Russian Revolution
1905-1917
Overview
! Structural weaknesses within Russia
! Revolution of 1905
! October Manifesto
! Russia 1906-1917
! Revolutions of 1917
! Civil War
Economic Weaknesses
! Industrially & economically
underdeveloped
! top 1% controls majority of
Land & wealth
Typical Noble Estate
! bottom 85% = peasants
! agriculture poorly
developed
! Landless & extremely
poor
Russian Peasants
Modernization – The Witte
Program
! Sergei Witte ! Finance Minister
! Govt. Modernization Program:
! Stablise currency & link to gold
standard
! To fund economic dvlpm:
! Raised taxes
! Borrowed money
! relied on foreign investment
! Trans-Siberian Railway
Sergei Witte
Modernization – The Witte Program
! :Hired foreigners to run factories
! lacked educated industrial class
! Workers paid low wages
! extremely poor conditions
! organised to push for reform
! Formed ‘soviets’
! Tended to be very radical
! Anarchy & communism seen as
attractive ideologies
Female Textile Workers
Political Weaknesses
! Autocratic ruler
! Isolated & Ignorant to Russia’s
problems
! No personal freedoms
! Censorship
! Few civil liberties
! Govt. opposition not allowed
! Political dissidents arrested &
exiled (Lenin) or executed
Tsar Nicholas II
Political Weaknesses
! Political divisions
! Intelligentsia
! Educated M-C & university
students
! Nobility – Boyars
! maintain status quo & influence
! Workers
! Better pay & work conditions
! representation
! Peasants
! Land
! representation
Royal Family, 1913
L-R Back: Grand Duchesses Maria, Olga, Tatiana
Middle: Tsarina Alexandra, Tsar Nicholas, Grand Duchess Anastasia
Front : Tsarevich Alexei
! Political parties
! liberal reforms
Social Weaknesses
! Citizens = internally divided:
! Only ½ population = Russian
! Objectives of different groups:
! Minorities –
! Greater autonomy
! independence
! Nobility –
! gradual reform
! Status quo re: power
! Fear ‘mob’ rule
! Intelligentsia –
! Not a single unified bloc
∴ No consensus on goals
! Workers –
! better conditions
! Stable prices for food
! Peasants - land reform
Revolution of 1905
! Causes:
! Russo-Japanese War 1904-05
! Humiliation !defeat by Japanese
! Worker discontent
! Working conditions
! Availability of food
! " cost of food
Bloody Sunday January 9, 1905
! Peaceful demonstration of workers
! Demands:
! ! ! ! end to Russo-Japanese War
formation of a constituent assembly
Improve worker conditions, rights & wages
Price controls on bread
! Leaders included members of clergy,
workers & intelligentsia
! Troops open fire on workers
! +100 killed
! Result: Riots t/o Russian cities
! Including Poland, Ukraine, Georgia
Father Gapon – led march on
Winter Palace
Bloody Sunday
! Result:
! Riots & strikes t/o Russia
! Radicals organize workers
into Unions (Soviets)
! Soviets !"workers’ rights
! October ! nation paralyzed
by 10 day strike
! Tsar forced to make changes
Demonstration at the Winter Palace
in St. Petersburg
! Concession to striking
workers & civil unrest
October Manifesto
! Concession by Tsar to regain
order and placate demands
! Creates constituent assembly
‘Duma’ (parliament)
! Male suffrage
! All classes represented
! Laws must pass the Duma
! Russia’s first constitution
! Grants some civil liberties
! liberty, freedom of conscience,
speech, assembly & association
Duma
Legacy of 1905 Revolution &
October Manifesto
! Results:
! Divides opposition
! Moderates satisfied
! Radicals want more reform (esp.
Soviets)
! October Manifesto in practice:
! Had little real power
! Tsar ! absolute veto
! ! dismiss Duma
Ilya Repin -- October Demonstrations
Legacy of 1905 Revolution &
October Manifesto
! Ethnic Regions
! "unrest in Russian provinces -- Ukraine,
Georgia, Poland
! Brutal & bloody suppression !"
revolutionary sentiment
! " animosity agst Tsar & Russia
! Continued instability, esp. amg.
urban workers (soviets)
! Pogroms instituted agst. Jews
! ! ! ! Russian Newspaper report of Polish rioting
Scapegoated for riots, radicalism
Expulsion from villages & Russia
Diaspora to Poland, Germany, U.S., etc.
Fiddler on the Roof
Russia 1906-1916
! Peter Prime Minister (1906-11)
! Conservative -cracked down on
revolutionaries
! Introduced agricultural &
educational reforms to help
peasants
! Encouraged foreign investment to
modernise Russia
! Assassinated
! Worker’s Movement
! Strikes waned 1907-1910
! Strikes & riots increase
1911-1914
Peter Stolypin
World War I
! Tsar sees WWI as way to unify
nation
! Distract public from domestic
political & economic woes
! “Wag the Dog”
! Shortages of basic food stuffs
continue to plague urban Russia
! War exacerbates problem as food is
diverted to feed soldiers
! Public support for War & Tsar begin
to wane
! Army poorly equipped for war
! Army suffers devastating defeats
! Morale decreases
! Desertions increase
World War I
! 1916 Nicholas II takes
over Army
! Hopes to inspire troops
! Weaknesses of govt. further
exposed
! War increases suffering &
discontent
! Criticism becomes more
public & calls for democratic
change increase
Rasputin
! Nicholas II leaves country to
command army
! Tsarina in charge of gov’t during
Tsar’s absence
! Heavily influence by Rasputin,
‘the Holy Man’
! Tsarina gives power to make
governmental decisions
! Boyars resent his influence &
murder him
March Revolution 1917
War, food shortages, & political
oppression "Strikes & bread
riots
! Soldiers, sent to restore order
! Ordered to shoot rioters,
! shoot the officers instead and
join rioters
! Results in collapse of monarchy
Rioting in Petrograd
March Revolution 1917
! Tsar Nicholas II
! Orders the dismissal of the
Duma
! Duma disregards Tsar &
forms a Provisional
government.
! March 15, 1917 Tsar Nicholas
II abdicates
! Brother refuses to accept
crown
March Revolution 1917
! Provisional Government
! Kerensky – social democrat (menshevik)
! Moderate, slow, measured reform
! Constitutional monarchy
! Maintain Russian role in WWI
! Goal: political not social revolution
! free elections to Duma assembly
! freedom speech, press, assembly, & religion
Alexander Kerensky
March Revolution 1917
! Kerensky gov’t fractured, weak &
unorganized
! little experience w/political
leadership
! opposed by Petrograd Soviet
! Most powerful & radical workers’ group
in Russia
! Heavily influenced by communist
ideology
! Opposition led by Bolsheviks
! Lenin, Trotsky
! Further weakened by WW I
! Heavy Russian losses
! Growing public dissent
! Pace of reform too slow for
populace, esp. urban soviets
Petrograd Soviet 1917
! Bolsheviks compete with
Mensheviks for power
! radical!immediate Δ
! Eliminate old system (ancien régime)
! well organized & supported
! Most effective amg. workers’ soviets
! " power w/failure of provisional govt.
! Similar to Jacobins in French Revolution
! Lenin returns from exile to rally
Bolsheviks
Petrograd Soviet – most powerful, radical and organised of
opposition groups agst. moderate Menshevik reforms. Led by
Leon Trotsky.
Leon Trotsky
Vladimir Ilych Lenin
April – October 1917
! Lenin calls for ‘all power to the soviets’
! Workers ! take control of Russia
! Seize power for the benefit of all
! “Peace, Land, Bread”
! Peace – end Russia’s role in WWII
! Land – land reform for peasants
! Bread – end food shortages in cities
! " Support from sailors, workers, &
peasants strengthen Bolshevik position
April – October 1917
! #Support from sailors, workers,
& peasants strengthen Bolshevik
position
! Lenin October 24
! “Call to power speech”
! Demands action now
! Seize control of gov’t
October Revolution 1917
! Bolsheviks launch successful coup
! Establish the ‘Cheka’
! Secret police
! Political opposition banned
! Censorship
! Kerensky flees Russia
! Confiscate church property
! Treaty of Brest-Litovsk March 1918
! Russia exits WWI
! Loses Finland, Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania
! Loses Russian portion of Poland
! Tsar & family executed July 16, 1919
Looting Orthodox Church
Civil War (1917-1921)
! Marxist-Leninist !hybrid
! not Marxism ! lacked industrialism seen
as necessary byu Marx & Engels
! “Dictatorship of the Proletariat”
! Bolsheviks focus ! maintain power
! “vanguard” of the revolution
! Guide Russia to Marx’s worker’s Revolution
! Civil War
! Red Army (Bolsheviks) vs. the Whites
(socialists, nationalist, liberals)
! Whites receive help from U.S. & Europe
! See Bolshevism (communism) as a threat
! Sim. to Austria & Prussia during Fr. Rev
War Communism (1917-1921)
! First step towards establishing a
communist society
! Nationalize industry, banks,
transportation, communication &
natural resources
! Eliminated private ownership
! under gov’t control
! Labour strikes banned
! All men under 50 drafted
! Peasants hoarded or destroyed
crops to prevent confiscation
! Result:
! famine, worker revolts, political dissent
! Russia w/out industry, transportation, &
trade.
! Re-evaluate modernisation policy
NEP –
New
Economic
Policy
1921
! Response to ineffectiveness & chaos of ‘War Communism’
! Goal: stability, " food production, " industry & business
! Small factories, businesses, & farms ! return to private ownership
! Major economic, information, production ! under govt control
! factories, banks, railways, & communication
! Introduce incentives: govt est. quotas for production;
! $$$ for exceeding production
! Result: huge success; " in production ! agri. & industry
! Soviet Union (USSR) established 1922
Legacy of Revolution