not producing
• Transportation not moving
• Farmland devastated & livestock killed
• Famine widespread
Problems Face the Bolsheviks• Lenin announced New Economic Policy in
March 1921 to address economic problems
• Was a mix of communism & capitalism:• Peasants could own land & sell crops for a profit
• Small businesses could operate on free market basis
• Large businesses controlled by state
Regroup
• How would you summarize the causes and events of the Russian Revolution?