REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA
Russification
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By the late 1800s, Russia, as a vast empire contained many ethnic minorities. The czars
attempted to maintain tight control over minorities while promoting Russian unity. The policy
of Russification was an attempt to make all groups think, act, and believe as Russians.
Alexander III persecuted non-Russians. He insisted on one language – RUSSIAN – and one
church, The Eastern Orthodox Church. Alexander persecuted Jews, restricting their occupations
and where they could live. These policies encouraged violent attacks on Jews called pogroms.
The authorities stood by and watched as the homes and businesses of Jews were destroyed.
Long Term Causes of Revolution
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Absolute Rulers. Both Alexander III and his son Nicholas II sought to industrialize Russia with
western ideas. At the same time they hoped to block political reforms from the west. Both
used harsh tactics, such as secret police, to suppress reform.
Peasant Unrest. In the early 1900s, a rigid class system still existed in Russia. Peasants were too
poor to buy land. Many were angered by industrialization and being forced to leave the land to
work in horrible conditions in factories.
Urban Workers. Factory workers worked long hours, received low pay, and put up with unsafe
conditions. It was among these workers that socialist ideas began to spread and gain popularity.
Nationalism. Many ethnic minorities disagreed with Russification. They held onto their ethnic
cultures and there were pockets of groups who wanted their own countries or states.
Revolution of 1905
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Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 triggered a crisis in Russia. On Sunday,
January 22, 1905, peaceful marchers carrying a petition for reform were shot down by the czar’s
troops. “Bloody Sunday” destroyed the people’s faith in the Czar. Strikes and revolts exploded
around the country.
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Facing chaos, Nicholas made some changes. He agreed to reforms and promised to grant more
rights, such as freedom of speech. He agreed to set up a national legislature called the Duma.
However, the Duma had limited powers and did little to relieve peasant and worker discontent.
Pogroms also continued.
World War I
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Russia was one of the Allied Powers during World War I. With little industry, Russia was not
ready to fight the war. Supplies, food, and weapons were not available. Soldiers lost faith in the
Czar Nicholas II.
In March, 1917, there was a revolt in St. Petersburg. Rioters in the streets demanded bread.
The Czar’s soldiers refused to fire on the people. Nicholas II abdicated (gave up) his rule in
March 1917.
After the removal of Nicholas, Duma officials set up a provisional or temporary government.
The new government made a mistake when it continued the war against Germany. This was an
unpopular decision with the Russian people.
The Bolshevik Revolution
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The ineffectiveness of the Provisional Government led revolutionary socialists to plot more
changes. They set up soviets, or councils, of workers and soldiers in Russian cities. Soon the
soviets were taken over by a radical Socialist Party.
Following the revolution, an exiled Russian revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin, returned home. Lenin
and Leon Trotsky headed a revolutionary Socialist Party, the Bolsheviks. They followed the ideas
of Karl Marx but they adapted it to Russia’s situation.
Lenin gained the support of many people by promising “Peace, Land, and Bread”. The
Bolsheviks promised to an end to Russia’s involvement in the war. They also promised land
reform and an end to food shortages.
In November, 1917, the Bolsheviks led soldiers, sailors, and factory workers in an uprising that
overthrew the Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks, now called Communists, distributed
land to the peasants and gave workers control of the factories and mines. The Communists,
however, still faced a struggle to maintain control over Russia.