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Lenin's Russia - Revolution, Civil war, war communism etc. - A level History notes
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Lenin's Russia - Revolution, Civil war, war communism etc. - A* History notes
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Lenin's Russia, 1918 - 1924BACKGROUND {THE 1905 REVOLUTION AND THE ERA OF THE DUMAS (1906–
14)}
Russia, during the early 1900s was a backward country, both economically and politically. For
centuries, it had been an autocratic monarchy, with the Emperor, or Tsar, holding complete
authority. Political opposition was severely punished and civil liberties such as freedom of expression
and assembly were limited. Tsar Nicholas II refused to introduce reforms, viewing this as a sign of
weakness.
In 1905, a revolution sparked – There were peaceful demonstrators marching to Tsar Nicholas II’s
Winter Palace in St Petersburg to petition him about poor working and living conditions. There were
also complaints about the food shortages
When demonstrators were shot at by the Tsarist troops, the day became known as Bloody Sunday.
Following Bloody Sunday, a series of industrial strikes forced the Tsar to grant some concessions in
the October Manifesto. This manifesto granted civil liberties and established a parliament (duma)
formed partly from elections. However, the Tsar and his ministers were reluctant to give up any
power and continually restricted the duma’s powers in the period 1906–14.
,THE 1917 FEBRUARY REVOLUTION
The short-term causes of the Revolution of February 1917:
ECONOMIC
- Outdated economy
- Backward agricultural methods which still relied on many peasants being able to work on the land - but
many were conscripted into the army (WW1) This led to a major shortage of manpower on the farms
and a corresponding fall in production.
- The price of basic foods was rising.
- Russian industry broke down during the war mainly because vital raw materials from overseas
could no longer reach Russia. This resulted in shortages for both the people and the army.
POLITICAL
- Most areas of Russian society were dissatisfied with the existing autocratic system.
- The people had no representation in government, and the Tsar remained out of touch with the
people's problems.
- The Bloody Sunday massacre, in which Russian workers saw their pleas for justice rejected as
thousands of unarmed protestors were shot by the Tsar's troops tilted many to the revolutionary
side.
- The response to the massacre crippled the nation with strikes, and Nicholas released his October
Manifesto, promising a democratic parliament (the State Duma).
- However, the Tsar effectively nullified his promises of Democracy, and then dismissed the first two
Dumas when they proved uncooperative.
- These unfulfilled hopes of democracy fuelled revolutionary ideas and violence targeted at the
Tsarist regime.
, SOCIAL
- The social causes of the Russian Revolution mainly came from centuries of oppression towards the
lower classes by the Tsarist regime and Nicholas's failures in World War I.
- There was an increase in the amount of peasant disturbances and sometimes full revolts occurred,
with the goal of securing ownership of their land.
- Russia consisted mainly of poor farming peasants, with 1.5% of the population owning 25% of the
land.
- The rapid industrialization of Russia also resulted in urban overcrowding and poor conditions for
urban industrial workers.
- Overpopulated cities meant that there was also no running water, and piles of human waste were a
threat to the health of the workers.
WORLD WAR I
World War I then only added to the chaos. Conscription swept up the unwilling in all parts of Russia. The
demand for factory production of war supplies and workers caused many more labour riots and strikes.
Conscription stripped skilled workers from the cities, who had to be replaced with unskilled peasants, and
then, when famine began to hit, workers abandoned the cities in masses to look for food. Finally, the
soldiers themselves, who suffered from a lack of equipment and protection from the elements were
discontent with Russia's poor accounting in the war.
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