the russian revolution causes & events. eq what is meant by the term russian revolution? how...

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?