Russian Revolution 2
The abdication of Emperor Nicholas II in March 1917, in conjunction with the establishment of a provisional government based on Western principles of constitutional liberalism, and the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks in November, are the political focal points of the Russian Revolutions of 1917. The events of that momentous year must also be viewed more broadly, however: as an explosion of social tensions associated with rapid industrialization; as a crisis of political modernization, in terms of the strains placed on traditional institutions by the demands of Westernization and of World War I; and as a social upheaval in the broadest sense, involving a massive, spontaneous expropriation of gentry land by angry peasants, the destruction of traditional social patterns and values, and the struggle for a new, egalitarian society. Looking at the revolutionary process broadly, one must also include the Bolsheviks' fight to keep the world's first "proletarian dictatorship" in power after November, first against the Germans, and then in the civil war against dissident socialists, anti-Bolshevik "White Guards," foreign intervention, and anarchist peasant bands. Finally, one must see the psychological aspec
In 1914, Russia was again at war. Land reform was suspended, and new political restrictions were imposed. Disastrous military defeats sapped public morale, and ineffective organization on the home front made the government's incompetence obvious to all. The emperor, assuming command of the army in 1915, became identified with its weakness. The sinister influence of Empress ALEXANDRA's favorite, Grigory RASPUTIN, increased. By the winter of 1916-17, disaffection again rent all sectors of society, including liberals, peasants, and industrial workers. When food shortages provoked street demonstrations in Petrograd on March 8 (N.S.; Feb. 23, O.S.), 1917, and garrison soldiers refused to suppress them, Duma leaders demanded that Nicholas transfer power to a parliamentary government. With the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, a special Duma committee on March 15 (N.S.; March 2, O.S.) established a provisional government headed by Prince Georgi Lvov, a liberal. On the same day, the emperor abdicated. He attempted to give the crown to his brother Michael, but Michael refused to accept it. The 300-year-old Romanov dynasty came to an end. ts of revolutionary change: elation and hope, fear and discouragement, and ultimately the prolonged agony of bloodshed and privation, both from war and repression, and the "bony hand of Tsar Hunger," who strangled tens of thousands and, in the end, brought the revolutionary period to a close after the civil war by forcing the Bolsheviks to abandon the radical measures of War Communism in favor of a New Economic Policy (NEP). For most Russians of privilege--members of the bourgeoisie, the gentry, and many professionals--the March Revolution meant clearing the decks for victory over Germany and for the establishment of Russia as a leading European liberal democracy. They regarded the provisional government as the sole legitimate authority. For most workers and peasants, however, revolution meant an end to an imperialist war, major economic reforms, and the development of an egalitarian social order. They looked to the Petrograd Soviet and other soviets springing up around the country to represent their interests, and they supported the government only insofar as it met their needs. The new provisional government was almost universally welcomed. Civil liberties were proclaimed, new wage agreements and an 8-hour day were negotiated in Petrograd, discipline was relaxed in the army, and elections were promised for a Constituent Assembly that would organize a permanent democratic order. The existence of two seats of power, however--the provisional government and the Petrograd Soviet--not only represented a potential political rivalry but alsoreflected the different aspirations of different sectors of Russian society. Sensing that the time was ripe, Lenin and the Bolsheviks rapidly mobilized for power. From the moment he returned from exile on Apr. 16 (N.S.; Apr. 3, O.S.), 1917, Lenin, pressing for a Bolshevik-led seizure of power by the soviets, categorically disassociated his party from both the government and the "accommodationist" socialists. "Liberals support the war and the interests of the bourgeoisie!" he insisted, adding that "socialist lackeys" aided the liberals by agreeing to postpone reforms and continue fighting. With appealing slogans such as "Peace, Land, and Bread!" the Bolsheviks identifie
Some common words found in the essay are:
World War, March Revolution, Bread Bolsheviks, Petrograd Russia, Allies Cheka, Communism Lenin, Lavr KORNILOV, Constituent Assembly, NS Apr, Revolutionaries Lenin, provisional government, civil war, constituent assembly, revolutions 1917, workers peasants, socialist revolutionaries, petrograd soviet, social political, russian revolutions 1917, world war, redemption payments, workers' soldiers' deputies,
Approximate Word count = 2281
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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