russian revolution summary

The Russian Revolution (1917–1918) The Russian Revolution took place in 1917, during the final phase of World War I. Although a previous coup attempt (the July Days) had failed, the time now seemed ripe. The Russian Revolution consisted of two revolutions in 1917 that ended Tsarist rule and eventually replaced it with a communist state. None of them, however, was able to cope adequately with the major problems afflicting the country: peasant land seizures, nationalist independence movements in non-Russian areas, and the collapse of army morale at the front. The subsequent governments were coalitions. Internet Modern History Sourcebook This site forms one of the three "parent" sourcebooks of the Internet History Sourcebooks which are collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts compiled under the direction of Paul Halsall of Fordham University. convention was dictated by the Russian Orthodox Church, which continues During the twentieth As a result, But while the Provisional Government’s power waned, that of the soviets was increasing, as was the Bolsheviks’ influence within them. on the streets of Petrograd (present-day St. Petersburg), they formally abandoned the democratic process in January 1918 and declared Lenin established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and he was the leader of the new government. The February Revolution, which removed (ii) Anti German sentiments were high in Russia. Kerensky became head of the Provisional Government in July and put down a coup attempted by army commander in chief Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov (according to some historians, Kerensky may have initially plotted with Kornilov in the hope of gaining control over the Petrograd Soviet). The war made revolution inevitable in two ways: it showed Russia was no longer a military match for the nations of central and western Europe, and it hopelessly disrupted the economy. Provisional Government. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Vladimir Lenin during the Russian Revolution, 1917. Revolution) overturned the interim provisional government In the 1870s socialist formed International body-Second International which … The tsar’s reactionary policies, including the occasional dissolution of the Duma, or Russian parliament, the chief fruit of the 1905 revolution, had spread dissatisfaction even to moderate elements. was a much more deliberate event, orchestrated by a small group The war also affected the industry. By 1917 the bond between the tsar and most of the Russian people had been broken. (iv) Russian armies suffered defeats and a large number of Russian soldiers were killed. They were generally viewed as an The Russian Revolution of 1917 centers The Russian Revolution: In Stages. The Russian Revolution of October 1917 is the most important cause of change in Russia. A new democratic form of government came to power after the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty. This Lenin was the most important leader of the Bolshevik party. The February Revolution, which removedTsar Nicholas II from power, developed spontaneouslyout of a series of increasingly violent demonstrations and riotson the streets of Petrograd(present-day St. Petersburg),during a time when the tsar was away from the capital visiting troopson the World War I front. themselves the representatives of a dictatorship of the proletariat. The Bolsheviks, who led this coup, prepared Tsar Nicholas II from power, developed spontaneously The tsar and other Romanovs were executed by the Bolsheviks after the revolution. to follow the Julian calendar to this day. When his brother, Grand Duke Michael, refused the throne, more than 300 years of rule by the Romanov dynasty came to an end. Until February 1918, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, was living in exile when the … By September the Bolsheviks and their allies, the Left Socialist Revolutionaries, had overtaken the Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks and held majorities in both the Petrograd and Moscow soviets. The Russian Revolution of 1917 had people that would cause riots during the war. still a minority within the country as a whole, they had built up … influential local council representing workers and soldiers in Petrograd), generally Riots over the scarcity of food broke out in the capital, Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg), on February 24 (March 8), and, when most of the Petrograd garrison joined the revolt, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate March 2 (March 15). The Russian Revolution: then and now. Primary documents on the Russian Revolution. in the provisional government (the temporary government They found viable answers to their specific revolutionary problematic in Russia within the framework of Marxism. By October, the Bolsheviks’ popular base was much larger; though General Overview: In 1917 Russia went through two revolutions: February 24–29 and October 24–25. of Petrograd. By the 18th century, most countries in Europe had adopted the Gregorian calendar. On March 1 (March 14) the Soviet issued its famous Order No. The massive History of the Russian Revolution was written in one year while Trotsky was in exile in Prinkipo, an island off the coast of Turkey. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Though the February Revolution was a popular uprising, After two years of fighting, the Bolsheviks emerged victorious. Updates? century, the Julian calendar fell thirteen days behind the Gregorian The October Revolution saw Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks seize power at the expense of more moderate social democrats (Mensheviks) and conservative “Whites.” Russia’s former allies, who were still fighting in World War I, soon identified the Bolsheviks as a threat equal to that of Germany, and they dispatched troops to Russia. For the sake of…, While Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey all survived their crises of 1917 and found the will and stamina for one last year of war, Russia succumbed. The Provisional Government was unable to countermand the order. The Tsars of Russia were replaced first in February by a pair of co-existing revolutionary governments, one mainly liberal, one socialist, but after a period of confusion, a fringe socialist group lead by Lenin seized power in October and produced the world’s first socialist state. One reason was that radical socialists increasingly dominated the soviet movement. The fall of monarchy in February 1917 and the events of October were termed as the Russian Revolution. Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov inspecting Russian troops, 1917. The Russian Revolution of 1917 centersaround two primary events: the February Revolution and the OctoberRevolution. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. calendar. Sometime in the middle of the 19th century, Russia entered a phase of internal crisis that in 1917 would culminate in revolution. The first revolution was mainly centred in … The first revolution overthrew the tsarist government and replaced it with a Provisional Government of Duma members (mostly members of the Cadet party), who allowed a Contact Commission of the Petrograd Soviet to advise the government. The Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets, which convened in Petrograd simultaneously with the coup, approved the formation of a new government composed mainly of Bolshevik commissars. Dates prior to February 1, 1918 use of people. What’s shared is a sense of rupture, of break and loss, where liberalism and the right see inevitability. In 1917 Russia was convulsed by two major seizures of power. with other parties and compromising their principles. Russian Revolution of 1905, uprising that was instrumental in convincing Tsar Nicholas II to attempt the transformation of the Russian government from an autocracy into a constitutional monarchy. The Russian Revolution: •Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia •In 1917, peasants rebelled due to the lack of food, and the loss of life during the Great War •On March 17, 1917, Nicholas gave up his throne •In November 1917, Vladimir Lenin took over the government, and established a communist government. A basic introduction to the Soviet Revolution of 1917. Russian population, as the event was primarily limited to the city The Soviet soon proved that it had greater authority than the Provisional Government, which sought to continue Russia’s participation in the European war. Vladimir Lenin during the Russian Revolution, 1917. Critical Essays The Russian Revolution One of Orwell 's goals in writing Animal Farm was to portray the Russian (or Bolshevik) Revolution of 1917 as one that resulted in a government more oppressive, totalitarian, and deadly than the one it overthrew. response, the Russian Civil War broke out in the summer (Because the date was in October on the old Russian calendar, it is usually called the October, or Octobrist, Revolution.) After taking over, the Bolsheviks promised 'peace, land, and bread' to the Russian people. The Allies could not agree on their aims in Russia, however, and Lenin took advantage of their war-weariness. Make a social media account documenting the Russian Revolution. In countries like Russia, where Eastern Orthodoxy was the dominant religion, dates were reckoned according to the Julian calendar. It also the origin of the country’s modern political and socioeconomic system (Acton, Cherniaev & Rosenberg, 2007). Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The tension and unhappiness had begun years earlier. Meanwhile, soviets on the Petrograd model, in far closer contact with the sentiments of the people than the Provisional Government was, had been organized in cities and major towns and in the army. The Russian Revolution 1917 can be compared to Julius Caesar, because of the overthrowing of the government, people fighting over food shortages, killed most of Russia’s army, suffering in … However, most of those who took power after the February Revolution, Media related to Russian Revolution of 1917 at Wikimedia Commons Russian Revolution and the First World War (i) In Russia the war was initially popular and people supported Tsar Nicholas II. Omissions? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. After October, the Bolsheviks realized that they could By autumn the Bolshevik program of “peace, land, and bread” had won the party considerable support among the hungry urban workers and the soldiers, who were already deserting from the ranks in large numbers. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. extremist group and had very little popular support when they began The October Revolution (also called the Bolshevik The Russian Empire’s many ethnic minorities grew increasingly restive under Russian domination. In the early 20th century, the difference between these two calendars was 13 days, so the Julian (also called Old Style) dates October 24–25 correspond to the Gregorian dates November 6–7. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There was a shortage of labour, railway lines were shut down and small workshops were closed down. Introduction Centuries of harsh rule under the tsars, or emperors, of Russia came to an end with the Russian Revolution of 1917. not maintain power in an election-based system without sharing power The story of the Russian Revolution starts in 1905 The first revolution was on 8 March 1917, but in Russia it was recorded as 28 February 1917. The Russian Revolution was a series of revolutions in the Russian Empire during 1917. The first government was composed entirely of liberal ministers, with the exception of the Socialist Revolutionary Aleksandr F. Kerensky. Read more. In Sometimes this takeover is called the October Revolution or the Bolshevik Revolution. A committee of the Duma appointed a Provisional Government to succeed the autocracy, but it faced a rival in the Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies. The Russian Revolution was, first, a political revolution that overthrew the monarchy of Nicholas II and made the construction of a new governmental system a central problem of the revolution. of that year and would last well into 1920. Nicholas, his family, and their loyal retainers were detained by the provisional government and were eventually moved to Yekaterinburg. All that now prevented the Petrograd Soviet from openly declaring itself the real government of Russia was fear of provoking a conservative coup. At the begin-ning of the twentieth century Russia was the last major power of Europe in which the monarch was an autocrat, his power unlimited by laws or Kerensky’s attempt to organize resistance proved futile, and he fled the country. It brought to power the Bolshevik wing of the Communist Party, led by Vladimir Lenin. The last revolution took place in November 1917. and established the Soviet Union. Russian Revolution, also called Russian Revolution of 1917, two revolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Russian-Revolution, Alpha History - Russian Revolution timeline 1917, The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe - Russian Revolutions of 1917, Russian Revolution - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Russian Revolution - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies. Generally, historians writing about pre-revolutionary Governmental corruption and inefficiency were rampant. Corruption and inefficiency were widespread in the imperial government, and ethnic minorities were eager to escape Russian domination. The turmoil that existed within the country burst forth in the 1917 Revolution. a majority of support within Petrograd and other urban centers. during a time when the tsar was away from the capital visiting troops Sometimes the Bolshevik Revolution is referred to as the October Revolution. Corrections? The 2,500 delegates to this soviet were chosen from factories and military units in and around Petrograd. Support for Socialism. In the end, it gave the Russian people an entirely new form of government. Ill-equipped and poorly led, Russian armies suffered catastrophic losses in campaign after campaign against German armies. The Civil War. The events destroyed the Tsarist autocracy, and helped to create the Soviet Union.. In these soviets, “defeatist” sentiment, favouring Russian withdrawal from the war on almost any terms, was growing. serious efforts in April 1917. Its causes were not so much economic or social as political and cultural. 1, which directed the military to obey only the orders of the Soviet and not those of the Provisional Government. On July 17, 1918, when White army forces approached the area, the tsar and his entire family were slaughtered to prevent their rescue. it did not necessarily express the wishes of the majority of the RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. world used the Gregorian calendar in use today. Between March and October the Provisional Government was reorganized four times. When the Bolsheviks ordered land redistribution, the Russian army began to break up. Peasants, workers, and soldiers finally rose up after the enormous and largely pointless slaughter of World War I destroyed Russia’s economy as well as its prestige as a European power. Short-Term Causes of the end of Tsarism (March 1917) Petrograd workers protest food shortages and criticize the Tsarist regime, March 8-10 Petrograd was on of the main cities of the empire The Russian government was very tenuous- whether it would survive at all was point of debate in the years preceding World War One The… Russian Revolution: The Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905 began in St. Petersburg on Jan. 22 (Jan. 9, O.S.) Bloody Sunday in 1905 and the Russian defeat in the Russo-Japanese War both helped lead to the 1917 revolution. In three years of war Russia had mobilized roughly 10 percent of its entire population…, One of the turning points in the struggle for power was the attempt by Gen. Lavr Kornilov, who had been appointed commander in chief, to take control of Petrograd in August 1917 and wipe out the soviet. Like your school's revolt against the cafeteria, the Russian citizen's revolt against the Russian government did not happen overnight. The revolution took place in two stages. The Bolsheviks did not simply transfer Marxism to Russia. Russian Revolution, also called Russian Revolution of 1917, two revolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power. Russia today cite dates according to the calendar of the time; this book follows the same method. (ii) He did not consult the Duma. Though the February Revolution was a popular uprising,it did not necess… when troops fired on a defenseless crowd of workers, who, led by a priest, were marching to the Winter Palace to petition Czar Nicholas II. What caused the Russian Revolution and how did it overthrow the Czar? Mikhail Zygar, a former editor in chief of the independent TV Rain news channel, is recreating the events of 1917 in a … In the October Revolution of 1917, socialists took over the government in Russia. on the World War I front. At the First All-Russian Congress of Soviets, convened on June 3 (June 16), the Socialist Revolutionaries were the largest single bloc, followed by the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. Aleksandr Kerensky, the prime…. The Russian Revolution was a series of two revolutions that consisted of the February Revolution and the October Revolution. around two primary events: the February Revolution and the October On March 15, 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. On October 24–25 (November 6–7) the Bolsheviks and Left Socialist Revolutionaries staged a nearly bloodless coup, occupying government buildings, telegraph stations, and other strategic points. There were 7 million casualties and 3 million refugees in Russia. The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution, as the official term in the Soviet Union, the Bolshevik Coup, the Bolshevik Revolution, the October Uprising, the October Coup or Red October, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was instrumental in the larger Russian Revolution of 1917–1923. Lenin Returns From Exile. But it was the government’s inefficient prosecution of World War I that finally provided the challenge the old regime could not meet. The October Revolution Between the February Revolution and the October Revolution, Russia was … The Russian Revolution was quite complicated, and this quiz/worksheet combo will help you test your understanding of the conflict. out of a series of increasingly violent demonstrations and riots their coup in only six months. Bolshevik Revolution In October of 1917, Lenin and his Bolshevik Party took over the government. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The February Revolution of March 8th, 1917 was a revolution targeted and successfully removed Czar Nicholas II from power. calendar. Russia used the Julian calendar, while the Western favored rule that was at least partially democratic. Results For 303 years the Russian Tsar came from the House of Romanov. There was a shortage of grain, agricultural production slumped and … However, he was increasingly unable to halt Russia’s slide into political, economic, and military chaos, and his party suffered a major split as the left wing broke from the Socialist Revolutionary Party. It removed Russia from the war and brought about the transformation of the Russian Empire into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), replacing Russia’s traditional monarchy with the world’s first Communist state. 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