Russian Empire: Causes and Characteristics of the Revolution
Russian Empire Characteristics
- Autocratic Rule: The Tsar held unlimited power. Civil rights were not recognized, and political parties were repressed.
- Semi-Feudal Economy: Agricultural land was owned by a wealthy minority and worked by peasants. Industrialization led to a small bourgeoisie and proletariat.
- Social Unrest: The majority of the population were impoverished peasants who faced harsh working conditions and high taxes.
Causes of the Revolution
- Russo-Japanese War: The unpopular war for control of Manchuria led to increased public hostility towards the Tsar due to new taxes and Russian defeat.
- Emergence of Political Parties: Despite being forbidden, various political parties opposing the Tsar were formed.
- 1905 Revolution: Peaceful protests in St. Petersburg were brutally suppressed on Bloody Sunday. The Tsar made some political reforms, including the formation of the Duma, but later dissolved it and re-established autocracy.
- World War I Participation: Russia’s involvement in WWI, due to alliances with Great Britain and France, led to food and weapon shortages, and continuous defeats under the Tsar’s leadership, causing further discontent.
The February Revolution
A successful revolution of workers in Petrograd, supported by soldiers and peasants, protested the war and food shortages, demanding Russia’s withdrawal. The Tsar abdicated, and a provisional government led by Alexander Kerensky was formed. Russia became a republic with a democratic regime, legalizing political parties and calling elections. However, the provisional government failed to redistribute land and withdraw from the war. The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, gained support after the distribution of the April Theses.
April Theses
- The war is an imperialist war of pillage.
- First phase: power to the middle class; second phase: power to the proletariat and poor peasantry.
- No support for the Provisional Government.
- The soviet of workers’ deputies is the only form of revolutionary government.
The October Revolution
The Bolsheviks, organized into soviets and led by Lenin and Trotsky, attacked the Winter Palace in Petrograd, the seat of the Provisional Government.
Actions of the Bolsheviks:
- Expropriated land and redistributed it among the peasants, giving control of industries to workers.
- The Communist Party became the only legal political party.
- Founded the Third International to coordinate communist parties worldwide.
The White Army forces were supported by the Allied powers, the United States, and Japan.