aqa alevel history russia 1917-1953

• reasons for political discontent in russia:

  • tsar made himself commander in chief of army despite him lacking any experience
  • he left the tsarina alexandra in charge and this was a problem because:
  • tsarina born in germany - hostilities began to develop as russia was at war with germany
  • she was heavily under the influence of rasputin , a peasant and this apalled the aristocracy
• august 1915 - progressive block formed

  • made up of duma deputies who demanded that responsibility for war should be handed over to civilian government
  • however nicholas refused - increasing liberal discontent even further
• 1915 - union of zemstva set up

  • saw government failures as a call to action
  • set up to provide medical facilities
  • nicholas refused to let this organisation take place in his governments management of war
• reasons for food shortages:

  • millions of men conscripted into army so labour shortages in farms and factories so less food supplies
  • peasants hoarded grain rather than selling it as they werent getting their moneys worth
  • food supplies prioritised for army , so towns/cities undersupplied
• reasons for soaring cost of living:

  to pay for war government raised taxes

  shortages of food raised prices higher as there was a greater demand leading to inflation

  unemployment increased as non military factories closed down
• february revolution 1917:

  • 14 th feb - gov anounced that bread was to be rationed on 1st march - this led to panic buying and more strikes
  • 23rd feb - international womens day - workers joined march
  • 25th feb - 200,000 people protested on streets of petrograd - troops who were told to supress rebellion ignored orders and began handing out rifles
• 2nd march 1917 tsar nicholas abdicates throne bringing 300 year old romanov dynasty to an end
• following the tsars abdication political authority passed to 2 bodies:

  • provisional government
  • petrograd soviet
  • they had dual authority - authority shared between 2 powers
• provisional government:

  made up of old duma deputies

  was a temporary government
• petrograd soviet:

  • made up of workers and soldiers
  • aim- to defend rights of workers
  • elections took place regularly to ensure worker democracy
  • seen as more powerful than pg - had control of garrisons , railways and factories - held more material power
• alexander kerensky member of provisional government and petrograd soviet
• order number 1 stated that workers and soldiers should obey provisional government , but only if they agreed with the provisional governments decsions
• workings of dual authority:

  • Pg wanted to win war but soviets wanted to end russias involvement in war
  • pg wanted improve discipline in army but soviets encouraged workers to assert their rights
• revolutionary defensism:

  • policy of continuing ww1 to defend revolution
  • however by doing this they would experience the same prolems the tsar faced :
  • workers wanting higher pay , ;e
• lenin:

  • returned to petrograd on 3rd april 1917
  • he compiled his april thesis with mottto of:
  • peace land and bread - peace = ending war , land = for peasants , bread = workers
  • " all power to the soviets"
  • no support for pg
• october revolution

  • took place on 25th october
  • was when lenin and trotsky overthrew provisional government and bolsheviks seized power
• june offensive and its consequences:

  • 16th june - pg launched an attack on austro hungarian army - however were poorly equipped - so failed - this led to mass desertions and breakdown of army discipline
  • 3rd july - workers soldiers and sailors from kronstadt naval base marched on city centre saying all power to the soviets
  • the pg ended the demonstrations using troops and arrested bolshevik leaders - saying that they were part of a german plot
  • lenin went into hiding
• kornilov affair:

  • order needed to be restored in russia following the june offensive - so general kornilov appointed to take back control and salvage order and peace
  • kornilov wanted to put petrograd under military rule however trotsky refused and dismissed him
  • kornilov then sent troops to march on petrograd
  • kerensky had to release ex bolshevis from prison and use them for help against kornilov - here kerensky demonstrated weakeness and loss support of his generals by calling on support from bolsheviks