Russian Revolution (1917) - Background, Events, and Effects

-

Russian Revolution is the string of events that changed the Russian political system from monarchy to communism in 1917. During World War 1, the trembling military and economic situation of the Russian Empire paved the way for the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II by the Russian imperial parliament Duma in March 1917. However, the Provisional Government continued Russian participation in World War 1, which was unacceptable to the Bolsheviks (radical socialists).

The Bolsheviks formed their military wing, Red Guards, and overthrew the Provisional Government in November 1917. Soon after the empowerment of the Bolsheviks, the Russian Civil War started, which lasted till 1922. It ended with victory for the Bolsheviks, and they transformed Russia into the Soviet Union.

Reasons Behind the Russian Revolution

1905 Russian Revolution

The economic condition of Russia has been deteriorating since the beginning of the 20th Century. Bolsheviks used these economic problems and Russia’s humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War very effectively. The declining economic condition worsen the condition of factory workers and peasants alike.

The general strikes of factory workers increased several folds at the start of the 20th Century, and the Russian Revolution of 1905 forced Tsar Nicholas II to establish a Duma (parliament). It was a big achievement for socialists and also provided them with valuable experience for a revolution of a larger scale in 1917.

Losses During WWI

World War 1 started in 1914 when Russia took part as one of the Allied Powers, opposing the Central Powers. However, the Russian Army suffered several defeats at the hands of Germany on the eastern front of the war, and the causality rate climbed continuously.

The losses in the war also brought economic instability and a shortage of necessities of life (especially food shortage). It gave rise to protests by workers and mutinies by the soldiers (there were many conscripted soldiers in the Russian military in 1917). February Revolution was the result of this situation. 

Events During the Russian Revolution

February Revolution

In February 1917, the situation became uncontrollable for the administration due to widespread strikes by workers (including women), students, and teachers demanding bread and other necessities. The Tsar was on the battlefront, and he ordered the army on 11th March to suppress the riots by force. Nonetheless, the orders could not be followed due to mutiny among the soldiers.

Tsar reached the capital, Petrograd, on 14th March and decided to abdicate the throne to his brother Michael Alexandrovich on 15th March after advice from military chiefs and other ministers. However, Michael refused to accept the position without a consensus. After his refusal, the Duma announced a Provisional Government on 16th March 1917, which placed Tsar Nicholas II under house arrest with his family at the Alexander Palace. 

A protest in Russia during February 1917
Protest in February 1917 paved the way for the provisional government

Provisional Government

The center-left members were in the majority in Duma, and they formed the Provisional Government. Georgy Lvov became the first Russian Prime Minister of the post-monarchy era. He belonged to a liberal Constitutional Democratic Party. The socialists formed their bloc in the Duma, known as the Petrograd Soviet (workers’ council).

Although the liberals controlled the provisional government, the socialists influenced workers and soldiers. Therefore, the Provisional Government was like a dual power where liberals were in charge and socialists were a pressure group. On seeing this role of socialists, the Provisional Government offered them to become part of the regime. Most socialist parties declined the offer, but a moderate faction, the Socialist Revolutionary Party (SRP), joined the government. After that, its member Alexander Kerensky became the second Prime Minister of non-imperial Russia on 17th July 1917.

The new regime continued the participation of Russia in World War 1.  The more radical faction of the socialists, the Bolsheviks, opposed the war.

Arrival and Departure of Lenin

The continuous participation of Russia in World War 1 brought more defeats, deaths, and shortages of food supplies and other necessities of life. Germans were aware that the Bolsheviks were against the war. Their leader, Vladimir Lenin, was in Switzerland. Germany brought him to Russia by train in April 1917 to strengthen the Bolsheviks. This increased pressure on the Provisional Government to end its participation in the war against Germany.

In June 1917, the Russian Army opened an unsuccessful offensive against the Central Powers, and the counterattack proved disastrous for the Russian military. The Bolsheviks and their supporters started demonstrations in Petrograd (known as July Days) and demanded a transfer of authority to the Soviets. The regime suppressed these demonstrations with assistance from the moderate socialists (SR, Mensheviks) and the monarchy-supportive organization, the Black Hundreds. All the important leaders of the Bolsheviks were arrested while Lenin fled to Finland.

Kornilov Affair

Later, the Bolsheviks restored their influence in August 1917 after the Kornilov Affair. In August, Russian Supreme Commander Lavr Kornilov ordered his troops to clear the city from radicals, which was a coup attempt against the Russian Government. PM Karenski sought help from the Bolsheviks and Red Guards. The coup failed due to the Bolsheviks' influence over workers and soldiers, which halted the mobilization of Kornilov’s troops. Later, the government dismissed Kornilov from his position and freed all the jailed Bolsheviks for their support. 

October Revolution

After seeing favorable conditions, Lenin returned from Finland to Russia in October 1917. He pressed on overthrowing the Provisional Government. The Bolshevik Central Committee passed the resolution of armed resistance against the Provisional Government on 2nd November (20th October according to Julian calendar) 1917.

The Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) of the Bolshevik party started taking action on 7th November (25th October) 1917 and soon captured all major buildings, including the Winter Palace in Petrograd. After this revolution, Bolsheviks effectively took over Russia and the era of Soviet Union began. 

Events After the Russian Revolution

Russian Civil War

Soon after the October Revolution, the Russian Civil War started between the Bolshevik's Red Army and the anti-communist forces known as the White Army. Russian nationalists, monarchists, and moderate socialists were part of the White Army. During the Russian Civil War, several separatist movements also started in the Baltic, Eastern & Central Europe, North Caucasus, and other areas.

The White Army received military support from several foreign powers, including the UK, USA, Japan, France, etc. The Civil War lasted from November 1917 to October 1922. White Army gained few successes at the beginning of the war. However, the Bolsheviks decisively defeated the White Army in the Russian Civil War due to its support from the Russian population. The Red Terror by Cheka (Bolshevik secret police) also played a vital role in the victory of the Red Army, while Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland gained independence. 

Assassination of Nicholas II

Emperor Nicholas II and his family were under house arrest since his abdication in March 1917. After the October Revolution, the imperial family became prisoners of the ruling Bolsheviks. After the start of the full-scale Russian Civil War, the Imperial family was placed in the Bolshevik stronghold of Yekaterinburg in April/ May 1918. The White Army was gaining victories in the war, and there was a danger that they could reach close to the imperial family. In this situation, Nicholas II was assassinated along with his family members and servants on 16th July 1918 by their Bolshevik captors. 

Effects of the Russian Revolution

After the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution was the second most significant internal political event in Europe. It created several major immediate and long-lasting effects in Russia and the entire world.
  • The Russian Revolution changed the whole society, culture, and governmental system of Russia. All the large industries and agricultural farms came under the direct control of the government. In future, this policy proved disastrous for the economy.
  • The new regime suppressed any opposition very brutally. Joseph Stalin established several detention camps (Gulag) in various parts of Russia for opponents of the system. Many among them died there due to inhumane treatment by authorities and unbearable living conditions. The Russian authorities exiled the entire population of some areas to other parts of the country. A prominent example is the North Caucasus and Crimea. Many people from these areas faced forced relocation to Siberia and Central Asia.
  • Soon after the Russian Revolution in 1917, several other areas in Europe, Asia, and America came under the influence of this revolution. However, most of these efforts could not succeed until the end of World War 2. The victory of Soviet Russia in WW2 against Germany enabled the Soviet Union to spread its influence and communist ideology in other parts of the world. This initiated the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the USA (the two new world powers).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Battle of Ajnadayn - The First Major Muslim-Byzantine Battle

-
Battle of Ajnadayn was the first major pitched battle between the Rashidun Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. Khalid bin Walid was leading the Muslim army while the commander of the Christian force was Theodore, brother of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius. The battle was fought in July/August 634 in modern-day Palestine/Israel and ended with a decisive victory for Muslims. It allowed them to capture the Byzantine province of Palestine and the southern part of Syria. Background The first engagement between Muslims and the Byzantine Empire occurred in the Battle of Mut’ah during Muhammad’s (PBUH) lifetime. Strong support from the Byzantine Empire to its Arab allies in this battle forced Khalid bin Walid to take a tactical retreat. The first successful campaign against the Byzantine Empire was led by Osama bin Zayed during the era of Caliph Abu Bakr. Later, Abu Bakr sent various small contingents of Muslims under different commanders to several parts of Byzantine Syria. The aim was ...
Read more

Reasons for the Fall of the Umayyad Dynasty

-
Umayyad Caliphate was the second Muslim Caliphate that emerged after Rashidun Caliphate. However, it is commonly known as Umayyad Dynasty due to its centralization on the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh tribe of Makkah. At its peak, the Umayyad Dynasty ruled the  Middle East, North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Persia, and Central Asia . It makes it the largest Muslim dynasty and one of the largest empires in human history. Umayyad Caliphate also kept the unity of the Islamic Caliphate as more than one Muslim dynasty appeared soon after the fall of the Umayyad Dynasty. But despite these prominent political and military achievements, Umayyad Dynasty could only last for around 90 years. The Abbasids took the throne from them in 750 AD (Later, Umayyad ruled the Iberian Peninsula from 756 to 1031 AD). Fall of Umayyad Dynasty - Main Reasons Surprisingly, such a vast and politically powerful umpire could only last 90 years. There are several reasons behind the fall of the Umayyad Dynasty...
Read more

Reasons for the Fall of the Abbasid Caliphate

-
Abbasid Caliphate was the third Muslim Caliphate after the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates. It was also the second Muslim dynasty after Umayyad Dynasty, as the rulers during this dynasty belonged only to the Abbasid family. The Abbasids took the throne in 750 AD after the fall of the Umayyad Dynasty . They ruled almost the entire Muslim world (directly or indirectly) for more than 500 years till 1258 AD. In 1258, Mongols occupied Baghdad and assassinated the last Abbasid caliph Mustasim, thus effectively bringing  the downfall of  the Abbasid Caliphate. Though Abbasids remained caliphs for over 500 years, the gradual decline of their empire started almost from the beginning. The following are the top reasons behind the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate. Fall of the Abbasid Caliphate - Main  Reasons Differences with Shia Abbasids and Shia were together during the Hashemite movement, which overthrew the  Umayyad Caliphate . But differences between the two parties starte...
Read more