4.

C DEJ Russia
At the beginning of the WW1 Russia was led by the tsar Nicholas II. He ruled in an autocratic
style which was present during the rule of his predecessor Alexander III. as well. He didn’t
want to share powers with anyone. Nicolas was quite naive and he very blindly believed in the
loyalty of all his subjects. Therefore, he didn’t see any reasons for reforms. In the late 1890s,
the Russian government tried to industrialize Russia and encourage trade. With the help of
foreign investments, many factories were built and the Trans-Siberian Railway was
constructed. Rapid industrialization brought new problems like poor working conditions and
low wages for workers. The frustration of the working class caused strikes and unrest. The
rule of Nicholas became even less popular after the following events:
 Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War
 Bloody Sunday
 Dissolution of the Duma (after the Bloody Sunday Nicholas had to agree with the
establishment of the Duma, however the very next year he dissolved it because he
wasn’t willing to share his powers with anyone.)
Once the WW1 started, Russia joined the conflict on the side of Allies. However, Russia
proved to be very unreliable ally for its allies. The poorly equipped Russian army suffered
terrible losses. There were two million Russian casualties only in 1915. It was reported that in
1915 numbers of Russian soldiers were sent to the frontline without rifles, they were told to
find weapons among the dead. By the end of the 1916, around five million Russians soldiers
died, were wounded, missing or taken prisoner.
Nicholas’ command was also questioned. In 1915, Nicholas moved his headquarters to the
front, to lead and rally the Russian army. In his absence, the government was led by his wife,
Alexandra. She ignored the tsar’s chief advisors and was rather influenced and guided by the
mysterious and hated Rasputin. The morale of Russian soldiers was getting worse, many of
them were deserting or ignoring orders.
In March 1917 (according to the old Julian calendar it was still February in Russia), violent
strikes and riots over shortages of bread and coal were started by female factory workers in
the capital, Petrograd. The first serious protest took place on March 8, International Women’s
Day. Within a few days, every factory or major business was shut down. These riots and
strikes turned into general uprising. Over 100 000 soldiers from the front were sent to
Petrograd to restore order. However, many soldiers refused to follow the orders to engage the
rioter. On the contrary, they joined the revolutionary crowds calling for change. On March 15,
1917, Nicholas II. abdicated in favour of his brother, who did not accept the crown as he was
aware of the fact that he would not have the authority to restore order.
After Nicholas’ abdication, the Provisional government was created to replace the old Council
of Ministers. Its primary goal was to prepare the country for general elections and reorganize
the Russian political and social system. The first prime minister who headed the government
was Prince Georgy Lvov. The Provisional Government declared general civil rights: equality
before the law, freedom of religion, speech, assembly, the right of unions to organize and
strike. It also promised free elections. It failed to do two things that the whole nation was
expecting: end the war and pass land reform.
The existence of the Provisional Government was promising in many ways but it had to
compete with a rival body known as Petrograd Soviet. It was a council representing the
interests of soldiers and workers. Although the Soviet formally recognized the provisional
government, it issued its own orders. For example, in terms of the army soldiers were allowed
to disobey orders if they were in conflict with the orders of the Petrograd Soviet. The
Petrograd Soviet as the major rival to the official government became an instrument of
revolutionary forces led by Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Ilych Ulyanov – Lenin.
Lenin was dedicated to the cause of revolution. As a law student he looked for a way to
overthrow the imperial and autocratic form of the government in Russia. He became a
supporter of Marxist socialism. Marxism was based on the idea that the industrial class of
workers would overthrow the capitalist government. The industrial class would then create a
new kind of social organization known as the dictatorship of the proletariat. In this kind of
society, the workers would hold all the power and become the ruling class.
Lenin’s main ideas:
 Capitalism could be destroyed only by a violent revolution.
 Socialist revolution was possible even in Russia, where capitalism was not fully
developed. The industrial working class was small but the poor and centuries long
oppressed peasants were potential revolutionaries.
 The revolution needed strong leadership – highly disciplined worker’s party, led by
elite of intellectuals.
Russian Marxists who shared Lenin’s ideas were known as Bolsheviks (majority group). Their
opponents were known as Mensheviks (minority group).
During WWI Lenin was still in exile in Switzerland however Germans agreed to transport
him to Russia because they believed he would bring chaos there and Russian wouldn’t be
focused on the war anymore. When Lenin returned to Petrograd he urged Bolsheviks to start a
revolution. Bolsheviks became the majority in the Petrograd Soviet, and Leon Trotsky –
Lenin’s close friend formed special military units – the Bolshevik Red Guards.
On November 7, the Red Guards took over the Winter Palace, a former royal residence that
had become the headquarter of the Provisional Government. Eventually, the Provisional
Government was replaced the Council of People’s Commissars and Lenin became the head of
the Council. He had a function similar to the prime minister. Bolsheviks eliminated their
opposition and took control over the Russia.
Events that followed:
 Lenin authorized the seizure of land by the peasants.
 On March 3, 1918 Russia and Germany signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
 The capital city was moved to Moscow.
 In December 1917, Lenin formed the Cheka – political police force to deal with the
opponents of the Bolsheviks.
 The hammer and sickle became the new official symbols of the regime. The
Bolsheviks saw themselves as representatives of the workers and peasants.
 The royal family was murdered. It is not clear whether soldiers acted on Lenin’s
command or the local commissar acted on his own.