Russian Revolution 19051917

1
Russian Revolution 1905-1917
2
Overview

• Structural weaknesses within Russia
• Revolution of 1905
• October Manifesto
• Russia 1906-1917
• Revolutions of 1917
• Civil War

3
Economic Weaknesses

• Backwards
• top 1 controls majority of Land wealth
• bottom 85 peasants
• Landless extremely poor

Typical Noble Estate
Russian Peasants
4
Economic Weaknesses

• Govt. Modernization Program
• Raised taxes
• Borrowed money
• Hired foreigners to run factories
• Workers paid low wages
• extremely poor conditions

Women Textile Workers
5
Political Weaknesses

• Autocratic ruler
• Ignorant to Russias problems
• No personal freedoms
• Govt. opposition not allowed
• Political divisions
• Intelligentsia
• Nobility
• Political parties

Tsar Nicholas II
6
Social Weaknesses

• Citizens internally divided
• Only ½ population Russian
• Desires
• Minoritiesindependence
• Nobilitygradual reform
• Intelligentsiacant agree
• Workersbetter conditions
• Peasantsland reform

7
Revolution of 1905

• Causes
• Russo-Japanese War 1904-05
• Worker discontent

8
Bloody Sunday January 9, 1905

• Peaceful demonstration of workers
• Demands
• end to war
• formation of a constituent assembly
• Troops open fire on workers

Father Gapon
9
Bloody Sunday

• Result
• widespread riots strikes (spring-summer)
• Radicals organize workers into Soviets
• Octobernation paralyzed by 10 day strike
• Tsar agrees to make changes

Demonstration at the winter palace in St.
Petersburg
10
October Manifesto

• Russias first constitution
• Establishes the Duma
• Grants some civil liberties
• Results
• Divides opposition
• October Manifesto in practice
• Had little power
• Tsar could veto decisions dismiss members at
  will

Duma
11
Russia 1906-1916

• Prime Minister 1906-11
• Cracked down on revolutionaries
• Introduced agricultural educational reforms to
  help peasants
• Assassinated
• Workers Movement
• Strikes waned 1907-1910
• Strikes riots increase 1911-1914

Peter Stolypin
12
World War I

• Tsar enters war with hope of unifying nation
• Army suffers defeat after defeat
• Morale decreases
• Desertions increase

13
World War I

• 1916 Nicholas II takes over Army
• Weaknesses of govt. further exposed
• War increases suffering discontent
• Revolution is near

14
Rasputin

• Nicholas II leaves country to command army
• Tsarina in charge of govt
• Heavily influence by Rasputin, the Holy Man
• given power to make governmental decisions
• Dislike by nobilitymurdered

15
March Revolution 1917

• Strikes bread riots break out in Petrograd.
• Soldiers, sent to restore order
• Ordered to shoot rioters, instead, shoot the
  officers and join rioters

16
March Revolution 1917

• Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II
• Orders the dismissal of the Duma
• Instead the Duma forms a Provisional government.
• Next day - March 15, 1917 abdicates

17
March Revolution 1917

• Provisional Government
• Led by Kerensky a moderate socialist
• Goal political not social revolution
• Called for free elections to form a constituent
  assembly
• Allowed freedom speech, press, assembly,
  religion

18
March Revolution 1917

• Govt. is weak unorganized
• opposed by Petrograd Soviet
• Further weakened by WW I
• Increased discontent by populace

19
Petrograd Soviet 1917

• Competes for power
• Extremely well organized supported
• Increases power w/failures of provisional govt.
• Lenin returns from exile

20
April October 1917

• April 23
• Lenin calls for power to the soviets
• Rallies behind the slogan Peace, Land, Bread

Lenins Speech
21
April October 1917

• July 3-5, increased support from sailors,
  workers, peasants.
• LeninOctober 24
• Call to power speech
• Demands action now

22
October Revolution 1917

• Bolsheviks launch successful coup
• Establish the Cheka
• Political opposition banned
• Confiscate church property
• Treaty of Brest-litovsk March 1918
• Assassination of Tsar his family July 16, 1918

23
Civil War War Communism (1917-1921)

• Lenin Dictatorship of the Proletariat
• Bolsheviks focus on maintaining power
• Red Army (Bolsheviks) led by Trotsky vs. the
  Whites (socialists, nationalist, liberals)

24
War Communism (1917-1921)

• Nationalize industry, banks, forbid strikes
• All men under 50 drafted
• Result
• famine, worker revolts, political divisions
• Leaves Russia w/out industry, transportation,
  trade.

25
NEP
New Economic Policy 1921

• Goal increase food production
• Introduce incentives
• Small factories, businesses, farms allowed to
  return to private ownership
• Large factories, banks, railways, communication
  kept under state control
• Result huge success
• Soviet Union (USSR) established 1922