The Russian Revolution
The year is 1914
World War 1 had
begun and Russia was at war with Germany.
The working class and the peasants make
up the Russian Army. However, they are not
well equipped or trained for the battles
to come. The year is now 1917, millions of
Russians had been either killed or
wounded. The Russian people were angry at
Tsar Nicholas the Second for getting
Russia into war and several other
reasons including, the Tsar taking
personal command of the Army, Rasputin's
power over the royal family, food
shortages and growing political
opposition. The first revolution came
about in February 1917 on the Julian
calendar in Petrograd, which was the
capital of Imperial Russia. Demonstrators
protested about the lack of bread due to
rationing and were some joined by
striking workers. The Army was called
upon to suppress the uprising. Several
protesters were shot and killed by the
soldiers, however, many refused to open
fire. The Army to it seemed at mutiny
against the Tsar, the Petrograd Soviet
was the city council for workers and
soldiers. Now, more and more workers and
soldiers elected people to it in order
to represent their demands. The Tsar
abdicated bringing an end to the Tsarist
autocracy and a new government took over.
This government was run by two political
parties, the Petrograd Soviet and the
Provisional Government.
The Bolshevik Revolution.
The Provisional Government
was also unpopular. It made the decision
to remain in the war and failed to give
land to the peasants. Vladimir Lenin and
the Bolsheviks were a faction of the
Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
and eventually became the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
He had a simple slogan which would appeal
to the people and the Petrograd Soviet,
Peace, bread and land.
Peace --- the end of
Russia's involvement in World War One.
Bread --- solving food shortages and
Land --- which would go to the peasants .
He also stated all power to the Soviets, meaning
that he would seize power in the name of
the Soviet. On November 6th and 7th, 1917,
or October 24th and 25th
on the Julian calendar, the Bolsheviks
led by Lenin launched a coup d'etat
against the provisional government. They
stormed the Winter Palace and arrested
the provisional government, putting
themselves in charge of Russia's
government. After the Revolution, the
Bolshevik government exited the war by
signing a peace treaty with Germany
called "The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk" .
A civil war would erupt in 1918 by those
who are against the new Bolshevik
government. The White Army and the
Bolsheviks themselves, the Red Army.
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