Russian Revolution 1917

Quick Timeline of Events:

  1. 1613 – 1913: 300 years of Romanov rule
  2. March (Feb.) 1917 Revolution – leads to the formation of a Provisional Government
  3. November (Oct.) 1917 Revolution – Bolsheviks (Communists) seize power with Lenin as their leader
  4. Russian Civil War (1918 – 1921): REDS (Bolsheviks) vs. WHITES (Mensheviks (moderate socialists) and Royalists (those loyal to the Tsar) and Allied Powers)
  1. Pre-War 1913
  2. Celebrating 300 years of Romanov rule
  3. Nicholas II ruling
  4. Industrial Growth is going very well
  5. Faster than any other nation in the world
  6. Agriculture is making progress
  7. New reforms leading to more contented peasants
  8. Army and Navy growing
  9. 6 million man army
  10. Navy second in size only to G. Britain
  11. Need TIME!!!
  12. At least 10-20 years of peace needed to achieve strength to match European powers (this doesn’t happen due to beginning of World War I)
  1. War Breaks Out (Aug. 1914)
  2. Excitement quickly turns to despair with many losses
  3. Major defeats – 7 million casualties; generals too old and use old tactics; lack ability to supply troops
  4. Nicholas takes direct control of army and goes to front lines
  5. Government questioned concerning corruption
  6. Rasputin seen as another example of corrupt government
  7. Rasputin is a notorious drunk and sexually deviant monk who claims to have special healing powers
  8. Nicholas’ son Alexis is a hemophiliac, but this is kept hidden from the world (do not want people to view the future Tsar as weak)
  9. Alexis gets injured and Alexandra (the Tsarina) calls upon Rasputin to help heal her son
  10. Rasputin has a vision of Alexis drowning in blood –this amazes the Tsarina as no one knows about Alexis’ condition – so she calls upon him to heal Alexis
  11. Alexis recovers and then the Tsarina begins to trust Rasputin implicitly and begins to seek ruling advice from him
  12. The Russian people view the Tsar and his wife as puppets to the corrupt Rasputin, who many feel has taken control of the government
  13. It is also rumored he is having an affair with the Tsarina
  1. The Two Revolutions of 1917
  2. March (Feb.) 1917 Revolution
  3. Spontaneous revolution caused by:
  4. War – defeats combined with inactivity on war fronts
  5. Workers strike – long hours coupled with low pay lead to many strikes
  6. Financial system falls apart – over 400% inflation makes prices sky-rocket
  7. Less food – fewer peasants working the land because many are off fighting the war AND inability to get food that is produced to the cities due to the fact that the railroads are all being used for war efforts
  8. Lack of fuel leads to no electricity – this leads to people freezing to death
  9. Tsar abdicates the throne
  10. Provisional government created to rule
  11. Wanted to stay in the war
  12. Made up of Royalist (those loyal to the Tsar), Mensheviks (moderate socialists), and Bolsheviks (Communists – radical)
  13. Led by Alexander Kerensky
  14. Made up of members elected by SOVIETS (councils that represented workers, cities, army brigades, and other areas of Russia that elected members to the government)
  15. Changes made:
  16. Abolish censorship
  17. Free political prisoners
  18. Stalin freed from labor camp in Siberia
  19. Allow exiles to return
  20. Bolshevik leaders return
  21. Lenin from Switzerland
  22. Trotsky from New York
  23. Bolsheviks gain support and power using simple tactics
  24. Use Lenin’s very appealing slogan
  25. “Peace, Land, Bread and Freedom”
  26. Peace – appeals to soldiers who no longer want to fight
  27. Land – appeals to peasants who have never owned land
  28. Bread – appeals to starving workers in the cities
  29. Freedom – appeals to the many different ethnic minorities who have been treated poorly in the past
  30. Keep opponents and supporters of opponents from voting through forceful tactics
  31. By elections of Oct. 1917, 385 of the 562 soviet delegates are Bolsheviks
  32. They dominate the government
  33. November (Oct.) 1917 Revolution
  34. Bolsheviks take control of government with armed revolution
  35. Very little to no bloodshed due to the fact that the Provisional Government’s forces are off fighting the war and not there to protect them
  36. Conditions in Russia REMAIN poor
  37. Workers still striking
  38. People still in need of food (starvation)
  39. Inflation still high
  40. Bolsheviks end war with Germany 1917
  41. Sign the Brest-Litovsk Treaty surrendering to Germany
  42. Gives up 25% of Russian land
  43. Russian Civil War (1918-1921)
  44. REDS (Bolsheviks – Communists) vs. WHITES (Mensheviks (moderate socialists) and Royalists (those loyal to the Tsar) and Allied Powers)
  45. Allies join the White forces because they want Russia to re-enter World War I (they begin to remove their support shortly after World War I ends)
  46. Reason the WHITES are not successful
  47. White forces are divided
  48. Mensheviks and Royalists were at odds – previously had opposed each other so their partnership was weak
  49. Allies remove support after World War I ends
  50. Propaganda
  51. Bolsheviks successful spread propaganda through leaflet drops, the radio, songs
  52. Continue to push slogan of “Peace, Land, Bread and Freedom”
  53. Retribution Squads – use of terror
  54. Violent killing squads that would go throughout the countryside and cities and would execute any people who were not supporters of the Bolsheviks
  55. Despite smaller numbers the REDS (Bolsheviks) will win the Russian Civil War and Lenin become the leader
  56. By 1922 the former Russian area of the Ukraine merged with Russia to create the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
  1. Lenin and the USSR
  2. New Economic Policy (NEP)
  3. To restore the economy Lenin will enact the New Economic Policy (NEP)
  4. Goes against many communist fundamental ideas in an attempt to restore production
  5. Allowed for limited ownership of land by some peasant groups
  6. Allowed for private ownership of small businesses by individuals
  7. In communism, both of these would be controlled completely by the state
  8. Regarded as a temporary solution to stimulate the economy