History russia

• Russia in 1905


  • Difficult to govern Russian Empire covering 1/6th of the world's land surface
  • Population of 125 million
  • Many different nationalities
• Tsar


  • An autocrat who could make laws and govern as he wished
  • No parliament and political parties were banned
  • Took advice from a Committee of Ministers which he chose from the rich nobles
  • No opposition to the Tsar
• • Newspapers and books were censored
  • The Okhrana (secret police) removed all opposition groups
  • Opposition groups were sent to prison camps in Siberia
• Nobles and Middle Class


  • Nobles formed 0.1% of the population but owned over 25% of the land
  • A middle class (bourgeoisie) began to emerge following industrialisation
  • They demanded a say in how the country was run
• Peasants


  • 80% of the population were peasants
  • Primitive farming methods and poor crops meant that food shortages were common
  • Living conditions were terrible – many families lived in a single room
• Industrial Workers


  • Conditions for industrial workers were poor
  • Many houses had no running water or sewage system
  • Workers were employed for long hours and wages were low
  • Trade unions were banned and strikes were illegal
• The autocratic system needed a forceful and charismatic leader, but Nicholas was weak. He was a family man and preferred to spend time with his wife, the Tsarina, and their five children. He knew little about the people he governed.
• Alexis suffered from a blood disorder (haemophilia). He was not expected to reach adulthood.
• Nicholas believed that he had been chosen by God to rule, therefore he thought that no one had the right to challenge him. He rejected all reform.
• Opposition to the Tsar

  • Liberals - Made up of Middle-class people – wanted a parliament (Duma)
  • Social Revolutionaries - Wanted to seize power by revolution. Wanted the land to be taken from the nobility and given to the peasants
  • Social Democrats - Followed the teachings of Karl Marx. Wanted a revolution to bring about a communist government. The Mensheviks wanted a big party so that power was spread amongst many. The Bolsheviks (led by Lenin) believed that power should lay with a core elite
• Causes of the 1905 revolution

  • Peasants - Growing discontent due to living conditions and were now also badly hit by poor harvests
  • Industrial Workers - Growing discontent due to working and living conditions. Industrial slump caused workers to be laid off. This led to strikes and demonstrations
  • Middle Class - Wanted a say in how the country was run (democracy)
  • Russo-Japanese war
  • Bloody Sunday
• Russo-Japanese War


  1. Russia wanted a quick victory in war to raise morale

  2. Both sides fought for control of a place called Manchuria

  3. The Russian army was destroyed

  4. Defeat was humiliating and Russia lost lots of land

  5. The war made conditions worse in Russia. It disrupted food supplies which caused prices to rise
• Bloody Sunday


  1. Father Gapon led a crowd of 200,000 workers through the streets of St Petersburg to the Tsar's Winter Palace

  2. They intended to deliver a petition listing their grievances

  3. The Tsar was not in his palace

  4. The troops panicked and opened fire on the crowd

  5. Close to 1000 people died
• 1905 Revolution


  1. Bloody Sunday led to a wave of protests across Russia. 400,000 workers were on strike by the end of January

  2. In some cities workers elected Soviets (Councils) to take over control

  3. During June and July peasant uprisings became widespread; they seized land and murdered landlords

  4. In October a general strike paralysed the city. On the 26 October the St Petersburg Soviet was formed to co-ordinate the strikes. It soon established itself as the real source of power and was led by Leon Trotsky
• Successes of the 1905 revolution


  • Sergei White convinced the Tsar that the only way to end the crisis was to grant concessions to the Liberals to win back their support
  • On 30 October Nicholas issued the October Manifesto which set up an elected parliament (Duma). This action regained the support of the middle classes
  • The Tsar announced an end to redemption payments. These were unpopular payments that peasants had to pay for the land they had previously received
• Failures of the 1905 revolution


  • By December most of the troops had returned to Russia after the war with Japan and this gave the Tsar the necessary power to win back control
  • The Tsar used force to shut down the St Petersburg Soviet and arrested its leaders
  • An armed uprising by the Moscow Soviet was severely put down by the army, 1000 people were killed
  • Election for the first Duma resulted in a left-wing majority critical of the Tsar's regime. Therefore the Tsar passed the Fundamental Laws which restored his autocratic power
  • After the Fundamental Laws the Duma demanded a greater say in government. Therefore the Tsar sent in troops to dissolve it. The second Duma was also dissolved after the SR's and SD's gained their first seats
  • Before the third Duma the Tsar changed the voting system. The richest 1% of Russians would vote for 2/3's of the representatives. Therefore the Duma became full of conservatives who generally supported the Tsar
• Improvements for Russian workers and peasants by 1914


  • Conditions in the armed forces were improved to prevent mutinies
  • Stolypin introduced a series of agricultural reforms in order to secure the loyalty of the peasants
  • Peasants were allowed to buy land from the 'mir'. This meant that they were able to buy several neighbouring strips of land to create a small farm. This new class of farmers were called 'Kulaks'
  • Between 1906 and 1914 Russia experienced an industrial boom but little was done to improve the living and working conditions. Between 1910 and 1914 the number of strikes rose to 8000
  • Measures were introduced to improve education
• Reasons why WWI was unpopular in Russia


  • Military defeats: In 1914 there were two military defeats at the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes. Over 250,000 troops were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. In 1915 the Germans advanced 300 miles into Russia. 1 million died in a failed counterattack
  • Poor Preparation: The Russian troops were badly led and had insufficient weapons. Nearly a million soldiers were without rifles, and many had no boots
  • Conditions in Russia: Fifteen million men were drafted into the army which meant that there were not enough left to run the factories or farm the land. 600 factories had to close
  • Transport system: There were not enough trains to keep the towns and army supplied with food. Food supplies dried up and so prices rose, but wages did not
  • Inflation: To pay for the war the government printed more money which caused the rouble to lose its value. Between 1914 and 1917 there was a 400% rise in inflation. This caused strikes and demonstrations
• In August 1915 the Tsar took personal charge of the army. This was a mistake because he was a weak and incompetent commander. He now made himself personally responsible for Russia's military failures.
• In the absence of the Tsar the Tsarina (Alexandra) was left in charge of the government. Her German nationality caused people to mistrust her.
• Influence of Rasputin


  • The Tsarina heavily relied upon Rasputin particularly in the selection of ministers
  • There were rumours that the pair were German agents seeking to undermine the war effort
  • The Tsar and Tsarina (following Rasputin's control of their son's haemophilia) refused to listen to the stories of his wild lifestyle
  • This weakened the reputation of the Tsar and Tsarina and shocked the nobles
  • In December 1916 a small group, led by Prince Yusupov, assassinated Rasputin
• Short term causes of the February Revolution


  • By February 1917 Russia was in chaos
  • Food and fuel shortages, together with temperatures of 35 degrees below freezing, led to growing discontent
  • Strikes became common as workers demanded higher wages and better conditions
• Events of the February 1917 Revolution


  1. 23rd February – International Women's Day – Group of women marched through the streets of Petrograd to protest about the queues for food

  2. They were joined by 90,000 strikers and protestors

  3. 26 February – 250,000 workers went on strike

  4. The Tsar ordered the army to clear the protestors from the streets

  5. 27 February – The army refused and mutinied. Instead the army joined the protestors and demanded that the Duma take control of the government

  6. 12 members of the Duma met to take control of the government. They called themselves the Provisional Government. They intended to rule until elections could take place for a new Duma

  7. At the same time representatives of the workers and soldiers met and re-formed the Petrograd Soviet

  8. The Tsar tried to return to Petrograd, but soldiers stopped the train he was travelling on

  9. The Tsar realised that he had no supporters and signed a decree of abdication

  10. The throne passed to his brother Grand Duke Michael, but he abdicated 24 hours later
• Problems of the Provisional Government

  • The economy was in crisis
  • Inflation, a goods shortage and food famine, the breakdown in transport and huge mounting public debt meant a loan had to be negotiated from the Russia's Western allies. This would only be given if Russia stayed in the war
  • The Provisional Government did not represent the people
  • It wanted success in the war. Most of the country wanted peace. Members were Liberals with some Social Revolutionaries. They were unrepresentative of the country but they promised elections
  • Dual power with the Petrograd Soviet
  • This could only continue if the Provisional Government kept to its agreement. This weakened its control over the army, police and political control in Petrograd. The city became a mix of conflicting political groups
  • They proclaimed free speech, freedom of the press and an amnesty for political prisoners
  • They delayed redistribution of land until after a national election for a Constituent Assembly. They postponed the election, hoping to win the war and increase their political standing
  • The Liberals were forced out of the government when the Milyukov Note was leaked. This committed Russia to an offensive war
  • They were replaced by Socialist Revolutionaries led by Oleg Kerensky, who became Prime Minister
  • They could not prevent the return to Petrograd of Vladimir Ilych Lenin. He proclaimed total opposition to them in his April Theses. 'Bread, Peace and Land' was a powerful programme which started to gain support. They could find no evidence that he was a German spy and did not imprison him
  • An offensive against Germany in June 1917 was a fiasco. It led to a retreat. Communist agitation and army desertions were already common
  • In the 'June Days' they put down Bolshevik anti-war demonstrations in Petrograd with force. This ruined their reputation as upholders of liberty
  • They did not provide any leadership after June. The army began to fall apart. Support for the Bolsheviks grew
  • The Commander in Chief of the army, General Kornilov, tried to take troops to Petrograd to take control in late August. The railway workers resisted his coup. This resulted in the arming of the largely Bolshevik Red Guards. They became the patriotic defenders of the revolution
• Lenin 1917-24


  • In early April 1917 Lenin predicted the failure of the Provisional Government
  • He disentangled the Bolsheviks from their associations with the Provisional Government
  • He provided them with a programme: 'Bread, Peace and Land'
  • He provided them with a strategy
  • Before Lenin was forced back into hiding and exile in June, support for Bolshevism was already growing among the population at large, in the army and in the navy, stationed at nearby Kronstadt. Subjecting the army and the population to propaganda to create a second, proletarian revolution
  • Lenin remained the acknowledged leader of the Bolsheviks, though he was 'on the run' and rarely in Petrograd
  • He finally decided on the necessity of revolution in October, overcoming the opposition from Kamenev and Zinoviev
• In communist terms, the proletariat is the industrial working class. It does not include the free peasantry or the bourgeoisie (the middle class).
• • Bolshevik theory – October Revolution had marked victory of proletariat over bourgeoisie
  • Change to proletarian from bourgeoisie economy could not happen over night
  • Would need 'state capitalism' period – retaining main economic structure of tsars
  • World War I had brought near collapse of backward Russian economy
  • Industrial production fallen
  • Inflation high, transport crippled, famine and riots
• Lenin and the Bolsheviks did not gain real power immediately after the revolution. The new government was a coalition between the Bolsheviks and the Left Social Revolutionaries.
• Proletariat


  The industrial working class. Does not include the free peasantry or the bourgeoisie (the middle class).
• Declarations on taking power

  1. Decree on Peace

  2. Decree on Land

  3. Decree on Workers' Council
• Decree on Peace

  Called for a just peace with Germany without losing power or land, or paying reparations
• Decree on Land

  Nationalised all land but allowed it to be redistributed to the peasants
• Decree on Workers' Council

  Accepted takeover of factories by workers, but instructed maintenance of strict order and discipline in work
• Vesenkha

  • Government organisation formed to take charge of existing institutions for regulation of economic life
  • Introduced nationalisation of banks and railways
  • Declared foreign debts would not be honoured – nationalised foreign companies and froze foreign assets in Russia
  • Brought transport system under order
• Cheka


  • Established in December 1917 by Lenin, under Felix Dzerzhinsky. A forerunner of the KGB with rights to investigate, try and execute enemies of the state outside normal courts
  • Used to terrorise and remove opponents, marking the beginning of the Bolshevik move towards violence
  • A more organised and efficient form of tsarist Okhrana – secret police
  • Purpose to destroy counter revolution and sabotage
• Dissolution of Constituent Assembly November 1917


  1. Deputies were threatened with violence. Bolshevik deputies jeered and disrupted their speeches.

  2. When the Socialist Revolutionary majority refused to adopt the entire Bolshevik programme, Lenin walked out with the rest of the Bolshevik deputies.

  3. The assembly hall was shut and guarded. The deputies decided they would be safer at home in the provinces.
• Dissolution of Constituent Assembly


  • Forced to accept democratic elections as already agreed before power seized
  • Lenin determined not to allow elections to undermine Bolsheviks power
  • Results showed Bolsheviks lacking in major support
  • Social Revolutionaries own twice as many seats and votes with 370 seats to Bolsheviks 175
  • Lenin had no need for an assembly as his party was in power
  • After one day's session assembly dissolved at gunpoint of Red Guard
  • Lenin justified by arguing reason for assembly was no longer relevant as representational government of Soviets had already been achieved in October revolution
  • Later outlawed all other political parties to maintain power
  • The dispersal of the Constituent Assembly was a major reason for civil war
• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk March 1918


  1. The Russian army was demobilised

  2. Finland, Estonia, Latvia and the Ukraine became independent (the Ukraine under German domination)

  3. This angered many patriotic Russians and increased the anti-Soviet forces gathering throughout Russia

  4. Russia's military strength had vanished and could not effectively continue World War I

  5. Had nothing to lose by removing Russia from war

  6. If Germany won Russia would retain territory already held

  7. If Germany lost would regain its occupied lands

  8. German foreign office had funded Lenin and Bolsheviks from 1914-17 in hope of seizing power and removing Russia from war

  9. Agreed to German Diktat as Trotsky declared it

  10. Lost land including Ukraine – highest grain producer in Russian Empire

  11. Lenin believed that a great international political victory of communism was imminent, and treaty would be pointless very soon
• Russian Civil War 1918-20


  1. Bolsheviks had only limited amount of control over Russia in early stages

  2. Controlled major industrial areas of Moscow and Petrograd, but little else

  3. Believed Lenin wanted civil war as quick way of defeating all opposition in one movement

  4. Better to have short brutal struggle than face years of harassing and challenges to rule

  5. Lenin believed his army would be victorious in war

  6. But would have been unable to dominate government as lacking wide support
• Sides in the Russian Civil War


  • Reds - Bolsheviks and supporters
  • Whites - Monarchists seeking Tsar return, outlawed parties and all suppressed by Bolsheviks
  • Greens - mainly national minorities looking for independence from central Russian control