Russian Revolution 1917, History, Causes, Timeline & Impact

Russian Revolution

One of the pivotal events of the 12th century was the Russian Revolution 1917. During this revolution, there was social and political unrest. Russia underwent two revolutions in 1917 that profoundly changed the country. The monarchy was abolished, there were two revolutions, a civil war, and Russia adopted a socialist form of government. Read all about Russian Revolution in this article for UPSC.

Russia was one of the most incredibly impoverished and least developed industrial nations in Europe in the 1900s, with a substantial farming population and an increasing number of industrial workers. There, serfdom—one of the last symbols of feudalism—was still in use. Under the serfdom system, landless farmers were compelled to labor for the landlord lords.

By the time of the Reformation in the late 16th century, the bulk of Europe had given up the practice, although it lasted in Russia well into the 19th century. The official abolition of serfdom didn’t occur until 1861. The freedom of the serfs would set off a chain of events that, in the years that followed, would lead to the Russian Revolution.

Russian Revolution History

One can learn about the events leading up to the Russian Revolution in this section. The population of Russian cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow quadrupled as a result of industrialization, which put strain on the cities’ infrastructure and increased congestion and pollution. As a result, the working class in cities experienced a new level of misery.

Russia experienced the Industrial Revolution far later than the rest of Europe did. When it occurred, it was followed by several political and social upheavals. The Industrial Revolution caused the population of Russia’s metropolitan centers, particularly St. Petersburg and Moscow, to double, resulting in overcrowding and pollution. The infrastructure of the cities was strained as a result. As a result, urban laborers experienced a new level of deprivation.

Long periods of ineffective economic management and costly wars, which could not be supported by the population boom, led to long-term food shortages in the enormous nation. The majority-worker population of Russia protested their current situation by going to Tsar Nicholas II’s winter residence on January 22, 1905. Even though he wasn’t there, he had given the order not to fire on the unarmed crowd.

However, the police largely rejected his instructions, either due to misunderstandings or plain incompetence on their part. When they eventually came in force, the military was frightened by the size of the crowd. The protesters refused to leave when told to, so the Russian military opened fire, killing and wounding hundreds of them.

The mass murder acted as the catalyst for the Russian Revolution of 1905, and outraged workers retaliated by embarking on a series of devasting strikes that spread across the country. The attacks raised the possibility that Russia’s already precarious economy would crash. The reforms that Nicholas II was compelled to enact are known as the October Manifesto. But he continued to put them off in order to keep control of the situation. To that goal, Putin dissolved the Russian parliament, which he had pledged would implement reforms.

Russian Revolution Causes

1. Russian Revolution Political Causes

When the common people’s hopes for democracy were crushed, the concept for the Russian revolution was created. The autocratic rule of the then-reigning Tsar Nicholas II and his dishonest and archaic policies were hated by the Russian people. Additionally, the Bloody Sunday massacre in January 1905 heightened the populace’s desire to overthrow the Tsarist rule. Several attacks were launched against the country in response for the massacre.

2. Russian Revolution Social Causes

Most Russians were peasants from the working class. A quarter of the land in Russia was owned by just 1.5% of the people. Although they were released from serfdom in 1861, the rural agricultural peasants still had to provide restitution to the state. A lot of peasants have attempted to revolt in the past to retake control of their farms, but to no avail. The 1917 Russian Revolution was fueled by these accumulated grievances.

3. Russian Revolution Financial Causes

The outdated economics of the nation is regarded to have served as the catalyst for the Russian Revolution. The impoverished in rural areas seldom ever owned sophisticated tools and equipment. The growth season in Russia was just four to six months lengthy due to the nation’s usual cold climate. The growing season was shorter in Western Europe, where it often lasted eight to nine months.

Russian Revolution 1905

Compared to the rest of Europe, Russia experienced the Industrial Revolution much later. When it did, a plethora of political and social upheavals accompanied it. In Russia, the Industrial Revolution caused the population of cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow to quadruple, placing a pressure on the cities’ infrastructure and contributing to congestion and pollution. The working class in cities reached a new level of deprivation as a result.

Long-term food shortages in the large nation were caused by decades of poor economic management and expensive wars, which could not be sustained by the population surge. On January 22, 1905, the Russian populace, which was primarily made up of workers, marched to Tsar Nicholas II’s winter palace in protest of their current circumstances. He had given the order not to fire at the unarmed throng even though he wasn’t present at the time.

However, the cops largely disregarded his directives, either as a result of miscommunication or outright ineptitude on their part. The military were terrified by the magnitude of the throng when they finally arrived in force. When ordered to do so, the protestors refused to disperse, and the Russian military opened fire, killing and injuring hundreds of them. The Bloody Sunday Massacre is an incident that would have serious repercussions for the Russian monarchy years later.

The massacre served as the impetus for the Russian revolution of 1905, to which incensed workers responded by going on a string of devastating strikes across the nation. The strikes increased the risk that Russia’s already shaky economy would collapse. Nicholas II was forced into reforms, which would become known as the October Manifesto. But in order to maintain his hold on power, he kept delaying them. He disbanded the Russian parliament, which he had promised to use to enact reforms, in order to achieve this.

Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

 Liberals, Radicals and Conservatives

Liberals were one of the factions that sought to alter society. Liberals desired a country that respected all religions. Liberals also criticized dynastic monarchs’ unbridled power. They aimed to defend individual liberties from tyrannies. They argued in favor of a representative, democratically elected parliamentary system where laws would be interpreted by an impartial, well-trained court.

Industrial Society and Social Change

These political tendencies signalled the dawn of a new era. Significant social and economic developments were occurring at the time. It was a time when the Industrial Revolution took place, new cities grew, and new industrialized areas emerged. Men, women, and children all worked in factories as a result of industrialization. There were frequently long workdays and low pay. Especially during periods of low demand for industrial goods, unemployment was frequent.

The Coming of Socialism to Europe

Socialism was maybe one of the most expansive ideas about how society ought to be organised. By the middle of the nineteenth century, socialism had gained widespread recognition in Europe and was a well-known set of concepts.

Russian Revolution

October Revolution

The February Revolution began on March 8, 1917. Since Russia at the time used the Julian calendar, it is known as the February Revolution. The Julian calendar indicates that the revolution took place on February 23. The city’s capital, St. Petersburg, witnessed public demonstrations in response to chronic food shortages. On March 8, 1917, the Russian Revolution took place. The Julian calendar indicates that it is February 23. Famine-stricken Soviet factory workers and enraged demonstrators came to the streets of St. Petersburg.

Armed forces launched an operation on March 11 to put a stop to the unrest. Initially obeying orders to shoot the demonstrators, the soldiers later decided to aid their cause. They murdered their officers and sided with the rebels. A new Provisional Government headed by Alexander Kerensky was swiftly constituted by the Russian Parliament. At the same time, Nicholas II renounced the throne in an effort to calm domestic unrest. Kerensky’s government saw the gradual establishment of a new one by Duma leaders.

The Provisional Administration and the Petrograd Soviet, a regional organization that acted as the voice of the city’s workers and soldiers, supported a democratic government. Kerensky prolonged the battle as a result, which hurt the Russian economy. As a result, food shortages deteriorated and riots broke out in several Russian cities.

He decided to escalate the fight, but both the army and the people were against it. The soviets were set up by the Social Revolutionaries, who were striving for power at the time. The unrest continued despite the army stationed in St. Petersburg being ordered to put a halt to the demonstrations on March 11. The Russian parliament’s Duma established a temporary government on March 12. The throne of Nicholas II was abdicated, ending centuries of Russian family dominance.

The new government, under the direction of Alexander Kerensky, developed a list of rights, which included the freedom of speech and the capacity of unions to organize and go on strike. Against this, he continued the war with Germany despite strong opposition. Russia’s food supply concerns were made worse by this action. Fields were pillaged by peasants, and food riots broke out in the cities, causing more unrest that sparked the February revolution.

October Revolution

Let’s now examine what transpired during the second stage of the Russian Revolution, commonly known as the October Revolution. The new Leninist government’s council was composed of military, farmers, and laborers. Lenin was appointed as the head of the new government that had been established across Russia shortly after the Bolsheviks and their allies took control of significant portions of St. Petersburg. Lenin was in charge of the first communist state in history.

The October Revolution in Russia occurred in November 1917 according to the Julian calendar, on October 25. On October 10, Vladimir Lenin persuaded the leadership of the Bolshevik Party that another armed revolt was necessary. Bolshevik soldiers then seized control of the power plant, bank, railroad station, post office, telegraph, and significant bridges in the early hours of October 25, 1917.

They swiftly changed their name to the “communist party,” installed Lenin as the head of a new government, and seized over key locations throughout St. Petersburg. Lenin was chosen as the head of state by the first communist nation in history. Later that day, the Bolsheviks captured Petrograd, and Alexander Kerensky, the prime minister, escaped. The following day, the Bolshevik army stormed the Winter Palace, establishing themselves as the new government of the nation.

The Lenin Russian Revolution ended with the abolition of private land ownership and worker ownership of businesses. Russian civil war between the Red and White parties, who were mostly made up of communists and socialists as well as authoritarians, capitalists, and proponents of democracy, started in the latter half of 1917. The Bolsheviks murdered Nicholas and his entire family on July 16, 1918. After the war’s end in 1923, Lenin’s red army would proclaim triumph. The Soviet Union may then become a communist superpower as a result.

Russian Revolution Timeline

Because its army had not been modernized at the same rate as Germany’s, the war was awful for Russia. It was the country with the most wartime fatalities. Germany had occupied important Russian regions, increasing food scarcity and upsetting the economy. Russia began a war against the Central Powers of Austria, Germany, and Ottoman Turkey in August 1914 along with its allies, the Serbians, the French, and the British.

In an effort to unify the Russian troops and people in the wake of the deteriorating situation on the battle front, Tsar Nicholas II personally travelled to assume command of the army while leaving his wife, Tsarina Alexandra, in charge of the government. Due to her German background, the Tsarina was hated by the Russian populace. It didn’t help that she chose to remove elected officials based on the purported advice of controversial mystic and preacher Rasputin.

His influence over the Russian royal family at the time was widely acknowledged. Rasputin was murdered on December 30, 1916, by nobles who were envious of his influence at the imperial court, but the damage had already been done. The majority of Russians no longer trusted the Tsarist regime. This rage would swiftly transform into a full-fledged revolution in the years that followed.

Russian Revolution UPSC

Several noteworthy events took place during the Russian Revolution of 1917. These occasions initially altered Russia’s political, economic, and social environment. Second, it led to the creation of a just and inclusive society for all. The post-revolutionary Russian society’s guiding premise was equal opportunities for personal development. Thirdly, the Russian revolution served as an inspiration for many downtrodden nations around the globe. The difficulty of the struggle for ordinary people’s independence and better living conditions was made clear to everyone. One of the key topics in UPSC preparation is the Russian Revolution.

Russian Revolution FAQs

Q) What started Russian Revolution?

Ans. The February Revolution was the result of the acute aggravation of the economical and political crisis in Russia.

Q) What were the 3 main causes of the Russian revolution?

Ans. The 3 main causes of the Russian revolution:

• Autocratic rule of Tsars
• Conditions of Peasants
• Status of Industries: Industry was found in pockets.

Q) What were the 3 revolutions in Russia?

Ans. The Russian Revolution of 1905-1907, the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution of 1917 and the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917.

Q) What exactly happened in Russian Revolution?

Ans. During the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks, led by leftist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, seized power and destroyed the tradition of czarist rule.

Q) Why did Russia overthrow the Tsar?

Ans. The social causes of the Russian Revolution can be derived from centuries of oppression of the lower classes by the Tsarist regime and Nicholas’s failures in World War I.

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