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What is the Russian Revolution?

The Russian Revolution plays a vital role in World history and had a huge impact not only on Russia but also in other regions as well. It led to the formation of the Soviet Union later which was the first socialist state of the world. Here, we will be covering the Russian Revolution in detail and it's related to all the concepts and events as well which will help you to understand this major event in world history. 

In this, we will cover the series of major events that led to this revolution, its causes, and the effects of this revolution, etc. We hope these notes will help you in your studies and will increase your knowledge about historical events as well.

Meaning of Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution took place in the year 1917 when raging workers and peasants raised their voices against the autocratic rule of Czars which ended with the formation of the new government headed by Vladimir Lenin. 

Series of Events

The various series of events that actually lead to the occurrence of this revolution are discussed below:

The Revolution of 1905

The industrial revolution came to Russia with a lot of changes such as social and political. The population was increasing in urban cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow. Such an increase in the population was becoming a problem for the country due to the limited food supply, economic crisis, mismanagement and damages caused by the wars. 

Due to the shortage of food supply, the people marched towards the Winter Palace of Nicholas II on Jan 22, 1905 as they wanted to deliver a petition to him. This petition included reforms like - providing better working conditions to all along with an eight-hour workday. But as soon as the crowd entered the palace, the troops started firing at them. This event is known as the Bloody Sunday Massacre. This massacre fueled the Russian revolution of 1905 to a great extent. 

The workers went on a number of strikes which were further deteriorating the Russian Economy. Nicolas agreed to bring reforms which were known as October Manifesto but later he dissolved the Russian Parliament. Nothing specific or significant was brought out of this revolution of 1905 but it sparked anger inside the people.

Effects of World War I

Russia did not have a modernised army at that time, and World War I was disastrous for Russia.

Germany seized the important regions of Russia which led to an increase in food shortage and economic problems.

Tsar Nicholas II himself took part in the war and left his wife to take care of the government. But the Russian population were against her for being of German heritage.

A lot of Russian people lost faith in the government which was seen as a revolution in the coming years.

The Revolution of 1917

The Revolution of 1917 can be divided into the following parts and events:

February Revolution

This revolution started on March 8, 1917. Russia used the Julian calendar at that time, according to which, the date of the revolution was February 23.

The raging protestors came to the streets of St. Petersburg due to severe food shortages and were joined by Industrial workers as well. They were clashing with the police and they failed to stop the uprising crowd even after the firing on March 11. A new provisional government was formed by the Parliament of Russia on March 12 and Nicholas II abdicated the throne. This new government was formed under Alexander Kerensky and he established the Statute of rights. But he continued the war, though the opposition was against it,  which eventually worsened the economic conditions of Russia and led to more scarcity of food supply. Food riots were being seen in the cities.

However, the February Revolution was a mass movement. It did not necessarily reflect the aspirations of the majority of Russians because it was confined to the metropolis of Petrograd. However, the majority of those who rose to power after the February Revolution, both in the Provisional Government (the temporary government that replaced the tsar) and the Petrograd Soviet (a powerful local council representing workers and soldiers in Petrograd), favoured a democratic form of government.

October Revolution

It occurred on November 6 or 7 of 1917. As per the Julian Calendar, it occurred on October 24 and 25, that's why it is known as the October Revolution.

The communist revolutionaries led a coup against the government of Kerensky which was led by Vladimir Lenin. The new government was established under Lenin which was formed of a council consisting of soldiers, workers, and peasants. In this way, the World's first communist state was established with Lenin as the head of Russia as a whole. It was basically the communist revolution in Russia. But the problems of Russia did not end there. It had to face the Civil War and the Cold War in the coming years.

After October, the Bolsheviks understood that they couldn't keep power in an election-based system without surrendering their beliefs and sharing power with other parties. As a result, in January 1918, they openly abandoned the democratic process and declared themselves representatives of a Proletariat Dictatorship. In response, in the summer of that year, the Russian Civil War erupted, lasting long into 1920.

Causes of the Russian Revolution

The situation in Russia at that time was the major cause of the Russian revolution . There were several reasons for these unbalanced situations which are mentioned below which help you to understand what caused the Russian revolution:

The shortage of food supply, the effects of the Blood Sunday Massacre, and World War I on Russia were some of the major reasons for this revolution.

Autocracy was one of the major reasons that led to this revolution. Czar Alexander II became famous in Russia when some reforms were brought by him. But the successors after him became very autocratic such as Czar Alexander III and Czar Nicholas II. During their ruling period, various political parties lost their powers such as Meer, Jemstvo, and Duma. There was already unrest in the society and their policies and these actions fueled the existing issues. Thus, the autocratic rule of the Czars became one of the major reasons.

Czar Alexander III and his son Czar Nicholas II followed the policy of Russification of all the systems. Nicholas II declared " One Czar, One Church, and One Russia ". Only the catholic religion and the Russian language were introduced as per this policy. Even the Russian language was introduced in non-Russian regions as well such as Poland, Lithuania, Finland, and others. This policy created big unrest in Russia.

The society of Russia was very unbalanced at that time. It consisted of two classes namely the rich and the poor. The rich included all the nobles, feudal lords, and wealthy people whereas the poor class consisted of labourers, peasants, serfs, etc. People from every stratum of Russian society were quite antagonised by the situation. For example, the feudal lords lost their lands, political parties lost their powers, and labourers were pissed off because of low salaries, etc. 

A suitable environment for the revolution was created by the rise and activities of Nihilism which influenced the Russian Revolution in 1917. Their main aim was only to destroy the rule of Czars. Their preachers came to destroy the existing system of Czars, the social and religious faith, and the creation of a new world. Their organisations were doing activities to influence the people against the Czars and their system.

The Industrial Revolution also influenced Russian Revolution. Various Russian workers were involved in the construction of the railways of Trans-Siberia and Trans-Caspain and the construction of these railways led to the development of various factories and Industries in Russia. The rise of consciousness among the labourers led to the dream of getting the country free from the autocratic rule of the Czars.

Consequences of Russian Revolution

The various consequences of the Russian Revolution are mentioned below:

The formation of the new government of the Bolshevik Party under Lenin, which was later known as the communist party.

The formation of the secret police which was known as Cheka by the Bolsheviks after the revolution helped Lenin to establish his powers in Russia.

Distribution of the farmland to the farmers and factories to the workers.

Nationalisation of the banks and formation of the council at a national level to run the economy.

Russia pulled itself out of World War I with the treaty of Brest - Litovsk.

The end of the rule of Czars with the execution of Nicholas II, his wife, and children.

Cruel methods were adopted by Lenin for both criminals and political prisoners.

A decrease in industrial production was seen and as a result, the majority of the skilled workers fled the country. 

The civil war from 1918 to 1920.

Did You Know?

The October Revolution is also known as the Bolshevik Revolution.

The names of main leaders of the Bolshevik Party were Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Joseph Stalin got power after consolidation and forcibly throwing out Leon Trotsky after the death of Lenin in 1924.

Additional Information

The Cheka which was also known as Vecheka was a security agency or sometimes called a secret police agency of the Bolsheviks which was formed after the October Revolution in 1917. It worked as a shield and sword for the new system and government and to fight against the other revolutionaries. It used to operate on its own and outside the law. It was the short name of the actual Russian name i.e Chrezvychainaia Komissiia means the Extraordinary commission and its first leader was Felix Dzerzhinsky. 

Thus, here we have covered the Russian Revolution and its related concepts in detail. The Russian Revolution took place in the year 1917. We have learned about the series of events that led to the occurrence of this revolution, such as what caused the Russian Revolution, what were its consequences, what was Cheka in Russia after the revolution, etc. 

These notes will be helpful for you to understand one of the major events of history, which substantially impacted world history during that time. It will also provide you with a brief idea of the international scenario with regard to world economics and politics during World War I, the Russian Civil War, the Cold War, and more.

FAQs on The Russian Revolution

1. What Were the Causes of the Russian Revolution?

There were many reasons for the occurrence of the Russian revolution. The poor economy and food shortages were some of the major causes as well as the autocratic rule of the Czars. The policies and actions of the Czars affected society. The participation of Russia in World War I further deteriorated its conditions and shortage of food. Society was highly unbalanced at that time and the event of bloody Sunday sparked the unrest. Society was not happy and the economy of the country was deteriorating day by day.

2. Write a Short Note on the Russian Revolution

The Russian revolution occurred on November 6 or 7of 1917. As per the Julian Calendar, it occurred on October 24 and 25, that's why it is known as the October Revolution. The communist revolutionaries led a coup against the government of Kerensky which was led by Vladimir Lenin. The new government was established under Lenin which was formed of a council consisting of soldiers, workers, and peasants. Distribution of the farmland to the farmers and factories to the workers was being done. Nationalization of the banks and formation of the council at a national level to run the economy was also being done by the new government with a lot of other reforms but the problems did not end there and Russia had to face more troubles later.

3. What factors contributed to the Tsarist regime's demise in 1917?

Most labour unions and industry committees were ruled illegal after 1905. Political action was governed by a set of rules. Because he did not want his authority and abilities to be questioned, the Tsar immediately dismissed the first two Dumas. Conservative lawmakers dominated the third Duma. The monarch began making unilateral decisions without consulting the Duma during World War I. 

On the instructions of the Tsar, enormous swaths of agricultural areas were burned and structures destroyed when Russian forces were fleeing from the battle. The fight has also claimed the lives of millions of soldiers. The vast bulk of the population were peasants, and the land was controlled by a few wealthy individuals. All of these causes contributed to the development of the revolution and the fall of the Tsarist monarchy.

4. What were the most significant reforms made by the Bolsheviks following the October Revolution?

By November 1917, industries and banks had been nationalized, and the government had taken over ownership and administration.

The nobility's land was proclaimed communal property, and peasants were empowered to seize it.

Bolsheviks compelled the split of huge mansions according to family needs in the cities.

The use of aristocratic titles was outlawed.

The troops and authorities were given new uniforms.

The Russian Communist Party was renamed after the Bolshevik Party (Bolshevik)

The Bolsheviks held elections for the constituent assembly, but they did not win a majority, and the legislature rejected the Bolshevik plans, prompting Lenin to disband the parliament.

The Russian Congress of Soviets became the country's Parliament. Russia has devolved into a one-party state.

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Russian Revolution

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 27, 2024 | Original: March 12, 2024

Russian Revolution of 1917: Lenin speaking to the workers of the Putilov factory, in Petrograd, 1917.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was one of the most explosive political events of the 20th century. The violent revolution marked the end of the Romanov dynasty and centuries of Russian Imperial rule. Economic hardship, food shortages and government corruption all contributed to disillusionment with Czar Nicholas II. During the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks, led by leftist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, seized power and destroyed the tradition of czarist rule. The Bolsheviks would later become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

When Was the Russian Revolution?

In 1917, two revolutions swept through Russia, ending centuries of imperial rule and setting into motion political and social changes that would lead to the eventual formation of the Soviet Union .

However, while the two revolutionary events took place within a few short months of 1917, social unrest in Russia had been brewing for many years prior to the events of that year.

In the early 1900s, Russia was one of the most impoverished countries in Europe with an enormous peasantry and a growing minority of poor industrial workers. Much of Western Europe viewed Russia as an undeveloped, backwards society.

The Russian Empire practiced serfdom—a form of feudalism in which landless peasants were forced to serve the land-owning nobility—well into the nineteenth century. In contrast, the practice had disappeared in most of Western Europe by the end of the Middle Ages .

In 1861, the Russian Empire finally abolished serfdom. The emancipation of serfs would influence the events leading up to the Russian Revolution by giving peasants more freedom to organize.

What Caused the Russian Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution gained a foothold in Russia much later than in Western Europe and the United States. When it finally did, around the turn of the 20th century, it brought with it immense social and political changes.

Between 1890 and 1910, for example, the population of major Russian cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow nearly doubled, resulting in overcrowding and destitute living conditions for a new class of Russian industrial workers.

A population boom at the end of the 19th century, a harsh growing season due to Russia’s northern climate, and a series of costly wars—starting with the Crimean War —created frequent food shortages across the vast empire. Moreover, a famine in 1891-1892 is estimated to have killed up to 400,000 Russians.

The devastating Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 further weakened Russia and the position of ruler Czar Nicholas II . Russia suffered heavy losses of soldiers, ships, money and international prestige in the war, which it ultimately lost.

Many educated Russians, looking at social progress and scientific advancement in Western Europe and North America, saw how growth in Russia was being hampered by the monarchical rule of the czars and the czar’s supporters in the aristocratic class.

Russian Revolution of 1905

Soon, large protests by Russian workers against the monarchy led to the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1905 . Hundreds of unarmed protesters were killed or wounded by the czar’s troops.

The Bloody Sunday massacre sparked the Russian Revolution of 1905, during which angry workers responded with a series of crippling strikes throughout the country. Farm laborers and soldiers joined the cause, leading to the creation of worker-dominated councils called “soviets.”

In one famous incident, the crew of the battleship Potemkin staged a successful mutiny against their overbearing officers. Historians would later refer to the 1905 Russian Revolution as ‘the Great Dress Rehearsal,” as it set the stage for the upheavals to come.

Nicholas II and World War I

After the bloodshed of 1905 and Russia’s humiliating loss in the Russo-Japanese War, Nicholas II promised greater freedom of speech and the formation of a representative assembly, or Duma, to work toward reform.

Russia entered into World War I in August 1914 in support of the Serbs and their French and British allies. Their involvement in the war would soon prove disastrous for the Russian Empire.

Militarily, imperial Russia was no match for industrialized Germany, and Russian casualties were greater than those sustained by any nation in any previous war. Food and fuel shortages plagued Russia as inflation mounted. The already weak economy was hopelessly disrupted by the costly war effort.

Czar Nicholas left the Russian capital of Petrograd (St. Petersburg) in 1915 to take command of the Russian Army front. (The Russians had renamed the imperial city in 1914, because “St. Petersburg” sounded too German.)

russian revolution 1917 essay

Soviet Union Leaders: A Timeline

From Stalin's reign of terror to Gorbachev and glasnost, meet the eight leaders who presided over the USSR.

How World War I Fueled the Russian Revolution

Ineffective leadership and a weak infrastructure during the war led to the demise of the Romanov dynasty.

Rasputin and the Czarina

In her husband’s absence, Czarina Alexandra—an unpopular woman of German ancestry—began firing elected officials. During this time, her controversial advisor, Grigory Rasputin , increased his influence over Russian politics and the royal Romanov family .

Russian nobles eager to end Rasputin’s influence murdered him on December 30, 1916. By then, most Russians had lost faith in the failed leadership of the czar. Government corruption was rampant, the Russian economy remained backward and Nicholas repeatedly dissolved the Duma , the toothless Russian parliament established after the 1905 revolution, when it opposed his will.

Moderates soon joined Russian radical elements in calling for an overthrow of the hapless czar.

February Revolution

The February Revolution (known as such because of Russia’s use of the Julian calendar until February 1918) began on March 8, 1917 (February 23 on the Julian calendar).

Demonstrators clamoring for bread took to the streets of Petrograd. Supported by huge crowds of striking industrial workers, the protesters clashed with police but refused to leave the streets.

On March 11, the troops of the Petrograd army garrison were called out to quell the uprising. In some encounters, the regiments opened fire, killing demonstrators, but the protesters kept to the streets and the troops began to waver.

The Duma formed a provisional government on March 12. A few days later, Czar Nicholas abdicated the throne, ending centuries of Russian Romanov rule.

Alexander Kerensky

The leaders of the provisional government, including young Russian lawyer Alexander Kerensky, established a liberal program of rights such as freedom of speech, equality before the law, and the right of unions to organize and strike. They opposed violent social revolution.

As minister of war, Kerensky continued the Russian war effort, even though Russian involvement in World War I was enormously unpopular. This further exacerbated Russia’s food supply problems. Unrest continued to grow as peasants looted farms and food riots erupted in the cities.

Bolshevik Revolution

On November 6 and 7, 1917 (or October 24 and 25 on the Julian calendar, which is why the event is often referred to as the October Revolution ), leftist revolutionaries led by Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin launched a nearly bloodless coup d’état against the Duma’s provisional government.

The provisional government had been assembled by a group of leaders from Russia’s bourgeois capitalist class. Lenin instead called for a Soviet government that would be ruled directly by councils of soldiers, peasants and workers.

The Bolsheviks and their allies occupied government buildings and other strategic locations in Petrograd, and soon formed a new government with Lenin as its head. Lenin became the dictator of the world’s first communist state.

Russian Civil War

Civil War broke out in Russia in late 1917 after the Bolshevik Revolution. The warring factions included the Red and White Armies.

The Red Army fought for the Lenin’s Bolshevik government. The White Army represented a large group of loosely allied forces, including monarchists, capitalists and supporters of democratic socialism.

On July 16, 1918, the Romanovs were executed by the Bolsheviks. The Russian Civil War ended in 1923 with Lenin’s Red Army claiming victory and establishing the Soviet Union.

After many years of violence and political unrest, the Russian Revolution paved the way for the rise of communism as an influential political belief system around the world. It set the stage for the rise of the Soviet Union as a world power that would go head-to-head with the United States during the Cold War .

The Russian Revolutions of 1917. Anna M. Cienciala, University of Kansas . The Russian Revolution of 1917. Daniel J. Meissner, Marquette University . Russian Revolution of 1917. McGill University . Russian Revolution of 1905. Marxists.org . The Russian Revolution of 1905: What Were the Major Causes? Northeastern University . Timeline of the Russian Revolution. British Library .

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HISTORY Vault: Vladimir Lenin: Voice of Revolution

Called treacherous, deluded and insane, Lenin might have been a historical footnote but for the Russian Revolution, which launched him into the headlines of the 20th century.

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