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The Setting to the Russian Revolution

Lenin• Vladimir Ulianov (1870-1924)• from a bourgeois family• trained as a lawyer• older brother executed by Tsar• prolific writer, intellectual• What is To Be Done? (1902)– working class alone couldn’t carry

out a revolution– needed organized revolutionary

group

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Anti-Czarist Political Parties

• Socialist Revolutionaries (SR)– believed that the future of Russia lay in peasantry– some advocated terror

• Social Democrats (SD)– followed Marxism, appealed to factory workers– split into two in 1903– differed over membership qualifications• Mensheviks (smaller)• Bolshevik Party

– led by Lenin

Crisis Under the Tsars• 1905 Revolution– Tsar Nicholas II granted concessions• civil rights• political parties

– but short-lived• massive unrest in 1911, 1912

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World War I

• Worsened problems for Russia• No competent military leadership• Russian industry’s poor performance• Huge losses: 3.3 million killed• Everybody unhappy with Czar

•Tsarina fell under spell of Grigory Rasputin (1869-1916)

•Rasputin deeply influenced government

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Rasputin was assassinated in December 1916

The Russian Revolution

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Understanding the Russian Revolution

• Liberalism– individual rights

• Socialism– economic rights

Russian Revolution of 1917• Two Parts– February Revolution– October Revolution• also known as Bolshevik Revolution

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February Revolution• in late February 1917, workers strikes in Petrograd– by second, ½ of workers in city on strike– protests against lack of bread, involvement in war

Feb Revolution (continued)• on fourth day, soldiers ordered to fire on

crowds– but soldiers refused, joined protestors

• Tsar refused to believe depth of crisis– lost control

• Duma met and convinced him to give up• Tsar abdicated in early March 1917• Duma representatives established new

“Provisional Government”

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Causes of the February Revolution• Russian involvement in World War II– deeply affected economy– discontented army

• Contradictions between capitalist industrialization and outdated nobility

• lack of democratic institutions• Tsar– autocrat– incompetent

Provisional Government

• Dominated by middle class and liberals– led by Kadets– Alexander Kerensky (former SR)

• Their program: 19th century liberal agenda– encouraged free markets– initially

• free speech, some civil liberties• concessions to workers (shorter work days)

• Fatal error: decided to continue fighting WWI

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“Soviets”• “Soviets”: councils formed by workers & soldiers in

Russia– совет = “council”

• grassroots effort at direct democracy• took over administrative duties in factories, city services,

basic infrastructure• by October 1917, 1,400 Soviets all over Russia

– largest in Petrograd• dominated early on by Mensheviks & SRs• focused on “economic rights”

“Dual Power”• Meant that there were two centers of power in

Russia in 1917• 1. Provisional Government– represented liberal values

• individual rights• parliamentary democracy

• 2. Soviets– represented socialist values

• economic rights• direct democracy

• deep division in society

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Lenin Returns to Russia

• Lenin returned to Russia in April 1917, presented “April Thesis”– argued Russia could move directly to socialism– “Soviets” could provide basis for revolution

• Through summer, Bolshevik Party campaigned for support in Soviets

• Many arrested or exiled

Summer 1917: Chaos Spreads• military near collapse in WW I• Russian economy in tatters• Soviets ordered soldiers to disarm superior officers

(“Order No. 1” in March 1917)– soldiers should not obey superior unless order given by Soviets

• “Soviets” continued to expand power• Peasants became impatient with Provisional Government

– wanted all land returned to them– supported the SRs– peasants began to seize land– large group of active peasants were:

• soldiers

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Last Steps to Revolution• by October 1917, support for moving “all

power to the Soviets”• Bolshevik Party begin to overshadow other

parties– had majority in Soviets– huge spike in membership

• Lenin decided to act• Supported by Trotsky (chairman of

Petrograd Soviet)

October (Bolshevik) Revolution

• on October 25, 1917, Bolshevik Party took over Winter Palace– had support of Petrograd Soviet, military

• Provisional Government surrendered

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Forming a Government• center of power was Congress of Soviets– all power was transferred from P.G. to C.O.S.– Bolsheviks dominated C.O.S.

• Mensheviks and SRs opposed Lenin’s takeover– some SRs (“Left SRs”) sided with Bolsheviks

• Lenin formed Council of Commissars– head: Lenin– foreign policy: Trotsky

• Most people in Soviets supported a coalition government of socialists, i.e., Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, SRs– after initial resistance, Lenin gave in

Early Acts of New Government• all social privileges abolished• separated church and state• all ethnic and religious groups declared equal• set limits on salaries• reforms in 1918– peasants encouraged to take over land– initially worker control of factories increased– later, in June 1918, nationalized all high industry

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Elections

• Elections for parliament in November 1917 based on universal male suffrage– had been promised by P.G. but never held

• Elections results– Bolshevik Party (24%), SR Party (40%)– in cities Bolsheviks dominated

• Congress met in January 1918– acted like it was center of power– Lenin basically refused to accept its legitimacy– Lenin: “real power lay in Soviets”

• Soviets at this point included only Bolsheviks– Became single party system

• All other parties became enemies

Withdrawal From War

• Lenin signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (w/ Germany) in March 1918

• gave up huge amount of land

• why?

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Civil War (1918-1920)• Bolsheviks had many opponents

– old aristocrats, bourgeois, other socialists

• Most important:– White Army

• Vicious war, civilian massacres– descent into anarchy– > 1 million deaths

• Bolshevik rule operated on principle of ‘War Communism’– nationalization of all industries– centralized management– strict worker discipline– no private enterprise– food rationing

• Bolsheviks had many different foes– White Army

• army in Siberia (Alexander Kolchak)

• army in the south (Anton Deniken)

– other countries• British, French, American,

Japanese, etc.• read p. 31

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Why Did They Win?

• Red Army extremely disciplined (commanded by Trotsky)– 5 million strong– where did they come from?

• geography• disunity of opposition• Bolshevik appeal to social

change• patriotism– Allied powers intervened on

side of Whites

Red Terror

• Executed Tsar and his family in July 1918

• had been placed in house arrest in Yekaterinburg