1. Identify key causes of the Russian Revolution
2. Identify why the Russian Revolution was successful
3. Identify and discuss tactics (i.e., propaganda) that led the revolution
4. Formulate a brief narrative concerning the Russian Revolution using primary texts and narrative sources (lectures, secondary readings, and videos)
ReReadings: online unit, textbook (see syllabus).
DeDeliverables: Russian Revolution essay (due 14 November)
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Russian Revolution
In addition to this lecture, there are three video links on the Russian Revolution. Since the revolution is A) a series of revolutions, B) runs on conflicting calendars, and C) is complex you should view the videos listed under “Supplemental Sources.” They add to the richness of the story, as does this lecture and the two accounts you have in the course text books.
Russian Revolution
Before the Revolution
By the 1600s Russia is a diverse and somewhat powerful country. Peter the Great and Catherine the Great lead this transformation of Russia into a viable world power, but even though the country held a population half European and half Asian it still remained stagnated politically and (somewhat) culturally. A plethora of religions dotted the Russian landscape, but social order and politics were still mandated by the feudal system. Nobles maintained power with blind allegiance to the Czar, and peasants constitute the majority of the country. Their living and working conditions are horrible, as hunger, malnutrition, and early death are prominent. Russia is the last European nation to maintain the feudal system, which will finally die with the 1917 Revolution. The three pillars of the Czar’s government revolve around Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationalism.
As we have already seen, under Nicholas II Russia lost a war with Japan. Showcasing Russian weakness, the public revolted as the antiquated forms of government ruling the country. On 22 January 1905 the March on Winter Palace turned into Bloody Sunday as troops were unleashed on the protestors.[1] Nicholas issued the October Manifesto, which instituted the Duma (a version of parliament). The Duma does little, as it is disbanded in 1906, and with the outbreak of war in 1914 the country looked similar to what it had been since the 1600s.
World War I
The outbreak of war proved to be a catastrophe for Russia, as its soldiers were ill equipped and poorly trained. Transportation networks and communications broke-down or outright failed, and the already economically weak country struggled to support the war effort while maintaining a grasp on domestic affairs.
In order to reunite the military, into a viable and collective front, the Czar joined his forces on the front lines. In doing so, he left the domestic affairs of the nation to Czarina Alexandra. She was German born, but more importantly her son suffered from hemophilia. She became dependent upon the help, advice, and support of Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin. In turn, much of the country’s leadership was orchestrated by him.
Alexandra—a granddaughter of Britian’s beloved Queen Victoria—was widely hated throughout Russia, as many felt her to be frivolous, without merit, and cold. In all reality, as attested by many close friends, she was just terribly shy. Yet, her disdain for Russian culture did little to her cause with the public and her court. When she was coronated she had less than a month to learn the rules of the court, unlike her predecessor who had lived in Russia for seventeen years. Though, Alexandra rarely followed the rules of court . . . adding to the public’s (wealthy and poor) disdain of her. During the First World War her German birth added fire to these hatreds, and the poor performance of the Russian military was even attributed to Alexandra. The claim stated that she was part of a conspiracy to help Germany win the war.
Rasputin, a self proclaimed holy-man and prophet, stayed at Alexandra’s side. Much speculation occurred on his motives, as the clergy in St. Petersburg remained divided on his merits and viability. Yet, his persistence to intervene in political affairs brought his early death in 1916. He was assassinated by noble conspirators.
The Revolution Begins
The Great War, itself, was a tremendous burden to the Russian people as nearly fifteen million men were diverted from agricultural production to the warfront. Railroads, the primary source of transportation, were consumed for war use furthering hindering economic functions within the already weak nation. Imperial Russia held on to its aging infrastructure until the brutal winter of 1916-17. Famine washed the country-side and cities as food shortages grew in rapid numbers as the war lagged on, and in March 1917 steel workers went on strike. The Russian Revolution of 1917, itself, refers to a series of uprisings culminating in the overthrow of the Czar and culminating with the formation of the Soviet Union.
March Uprisings
On 8 March, International Women’s Day, crowds spilled into the streets of Petrograd demanding bread and food.[2] On the 11th troops began firing at the crowds. The Duma begged the Czar to take the concerns of the people to heart. The Duma was immediately resolved in response to their non-support. By the 12th of March Army troops are joining the protestors as prisons were opened, and on the 13th the Duma declared a provisional government as it defied the Czar’s orders. Prisoners, protestors, and troops arrested members of the Czar’s cabinet. Fires broke out from the protestors. Alexander Kerensky led the change of power. The Duma, meeting at Taurida Palace, made itself clear that it represented the people of Russia as a whole. This new stance stood in stark opposite of the feudal system still riddling the country with discontent and gregarious divisions between the wealthy and the poor.
On March 14th the czarist government is overthrown in St. Petersburg, and Moscow is also the site of a successful protest.
Nicholas, at Mogiliev, attempted to get to Saint Petersburg via rail. At Pskov he was stopped, and upon seeking advice of counsel and a Duma delegation he officially relinquished the throne for himself and his son (March 15th).[3] His wife, unloved by the people, waited at Alexander Palace under house arrest. Nicholas was placed under arrest on 22 March 1917, imprisoned at Tsarkoe Selo. The family stayed in Russia, as King George V of Great Britain refused them entry. King George grew steadily concerned with the opinion of the Russian and British publics, who held no love for the royal family. The entire family was killed at Ekaterinenburg in the Urals in July 1918. They were killed to prevent them from attempting to reclaim power and as a symbolic gesture of anger and resentment by the Russian people.
Provisional Government
Russia became a de facto Republic as its new government derived from an Executive Committee of the Duma. An ad hoc cabinet was formed with Prince Lvov as Prime Minister, Paul Miliukov as Foreign Minister, and Alexander Kerensky as the Minister of Justice. This left-wing liberal government sought to make a political revolution, not a just social revolution (the Bolsheviks).
In the midst of prisoners returning from Siberia, troops taking up with protestors, Army Order No. 1 (March 12th) called for soldiers to elect officers by the troops of each unit. The Petrograd Soviet (the competing government) instituted the order, hoping to replace military officers loyal to the czar. This attempt to merge social reform with political reform merely caused insurmountable confusion within the army. Armies cannot function as a democratic institution in general, especially during wartime. Soldiers feared they would be held as treasonous if the Czar came back into power, and military discipline further collapsed.
The Petrograd Soviet was organized by workers and peasants. In essence, those who led the revolution in the streets formed this branch of the new government. Mensheviks led the organization, with the Soviets accepting control of the country. By the summer of 1917 anarchy infiltrated the country as vigilante style justice and local factions took control. Much like the Great Fear, in France in 1789, peasants often violently took land from controlling nobles. The valiant, and successful, movement now faced a critical juncture as a fine line of lawlessness and ruefulness plaqued the people. The forceful efforts of these peasants did result in a significant change of social status. By 1920 the number of landless peasants decreased by half.
None-the-less, in the midst of this crisis, Pravda (the party newspaper) carried active propaganda against the war and attacked the opposition as traitors.
October Revolution
Lenin was in Switzerland when the Revolution broke, and upon hearing the news he immediately decided to return to his homeland. Swiss Communist Fritz Platten received permission from the German Foreign Minister for Lenin and other exiles to travel through Germany via sealed carriage. The war was the largest point of reasoning to need permission to travel via Germany, and Lenin returning by covered carriage (under extraterritorial status) gave him an element of propaganda.
The war continued to cause great concern and divide within the post-revolution provisional government. The Bolsheviks wanted immediate peace, while the Soviets were uncertain. Throughout the debates the point remained clear that the people were weary of war and fighting. More so, helping Lenin return to Russia—and by default the Russian Revolution—served Germany as German officials hoped to push Russia out of the war.