Causes of Russian Revolution
Tsar Nicholas II began his reign after the death of his father Alexander III in 1894. He reigned until 1917, when he abdicated after a provisional government was formed. It was obvious from the beginning of his reign that the Russians were on the brink of revolution, and that the Russian throne was in danger. But the things that put the people over the edge were Bloody Sunday, opposition to the duma, Rasputin, and hardships caused by World War I. By 1903 Russia had established a sphere of influence in Chinese Manchuria and was casting greedy eyes on northern Korea. Diplomatic protests of Japan were ignored, and the Japanese launched an attack. They scored many defeats against the Russians. In 1905 Russia was forced to accept defeat. At home, the people wanted political reform. Led by Father Gapon, a massive crowd of unarmed workers and their families converged peacefully on the Winter Palace on a Sunday in January of 1905. They were fired upon by troops. The "Bloody Sunday" massacre turned people against the tsar. In the summer of 1905 strikes, uprisings and revolts were sweeping the country. The tsar issued the October Manifesto, granting full civil rights and promised a popularly elected duma with real legislativ
The Provisional government rejected social revolution. The reorganized government formed in May 1917, headed by Alexander Kerensky refused to issue land reform. All efforts of the government went into the war. Human suffering and war-weariness grew, sapping the limited strength of the provisional government. The people demanded that the Russians pull out of World War I. The army was breaking apart - millions of men walked away from the front lines. Food shortages continually worsened. Finally the people had enough. They were not going to stand for these hardships anymore. The Bolshevik revolution began. Food shortages in the cities worsened and morale declined. On March 8, 1917, women calling for bread in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) started riots, which spread all over the city. From the front lines, the tsar ordered armies to be sent back to put down the riots. But discipline broke down and the soldiers joined the riots. The Duma responded by declaring a provisional government on March 12, 1917. Three days later, Nicholas abdicated in favor of his brother. Being no fool, he renounced his claim immediately. e power. On the eve of the opening of the first Duma, the government is
Some common words found in the essay are:
Progressive Bloc, World War, St Petersburg, October Manifesto, Alexander III, Alexander Kerensky, Korea Diplomatic, Palace January, War Russia, Father Gapon, provisional government, front lines, world war, tsar nicholas, food shortages, government formed,
Approximate Word count = 810
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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