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The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a rebellion of the Russian people against the rule of the Russian emperor, Nicholas II. Russia was going through changes in the early 1900 s and the late 1800 s. This revolution brought forth the Soviet Union, and was known as the Marxist Revolution. In the 1905 Revolution, thousands of men, women, and children were led by a Russian Orthodox priest, marched to Czar Nicholas IIs Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. The other revolution was the February and October Revolutions.
Russia was a country full of many unsatisfied people. Russia was experiencing changes in the early 1900 s and the late 1800 s. In the rural part, a sequence of poor harvests, farm laborers and peasants and their families were starving. In the urban side, industrialization was changing the face of Russian society. The middle class and workers were asking to be a part of ruling of the country. The disappointed Russians formed three political organizations.
The three important organizations were the liberal constitutionalists, the social revolutionaries, and the Marxists, who followed the ideas of Karl Marx. The liberal constitutionalists wanted a western form of parliament government to replace the rule of the czars. The social revolutionaries wanted to start a revolution with the Russian peasants. The Marxists wanted a revolution with the city and town workers.
The march to St. Petersburg led by the Orthodox priest, Father Gapon ended in a bloody massacre. The goal of the march was to ask for a democratic elected assembly and a basic reform. The czar was not happy with this demonstration so his soldiers fired on the demonstrators, killing and wounding hundreds of them.
This was known as the Bloody Sunday. After the massacre there was a rebellion led by the liberal constitutionalists demanding a parliament to be set up. Nicholas agreed to set up a parliament. The parliament system did not work out the way they were hoping to turn out.
There was three parliament systems that were set out, the first and second Nicholas ruled out because he did not want to give up power. The third one was laid out and Nicholas changed the election laws so that less workers and peasants can vote. This whole period ended when World War I came about and Russia became involved in it. On March 8 th 1917 (which was February 25 in the Old Russian calendar) strikes and riots over food and coal shortages broke out in St. Petersburg. Troops that were sent to extinguish the riot ended up joining the rioters.
The parliament set up a provisional government led by Prince Georgi Lvov, an aristocrat and social reformer. After this was set up on March 15 th Czar Nicholas was forced to resign his throne, him and his family were detained, whom the Bolsheviks later killed. The Bolsheviks brought back the Soviet that was first set up in 1905. The new Soviet was against the provisional government that was set up. And Lenin reappeared in St Petersburg in April. The Soviets already began to set up through out Russia and in July the Bolsheviks who were armed unsuccessfully tried to take over power in St.
Petersburg. Lenin ran away to Finland and other Bolsheviks were either imprisoned or escaped. Lenin returned back to Russia in September 1917 after hearing the imprisoned Bolsheviks were set free. They were free because General Lavr Kornilov threatened to seize power and move into St. Petersburg. The Prime Minister at that time Alexander Kerensky released them and were allowed to arm the workers.
But Kornilovs plan was unsuccessful and just ended up leaving the Bolsheviks free. Lenin knew it was the right time to pursue his plan of taking over. He planned the October Revolution with Leon Trotsky. The armed workers moved into St. Petersburg and took control of important positions. The Bolshevik army captured the Winter Palace, which was the headquarters of Kerensky's provisional government.
Soon after other cities fell into the power of the Bolsheviks. The popular notion that this was a Marxist revolution is true because the Marxists formed the Russian Social Democratic Party. In 1903 the Marxists split into two groups, the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin wanted party membership to be restricted to a small group of professional revolutionaries who can lead the working people. The Mensheviks wanted a bigger membership and a more democratic leadership. In 1918 the Bolshevik government changed the capital of Russia from Petrograd to Moscow.
The Bolsheviks also changed the name from Russian Social Democratic Labor Party to the Russian Communist party. The Bolsheviks had a major role in the February revolution and was responsible for the October Revolution. It can be known as the Marxist revolution because Russia became the Communist Russia formerly known as the Soviet Union. Russia stayed Communist until 1991.
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Research essay sample on The Russian Revolution Of 1917
