Russian Revolution: Pre-Conditions Study Notes
Below are a collection of notes to aid in the study of the "Pre-Conditions" period before the Russian Revolution occurred in 1917. Please note, however, that they should not be used as a replacement for your own studies of the topic. Rather, they should be used to help consolidate your own notes, and/or as a quick revision tool before tests or exams. They are not intended to be complete or comprehensive, and instead are what I personally found to be significant in my own studies of the topic, either in preperation for tests/exams or the writing of essays.
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1. Political
• The Tsar, Nicholas II, had all the power; an autocratic ruler.
• This meant that all decisions were in his hands, and so was the responsibility for these decisions.
• Peoples anger towards his bad decisions was reflected in Bloody Sunday event, which would lead to the people’s faith in the Tsar being shattered.
• Only the top elite (5% population), those close to the Tsar could influence policies.
• Didn’t want change, the monarchy had been in power for hundreds of years.
• After introduction of Duma, constantly dissolved it to get his own way.
• As time went on, distance between Tsar and the people increased.
• Particularly after Bloody Sunday, used force to crush opposition.
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2. Economic
• Russia was in a state of backwardness
• By 1900’s Russia had only just begun to industrialize; extremely late in contrast to other countries.
• Proletariat rapidly expanded as peasants gave up countryside and moved to cities to work in factories
• Dwelt in new overcrowded, unhygienic industrial centres.
• Living and working conditions harsh, low wages and often forced to be paid in goods.
• Means of production in hands of landlords and factory owners – all the money with them and workers were exploited.
• Workers had no State protection against exploitation – no right to strike or to form trade unions
• After Bloody Sunday workers elected councils called Soviets to organise strikes and run towns, however these strikes were quickly crushed by the government.
• This situation forms an immediate background to the growth of Marxism, and the workers role in revolution.
WARS – accentuated Russia’s backwardness, need of industrialization.
• Economy constantly geared towards war
• 1905 Russo-Japan War
• Russia’s backwardness allowed them to be slaughtered; weaponry weak
• At home: taxes increased, food shortages and longer work hours for people
• Complete waste of time
• 1914 WW1
• Russia’s backwardness again lead to humiliating defeats.
• Huge loss of soldiers, led to soldier desertion
• these soldiers would join revolutionaries, if Tsar remained in power
would be killed
• At home, rail system so pathetic that food could not be distributed to cities
• Lead to food shortages, starvation.
• Inflation, made goods more expensive
• Proletariat unhappy, wanting change
• Large peasantry not owning land and wanting change
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3. Social
•Lower class people became sick of being controlled by the unsympathetic landlords and their oppressive government.
• By escaping Serfdom in 1861, they had simply traded one set of masters – the landlords- for another, the bureaucratic state.
• Peasantry who wished to own land were forced to pay huge taxes, more than they could afford.
• Largest part of the population poor and starving – wanting change
• People constantly forced to bear the grunt of war
• In particular the rapidly increasing proletariat living in the cities suffered immensely, as they could not produce their own food which resulted in starvation.
• The people’s faith in the Tsar was gone, and lost again in Provisional government as nothing changed
• War continued on, and in turn so did the people’s resentment towards the government.
• This social injustice and lack of faith in leadership encouraged the people to listen to revolutionary ideas.
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4. Leadership
• A successful revolution must have leadership
• February, July “revolutions” were spontaneous; no proper planning or leadership
• October Revolution well planned, carried out under leadership of Trotsky and Lenin.
Philosophies – people won’t support unless they know they will get something better in return
• The preconditions period developed many competing political ideologies within Russia
• Mensheviks
• Worked to achieve Marxist society
• Party of mass organization
• Eventually proletariat revolution would be carried out by mass uprisings
• Bolsheviks
• Worked to achieve Marxist society
• Revolution would be carried out by a small, tightly disciplined party
• Professional revolutionaries would seize power
• Strong leadership
• Independent of proletariat, instead on their behalf
• A Marxist society would be characterized by:
• A classless society
• The withering of State apparatus
• Communal control of means of production
• The dictatorship of the proletariat
• Post revolutionary society does not always reflect these ideologies
• A classless society was never achieved.
• The Bolsheviks did not give up power to workers, instead Communist party dictated.
• Communal control over means of production never achieved. State controlled key industry and infrastructure.
• Withering of State apparatus never occurred, government became too powerful.
• Lenin “Peace, Land and Bread”. Land never delivered, became state controlled.
