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The Russian Revolution of 1917

The Russian Revolution of 1917. Descent into Revolt. Like other European nations, Russia had embraced the war in 1914 But the war went badly for backward Russian army By 1916 economy had collapsed causing widespread unrest Government ( Tsar Nicholas II ) responded with force and oppression

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The Russian Revolution of 1917

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  1. The Russian Revolution of 1917

  2. Descent into Revolt • Like other European nations, Russia had embraced the war in 1914 • But the war went badly for backward Russian army • By 1916 economy had collapsed causing widespread unrest • Government (Tsar Nicholas II) responded with force and oppression • Street demonstrations led to open revolution in February 1917 and the army backed the revolutionaries • The Romanov Dynasty was at an end

  3. The Summer of 1917 • A Provisional (temporary) Government was set up • Many hoped for a liberal-democratic Russia • Russian liberals looked west for leadership and example (free market economy, private enterprise, pro-middle class, etc.) • One result of this was to stay in the war; another was to reinforce landowners rights • Russian population was appalled • Russians wanted out of the war; two million soldiers had already deserted • Most Russians were desperately poor, still tied to the land • Peasants seized land from landlords; railway and factory workers and walked off the job; inflation was rampant • In July, the Provisional Government, led by Aleksandr Kerensky (1881-1970), responded with force; in September General Lavr Kornilov attempted a right-wing military coup • Both failed and the population turned to the far-left political leadership of the Bolsheviks

  4. Lenin and the Bolsheviks • Bolsheviks were revolutionary socialists; heavily influenced by Marx • Had endured a long and harsh struggle with the Tsar’s secret police • Around 1900 Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, known as Lenin(1870-1924), emerged as their leader • Adapted Marx to Russian conditions • The Vanguard; dictatorship of the proletariat • Aided by two close allies: Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) and Joseph Stalin (1879-1953)

  5. Bolsheviks • The Bolsheviks took their name from a split among Russian socialists where they took the harder line, advocating force and action • They were the majority (bolshinstvo); the opposing socialist party were the Menshaviks, or minority (menshinstvo)

  6. Lenin and the Bolsheviks Seize Power • Lenin returned to Russia from exile in Switzerland on 16 April 1917 • Lenin immediately began to advocate for a proletariat dictatorship backed by regional soviets (councils made up of soldiers, workers, and peasants) • Under the slogans of “Peace, Land, and Bread” and “All Power to the Soviets” Lenin campaigned for Bolshevik power • The soviet system was put in place and dominated by the Bolsheviks • By fall, the Provisional Government was collapsing • Lenin and the Bolsheviks seized power after a failed election and were completely in control of the Russian (now Soviet) government by January 1918

  7. Aftermath • Once in power, Lenin changed the name of his party from Bolshevik to Communist to broaden its appeal • Signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918 to officially end the war with Germany (even though no serious fighting had occurred since the previous year); Russia lost much territory, but had no choice but to accept the terms

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