Transcript Russian Revolution Part I

The Russian
Revolution
1917 - 1924
textbook
Nicolas Tate
A History of the
Modern World,
Federal Publications
(S) Pte Ltd, 1995.
MAPWORK
• Find the following countries on the map
• Britain, France, Norway, Italy, Belgium,
Russia, Poland, Finland, Estonia,
Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany,
Austria, Czechoslovakia, Sweden,
Portugal, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, ,
Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Albania
MAPWORK
• Find the following cities
• London, Paris, Warsaw, Moscow,St
Petersburg, Petrograd, Vladivostok,
Munich, Berlin
Don’t be “LOST” and ‘BLUR” when we study
• The Tsar & the Russian Empire
• Reasons for the 2 revolutions in Russia in
1917
• Who were the Bolsheviks
• What communism means
• The Reds and Whites 1918-1921
(not the Japanese Red and White Show, you #$#@!)
• How Lenin tried to change the Russian economy
The Russian Empire under Tsar Nicholas
• Look at the extent of the Russian
Empire in 1914 (p 42)
• It stretches from Europe in the west to
the Pacific Ocean in the east
• The Russian Empire was ruled by the
Tsar or the emperor
• In 1914, it was Nicolas II
The Russian Empire under Tsar Nicholas
• Nicolas II was very powerful
• Made decisions on his own
• 1905 – protests and
demonstrations
• Nicholas was forced to set up a
parliament (Duma)
• However, it had little influence
on the govt ruled by the Tsar
The Russian Society
• The Aristocracy
– The rich minority
– Most powerful
• The Middle class
– Merchants, bankers, doctors, lawyers
– Not many around; little influence in govt matters
• The Peasants
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Majority of the people
Peasants more than town workers
Mostly engaged in farming
Resent their poverty; resent the rich
• The Town workers
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Lived and worked in cities
More involved in demonstrations
Poor working conditions
Govt did not help much
Opposition to tsarist rule
• Opposition for many different
reasons
• “Bloody Sunday”
• A peaceful demonstration in the
capital St Petersburg was fired
upon by troops
• Led to further protests
• Eventually Tsar Nicholas
agreed to call a ‘Duma’ or
parliament
On 22 Jan 1905, there was a march of industrial workers on St. Petersburg,
the intellectual center of Russia and the Tsar’s capital. Father Gapon,
carrying a crucifix, led the workers with their wives and children (including
infants) to the city centre. Guards, instructed that the people should not
reach the palace, ordered the crowds to leave. When the people refused, the
guards began shooting at them, first with blanks then with ball cartridges,
killing women and children along with men. Shocked, the workers turned
and fled for their lives. Several hundreds were killed.
Street Fighting in St Petersburg 1905
THE DUMA
The Duma had little power
OPPONENTS OF THE TSAR
1. Social Revolutionaries
2. Social Democrats or Marxists
3. Liberals
OPPONENTS OF THE TSAR
1. Social Revolutionaries
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Social because they wanted to change society
Revolutionaries because they were willing to take part
in a revolution
The SR were prepared to use violence to bring about a
revolution
Wanted to seize land owned by the aristocracy and turn
them over the peasants
Naturally most of their support came from the peasants
Many officials were assassinated – part of the SR
campaign
OPPONENTS OF THE TSAR
2. Social Democrats or Marxists
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Also want complete change to society
Also prepared to use violence
However, their support comes mainly from the
town workers rather than the peasants
Marxists follow the teachings of a 19th century
German thinker called KARL MARX
OPPONENTS OF THE TSAR
KARL MARX
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Marx believed that violent revolutions
would take place in all countries
All power transferred to the ordinary
people
No private property
Everything belongs to the state and
the state would use it on behalf of the
people
Marx’s ideas were known as
“socialism” or “communism”
His followers were thus known as
socialists or communists
See Page 60
OPPONENTS OF THE TSAR
2. Social Democrats or Marxists
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The Marxists were a small party in Russia
Also divided among themselves
1903 : Split up into 2 groups – the Bolsheviks (the
majority) and the Mensheviks (the minority)
Bolsheviks were led by Lenin
Main difference : Bolsheviks were impatient for
revolution to occur
LENIN
OPPONENTS OF THE TSAR
3. Liberals
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These opponents of the Tsar believed in peaceful
means of opposition
Wanted the Tsar to share power with some of the
people
Demanded for a parliament with real power and
rule only with its consent
WORLD WAR I
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Outbreak of WWI against Germany in 1914 changed
the situation
1915 : Nicholas II decided to go to the front and lead
the army himself
WORLD WAR I
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Poor leader, made bad decisions
His wife ran the country; made bad decisions and
chose bad advisers (Rasputin)
Events led to the Feb 1917 Revolution
First, let’s see the impact of WWI on Russia
WORLD WAR I
Impact of WWI
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Inflation
Fewer factory workers (?)
Military Defeat
Massive food shortages
The Tsar
The Tsarina
Inefficient railway system
WORLD WAR I
Impact of WWI
1. Inflation
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Prices skyrocketed
Between 1914 to 1916, average wages doubles
But basic food (potatoes, bread) cost 3 to 5 times as
much
2. Fewer factory workers (?)
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Workers needed to join the army
But factories needed more workers to produce war goods
More peasants left the countryside for the towns
Is it a net gain or net loss of factory workers?
Impact of WWI
3. Military Defeat
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Russia suffered many defeats
Lost a lot of land
1 million killed, more than 4 million wounded, 3
million POWs
Rasputin : The Tsar and especially his wife came
under the influence of a monk called Rasputin
RASPUTIN
WORLD WAR I
Impact of WWI
4. Massive food shortages
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Worsened as the war dragged on
Peasants already unable to produce enough food during
peacetime, let alone when workers and horses were
taken for the army
Inefficient food collection and distribution
Result : People starved while undistributed food rotted
WORLD WAR I
Impact of WWI
5. The Tsar
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The Tsar decided to go to the front and lead the army
himself
He made a poor leader and was not an inspiration to his
troops at all
He was also blamed for the military defeats suffered at
the hands of the Germans
WORLD WAR I
Impact of WWI
6. The Tsarina
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Inexperienced and incompetent
Personally unpopular because she was a German
Listened to the bad advice of Rasputin
WORLD WAR I
Impact of WWI
7. Inefficient railway system
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Failed to cope with the additional demands of war
What do you think were the effects of an inefficient railway in
the country embroiled in war?
The First Revolution Feb 1917
• The first revolution of 1917 was unplanned;
spontaneous
• People protested in Petrograd (Nicholas renamed St
Petersburg as Petrograd)
• Soldiers ignored orders to disperse the protests and
joined them instead
• Generals could not help the Tsar as they lost control
of the troops
• Nicholas II abdicated in favour of his brother, Grand
Duke Michael who refused to become Tsar
The First Revolution Feb 1917
Tsar Nicholas
SUMMARY
See page 47
Let’s go on a short tour of St Petersburg today
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• Information and image sources
– Moreira J., World in Transition – Perspectives on
Modern World History, Singapore : SNP Education Pte
Ltd, 2000.
– Kelly N. and Shuter J., As It Was Lived – A History of the
Modern World, Singapore : Pearson Education Asia Pte
Ltd, 2000.
– Lim S H, Tham Y P, Wang Z and Yeo L, Inroads – Modern
World History, Singapore : Oxford University Press, 2000.
– Tate N., A History of the Modern World, Singapore :
Federal Publications, 1995.