Russia

How was Russia governed, how did political authority change & develop, and how did
this lead to the uprising?

Why was Russia so hard to govern?

 Big country bordered by the most countries = danger of invasion (hostilities that Russia cannot
react to fast enough)
 Large number of nationalities (more than 20) ; some hated Russian rule
 Limited travel (to the North, water frozen  to the west, British territory  to south, Turkish
territory) = cannot defend/ attack
 Different beliefs & cultures = clash with the way Russians wanted to do things
 Different religions: worship conflict
 Peoples (such as Poles) had been conquered by Russia = want their own state (Latvia, Lithuania,
Estonia, Finland)
 People spread over distances thousands of miles apart = difficult for orders to obeyed country-
wide
 80% population were illiterate peasants who, although freed in 1861, were unable to afford land
 virtually slaves of landowners.

1) The Tsar:
- Russia ruled by the Romanovs
- Nicholas II inherited throne in 1894.
- At the time, lots of resentment against Tsar due to failings in dealing with
1891/2 famine and repression of his father.

Fact file!
Tsar Nicholas II

o Not the natural autocrat his father was (lacked political

understanding)
o Not imposing figure (small, shy, unassertive)
o Dominated by his mother, then his wife = comfortable family man; not ruler of grand
empire + took bad advice from wife
o He believed he had a god-given duty to rule over Russia – not someone who wanted to
bring democracy to nation.
o Wanted to modernize Russia, but not at the expense of his own power. Autocrat (hard job)
o Stuck with an impossible job; he didn’t want it but he had to do it because it was his duty.
o He married his cousin; his son had a chronic disease (his blood could not clot)
o His mentality and circumstances kept him out of touch with the people.
o Worried of his own weakness, he was determined to be strong ruler = no concessions and
maintain autocracy. Tutor, Pobedonostev, instilled these ideas in him = no political parties
allowed/ no parliament, only few advisory ministers  no mandate
o Nicholas gave important jobs to friends & family = incompetent or corrupt
o Nicholas encouraged rivalry between ministers = chaos in government
How did the Tsar reinforce his authority?
- Censorship
- Secret Police: Okhrana (brutal & cruel  even more tense (people hate Tsar even more)
- Orthodox church: Tsar was head of church (very influential). Official church doctrines stated that
Tsar was appointed by God = challenging Tsar was insult to God  worked against peasants
especially  pushing citizens towards secular rule (communism)
- The Law: Anyone who opposed Tsar was exiled to Siberia
- The Army: Enforced Tsarist power (Cossack cavalry regiments ruthlessly loyal to Tsar)
- Russification: explained below

Off to a bad start: Khodynka Tragedy

Coronation ceremony, 500,000 people.
Stampede took place as they tried to collect free food, thinking cups contained gold coins.
Stampede left 1400 dead, and nearly same number injured.
Nicholas did not visit injured; instead, held banquet at French Embassy. (He only cares for
“important people”, aristocracy)
Only visited them later (people thought he didn’t care about them)

Russification & Repression

o Policy of “Russification” introduced to unite those living in Empire. Nicholas continued the policies of his
father = same unpopularity.

 Policy under Alexander III requested by Pobedonostev

 Belief that Russian culture was superior = make Russian language & religion central focus of culture
across Empire.
 Russian government carried out attacks on Finish parliament
 Repression of Ethnic minorities: Guriya 1892, Uzbek & Armenia 1886
 Caused religious intolerance: Catholics & Muslims, anti-Semitic programmes & laws = mass
resentment & widespread dissatisfaction.

o Nicholas supported “Black Hundreds” organisation (right wing + anti-Semitic) = attacked ethnic minorities & anyone who opposed
Tsar.
o Okhrana (secret-police force of Russian Empire) used repressive force during open opposition.

E.g: In 1901, mounted Cossacks attacked crowd, killing 13 students = arrest of 1500 students

2) The peasants:
84% of Russians classified as peasants, after being freed of slavery in 1861
Left to fend for themselves & heavily relied on agriculture
Had no knowledge of modern agricultural methods = widespread poverty & famines + poor weather
conditions make farming impossible.
Village housing very poor, used wooden ploughs & few tools, life expectancy was 40, too many peasants
for the land.
 They were illiterate & uneducated = easy to control via religion + could not revolt as did not have the
intellectual power
Bore great resentment against nobility whom they perceived as continuing to exploit them (e.g.
redemption payments), and found it unfair that nobility owned most of land
Peasants were typically quite loyal to Tsar, however, began years of unrest: arson in countryside “years
of red cockerel”
Minister Stolypin dealt with unrest so brutally (exiling, shoorting, hanging) = decreased support for Tsar

Increased education
o 1890’s: literacy levels increased exposing more citizens to reformist ideas from the West.
o Updated & modernised Russia = more people coming in contact = increased change of organised
opposition because more educated workforce became more aware of their rights

3) Nationalities:
o Made up of 22 different nationalities

4) State of industry:
o Growing Russian industry in 1900’s disadvantage peasant majority
o Illegal trade unions set up = increased number of strikes (17,000 in 1894, 90,000 in 1904)

Reform (long term factor)

o Reform in Russia had been fast & dramatic.

o Growing urban working class + middle class wanted political representation to have some way of voicing
their opinions.
o Urban class is 4% of population; lived & worked in terrible conditions + survived on starvation wages
o Crisis in agriculture (poor farming techniques + rapid population growth) = those in countryside also
rebellious due to famine, led to “jacqueries”
o Both classes faced overcrowding & poor living conditions = breeding ground for opposition + easier to
coordinate rebellions (over 90,000 strikes in 1904)
o This encouraged the growth of reformist groups:
 Social democrats & revolutionaries
 They focussed on peasants & middle class to help overthrow the Tsar
 Reformers (Octobrists & Kadets)
  Wanted to help Tsar rule country

How did these reformist groups cause chaos?

Committed many assassinations to overthrow Tsarist autocracy:

- Tsar Alexander II (assassinated by “People’s Will” in 19 th century)

- Vyacheslav von Plehve, Minister of Interior (assassinated in 1904)

Backwards, agrarian economy

o Could not keep up with Western competitors = instability because Russia was always concerned
with fighting wars with the West
o Rapid industrialization (known as “Great Spurt”)
o 6% annual economic growth compared to 2% of Britain & France.
o Negative impact on average worker (industrial employee worked 11 hour day, with 10 hours on
Saturday)
o Factory conditions = harsh & little concern shown for workers’ health + wellbeing.
o Tsar tried to gain money for Russian industrialization; but instead of taxing rich nobility, he taxed
peasants & working class = DISSATISFACTION & ANGER = Russia in crisis: outbreak of violence
o Attempts at forming trade unions rejected by factory owners & Tsar
o This led to dissatisfaction at the Tsar regime = encouraged rebellions.

5) Russo-Japanese War:

War against Japan (short term factor)

o 1904 gone to war with Japan

o Thought it would be quick & moral boosting victory + anti-Japanese patriotism would distract from internal
opposition (this failed)
o Russian fleet sailed 6000 miles to be defeated by smaller nation = embarrassed & ashamed.
o Regime claimed Japanese were racially inferior = Tsarism damaging Russia’s standing in world = falling
further behind other powers (not just Britain & France) = felt vulnerable
o Jan 1905: surrendered Port Arthur Naval base & defeated at Tsushima (Russian Baltic Fleet lost 25 of 35
warships), blown out of water in only few hours.
o Lead to rising prices, shortages of food & fuel, factories closed
o Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended war & Japan gained control of Port Arthur & South Manchurian
railway.

How did this lead to revolution?

- Massive amounts of resources re-diverted to war effort = away from entertainment, consumer goods +
luxuries
- Mass casualties: poor ranked soldiers dying (affects poor communities)
- Made people want to change leadership that is leading this lost war (losing against Asiatic nation = lost
pride)
- Raised taxes due to increase need of funds
- Shortages of food & resources (because transportation is prioritised for war effort)
 6) New politician (short term factor)

o Appointment of new minister of interior, Svyatopol-Mirsky, led to growth in liberal ideas.

o He indirectly encouraged concessions.

7) Bloody Sunday (rapid cause)

o 22nd January 1905, 200,000 men women & children joined peaceful protest, calling for reform &
end to war, led by father Georgi Gapon
o Aimed to deliver petition to Tsar Nicholas II, but he wasn’t there
o Police & troops opened fire to disperse protestors.
o 96 killed, opposition claims 4,000
o People stopped seeing the Tsar as their “Little Father”, they began to hold him accountable.
Previously, they had blamed other politicians, or claimed that the Tsar did not know of his peoples’
struggles.

EFFECTS OF UPRISING & EVENTS OF 1905 REVOLUTION

Bloody Sunday destroyed Russian peoples’ confidence in Tsar.
Action by workers & students
o In February, 400,000 workers were on strike.
o By April, illegal trade unions had formed in all major towns & cities = wave of strike actions across
country
o May: First workers’ council set up = aimed to seize control of factories.
o October: 2.5 mil workers on strike. Strike or railway men caused economy to be on verge of
collapse through paralysing whole Russian railway system.
o Vladimir Lenin (& other Mensheviks) established St Petersburg soviet (Oct 1905) = demanding
better representation for workers.
o Workers from key industries (lawyers, doctors, engineers) established Union of Unions &
demanded constituent assembly.
o Major universities closed down when the whole student body complained about lack of civil
liberties by staging walkout.
o Barricade set up in cities to defend workers from the army

Tsar’s uncle is assassinated

Action by peasants:
o Thousands of local disturbances: peasants attacked, burned & seized the property of landowning
classes.
o By April 1905, most of Russia’s “Black Earth” regions were in revolt
 o In august: organised Peasant’s Union was established (heavily influenced by Socialist Revolutionaries
ideas)

Action by national minorities:

o National minorities seized opportunity of instability of Tsarist authority to gain greater freedom &
independence.
o Major strikes in Polish cities (e.g. Warsaw & Lodz), which involved running battles between Polish workers &
Russian troops.
o General strike of October spread to Finland = greater autonomy for the finns.
o Estonia: “All Estonian Congress” demanded acceptance of Estonian language & greater autonomy
o Latvia: 1000 officials demanded greater powers of self-governance
o Jews: formed “Union for the Attainment of Equal Rights for Jews”

Mutiny in Armed Forces

o May: sailors at Kronstadt naval base rose up against officers
o June: sailors on “Potemkin” battleship, based in black sea, mutinied & seized control of ship
o Russian army remained largely loyal to Tsar (most were away fighting Japanese). However, small mutinies
within army units.

How did the Tsar survive?

Tsarist ministers told Tsar that regime was to collapse. Tsar was only able to survive through political
change + revolutionary groups (Bolsheviks + Mensheviks) were divided = workers & radical soldiers
divided = weak & easy to deal with

Results of revolution: October Manifesto

Published on Oct 30th, 1905.
October Manifesto was huge step towards democracy because it granted:

- Freedom of speech, religion, assembly, organisation

- Proposed formation of an elected national assembly “Duma”, which would have the power to approve
or reject proposed legislations.
- Participation in Duma will be granted to populations which, at present, are deprived of voting powers.

The liberals were not pleased whilst associating with the revolutionaries; they wanted change and reform.
Therefore, they were ecstatic due to the manifesto, and disassociated from the revolutionaries and
Marxists.

What did the peasants gain?

- Tsar promised to cancel redemption payments

- This reduced levels of violence and opposition in countryside
- The peasants were instinctively loyal to the Tsar & saw these decisions as a greater compromise than the
uncertainty posed by the revolutionaries.

What did this mean for the revolutionaries and Marxists?

 - Bolsheviks and Mensheviks (secular, communist organisation) were not impressed.
- Trotsky described the manifesto as a “whip wrapped in the parchments of a constitution”
- Most of army remained loyal to Tsar & were returning from Japanese warfare = Tsar could
concentrate his forces to REPRESS the revolutionaries having bought off the liberals & peasants
(less people to fight off = Tsar has more control)

Opposition & support of the Manifesto

- November: members of revolutionary groups & leaders of the union of peasants were arrested.
- This led to a last act of resistance (Bolsheviks organised uprising, easily crushed, 1000 rebels
killed)
- Tsar’s plan of concession & repression was working. THE OPPOSITION WAS WEAKENING.
- Union of Russian People (new right-wing nationalist political party formed after manifesto, who
were loyal to the Tsar & received government backing) began to further eradicate the
opposition through using the “Black Hundreds”.
- This group were violent, anti-Semitic thugs who attacked opponents of Tsar (murdered 500
Jews, rebellious peasants, protesting students)

The Fundamental Laws:

- The Tsar sees that the opposition has weakened and realizes that he can retract many of his
previous promises.
- April 1906: publishing of “Fundamental Laws” which strengthened Nicholas’s power within new
constitution.
- Retained autocratic control – could veto any law proposed by Council of Ministers.
- Article 87: Tsar has power to rule by decree in “exceptional circumstances” when Duma wasn’t
sitting. (exceptional circumstances were decided upon by the Tsar = biased)
- Council of Ministers only answerable to Tsar NOT the Duma = only Tsar could appoint & dismiss
ministers.
- Author of Manifesto forced to resign & replaced by old-fashioned conservative (Ivan Goremykin),
who aimed to uphold as much of the Tsarist autocracy as he could.
- The fundamental law was a fundamental shift away from the promised liberal reforms.

What were the Political Parties?

Octobrists

Wealthy Moderate Conservatives who accepted

the manifesto

Rightists

Union of Russian People (Pro Tsar)

Kadets

Liberal party, full civil rights, parliament,

constitutional monarchy, some redistribution of land
 Trudovisks

Non revolutionary party split from SR, liberal,

nationalisation of non-peasant land, 8 hr day, min wage

Progressives:

Favoured moderate reforms (bussinessmen)

SD

Marxists split in 1903 into Mensheviks &

Bolsheviks

More on Russia’s economic development (industrial & agricultural reform) up to 1914

(and what effects it had on peasant population), here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=uOqTywRWkeA&list=PL6DY9psvTXR_5xm_h2pHEiNniIA17V5h7&index=22

The 4 Dumas & what they entailed:

May-July 1906
Dominated by reformists parties, especially the Kadets (182 seats) & Trudoviks (107)
DumaNicholas II horrified
of Lords & Lackeysby(1907-1912)
demands:
"Address
Stolypin's to themade
changes throne"
Dumaincluded demands for
more right-wing & universal male
conservative suffrage, had
(Octobrists redistribution
154 seats,of
land,had
Rightists abolition
147) of death penalty, giving up emergency powers.
1st Duma Tsar to
Worked disagreed
introduce:vehemently.
land reforms, education law extending primary schooling,
improvements
The loan ofto armygold
2,250 & navy, replacing
francs unpopular
from France meantLand Captains withdid
the government Justices of the
not need Peace,
Duma for
national health insurance scheme to benefit workers.
money = Tsar dissolved Duma because he deemed it unworkable.
3rd Duma This proved that Stolypin was not just a hard-liner bent on crushing Tsarist opposition (e.g.
Octobrists felt reforms going too far in 1911). He had some reformist inclincations.
Ultimately had to use Article 87 to suspend Duma to introduce zemstvo system in Poland.

Vyborg Appeal: Around 200 Dumas (mostly Kadets) travelled to Vyborg, Finland - issues appeal to
Stolypin
people ofassasinated
Russia. in Sept 1911 by left-wing revolutionairy (they didn't
Urged Russians: NO perform
forgive him for the repression taxes, NO
inmilitairy
1906/07,service
field courts (trials without
Little impact & Tsar responded by arresting deputies & banning them from next elections
defense) and for his coup which changed voting system)
Damaged organisation & public profile of Kadets, who lost many seats for second Duma election
Consequences:Allegedly, Tsar was pleased: he wasnt happy with Stolypin's reforms.
Failure to control Duma = Goremykin dismissed, replaced by harsh & brutal Pyotr Stolypin as Prime
Consequences:
TheMinister
assassin was both a Socialist Revolutionary and a worker for the
Tsarist secret police (Okhrana). Who ordered the murder?

Feb-June 1907
 Composition
Sociallistsofrevolutionaires
Duma similar to third
took since
part (wonelectoral
37 seats) changes remained in place.
By 1912, it was clear
Mensheviks that the
increased Dumaofcould
number seatsbring little influence
significantly on Tsar's
+ Trudovisks government,
remained strongas they
4th Duma could bypass any difficult demands = fourth Duma made limited contribution.
Kadets lost 1/2 of seats but remained second largest party = reformist parties on the left
Afterwere
startstill
of WW1,
strongDuma met
force in less & less & exerted minimal influence on direct war efforts.
Duma
2nd Duma However, right-wing also strengthened (Octoborists supported by Stolypin more than
Positives: doubles number of seats + Russian nationalists won more seats)
Therefore, second Duma was more polarized = more argumentative = more likely to fall
Political developments
apart. by 1914:
- Political parties legally established for the first time & open political discussion was tolerated &
reported in press.
- Workers
Valuable returned
reforms
Prime Minister
to direct
introduced
Stolypin in Third
used Article
action
87 whenDuma
because lost faith = significant increase
Duma not in session to pass agricultural reforms, which angered left-wing
in number
members. of strikes
Consequences Peasants were able to buy more land that was made available to them through the establishment of "the peasants land
bank". This encouraged private farming which lead to a plethora of food. By 1913, 3 million peasants had left their "Mirs"
(very conservatic local community which controlled farming and peasant activities), to set up their own.
Negatives: Also used Tsar assassinaion plot reports by social democrats as excuse to dissolve the Duma.
Stolypin determined to make Duma which was favorable to Tsar's government, therefore, he used article 87 to radically
- Relationship
Consequences change the between Tsar’s
rules on voting government
to favour & Duma(50%
nobility & landowners problematic.
of final vote, up from 31%), away from peasants (42% to
23%) and workers (just 2%).
- Tsar This
didn’t believe
was called in democratic
Stolypin's Coup. government; held on to autocracy = he and nobility reluctant
to embrace constitutional reform.
- Reformist parties spent as much time attacking each other as they did the Tsar = poor,
disorganized relationship
Causes of the 1917 Revolution:
Some argue: WW1

 Tsarist regime was making progress on eve of war, 1914

 There was growth of industrial & agricultural productions (Stolypin’s reforms)
 Signs of political progress (creation of Duma)
 Without stress & upheaval of war, Russia could’ve continued to develop & industrialize

Other revisionist interpretations: Long-term problems are to blame

 Social, political & economic problems

 WW1 may have hastened collapse of autocracy, but Tsarist regime had little chance of surviving due to
innate weakness
 Resentment felt by peasants, increasing economic & political demands of workers, Tsar’s clinging to
autocratic rule, growing opposition of liberal middle class voices

The build-up to the revolution:

How far was the Tsar weakened by WWI?

Russia enters war w people’s support. Initial enthusiasm: workers + peasants rally to cause.

Enthusiasm dissipates as people at home hear of defeats & losses (Battle on Tannenberg:
1914 +30,000 troops killed/ wounded + 90,000 captured.

Tsar assumed supreme command of Russian army, leaving unpopular wife in charge.

This linked the Tsar to the country’s military failures = declined support for his
1915 government.

Morale fading (lost 1.7mil Russian soldiers + 2 mil prisoners of war +1 million missing)
more workers forced to join army as army fell.
1916
Severe food shortages in country side = food shortages in cities + high prices = struggle
Winter Rasputin assassinated

Disastrous Russian economy = mass discontent. In attempt to increase wages, industrial

1917 workers went on strike + went on streets demanding food.

Soldiers joined people protesting an end to war in Petrograd.

23 Feb: protestors demanded bread + marched to nearby factories = more than 50,000
workers on strike joined by tens of thousands of women marching on international
women’s day

26 Feb: Tsar ordered closure of Duma. Members refused. President of Duma suggested to
Tsar that he appoint new government. When Tsar didn’t reply, Duma nominated
provisional government.

25th Feb: city at standstill & police struggle to maintain order. Commander ordered to
restore order (had 150,000 men but almost all deserted by 26 th)

27 Feb: 200,000 workers on strike. Tsar, still at battle, ordered commander of Petrograd
garrison to supress all disorder.

28 Feb: Troops fired on demonstrators (40 dead). This was the turning point as the
soldiers’ morale was broken & they refused subsequent orders to shoot, joining workers in
street.

Army generals who had ordered loyal troops to march & restore control, changed their
orders & gave support to new “Provisional Committee”

Fearing unrest at home would affect war, Russian army high command suggested Tsar
abdicate in favour of more popular member of family.

Generals hoped that Mikhail would agree to form new constitutional monarchy in
conjunction w Duma.

Grand Duke Michael refuses to take throne, so RUSSIA WAS LEFT IN CONTROL OF THE
PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT: 1ST March 1917.
Consequences:
Tsar’s abdication was sudden & unexpected. There was hardly any leadership or co-
ordination to the revolutionary activity of Feb/Mar 1917, and events happened so quickly
that leaders of all the main oppositions were playing catch-up with developments, rather
than shaping them.

Why was the revolution successful?

- Nicholas’s refusal to allow political reform
o Nicholas himself gave up & accepted that he didn’t have the ability to rule
anymore. His concern was more for his family than his nation & Tsardom.
o He was brought up believing that all owed him absolute loyalty = he ignored
genuine complaints & concerns, instead, seeing them as disloyalty worthy
of punishment.
o War illustrated that Tsar was weak, surrounded by ineffective ministers &
hamstrung by scandals surrounding his wife & Rasputin.
- Military failings
o Highest ranks of army & nobility turned against Nicholas, refusing to follow
his orders & ordering him to step down.
- Gregory Rasputin
Lol who?
Glad you asked
Rasputin: The Man & The Myth
Childhood
- Was believed to have healing powers
- Born a peasant in Siberia
- Rumoured to be impotent, yet had endless sexual
- “Rasputin” not real name; means
appetite
“debauched” one.
- Rumoured “lover of the Russian queen”
- Went to school but not literate
- “The monk who would not die”
- Married & had 2 children

Increasing Power: Religious Conversion:

- Reputation spread throughout Siberia. In 1904, he - In 1897, he underwent religious
travelled to Kazan where he was seen as a Holy man conversion when visiting a monastery
who could cure anxiety. - Spent 3 years training to become
- Impressed local church leaders & travelled to St monk, but didn’t become one
Petersburg with letter of recommendation, where he (complained on Monk’s behaviours)
met the confessor to Tsar and wife. - Returned & became Strannik (Holy
- Met & talked to members of aristocracy + formed wanderer).
friendships. - Gathered group of followers, became
- Started to act as healer to Tsar’s son, who had part of Khlysty (weird religious sect
“haemophilia” that whipped people for fun)
- Aleksei developed tumour, which Rasputin (VIA
TELEGRAM) supposedly cured. Tsarina was convinced
Rasputin saved her son = Rasputin’s hold of Tsarina
established. Downfall
- Gained great power & court + accepted bribed, etc - Rumours spread about his
debauched behaviour in both public
War & Murder: & private.
- A letter from him to Tsarina was
- Since Tsar was away at the front, Rasputin’s influence
leaked, suggesting they may have
over Tsarina was magnified.
been lovers.
- Several attempts to remove him, including a 200,000
- Tsar dismissed complaints from
roubles offer to return to Siberia.
leading members of Church &
- Prince Felix Yusupov & Purishkevich (Rightest leader
government about Rasputin’s
of Duma) invited Rasputin to his house & poisoned
behaviour, including one from
him w Madeira wine & cyanide cake.
Stolypin.
- He ingested poison with no effect; so Felix shot him &
- He had powerful friends &
left him for dead.
ENEMIES.

Rasputin regained consciousness & tried to escape. As he made his way across the courtyard, Purishkevich
shot him twice, bound him in iron chains & dumped him in a river where he died.
Rasputin claimed he had visions, which he then advised the Tsarina over. He offered advice on who should
be in key positions in the government, where troops should be deployed, etc.
Many hated him; politicians complained: “the Tsarina’s blind faith in Rasputin led her to seek his counsel
not only in personal matters, but also on questions of national policy”.
The reputation of the Tsar was damaged due to associating with such a figure.
 - The Tsarina
Very controversial figure: She was from Germany (the country Russia was fighting), and made it known she disliked
Russia & the thought of democratic change.

 When Tsar left to War front, Tsarina was put in charge of domestic policy; Rasputin serving as her
advisor.
 Dismissed ministers in rapid succession = rumours began to circulate that she & Rasputin were part of
pro-German court group seeking to separate peace of central powers & spark instability in Russia.

- The War
 Cause of emergence of Tsar’s major issues
 Brought all of Russia’s problems under spotlight + exasperated many of them.
 Demoralised the people: starving, angry at government = make conspiracies + look for someone to
blame + lose faith in Tsar
 Revealed failings in Tsar’s leadership: decision making was poor, refused to allow other politicians
to have a say on how Russia was run, relied on Rasputin’s advisal.

The war created a situation which was impossible for the Tsar to recover from

The Provisional Government 1917

- Two bodies competing for power after abdication: Duma & Soviets
- Provisional Committee of Duma (made up of all parties EXCEPT Monarchists &
Bolsheviks) formed itself into Provisional Government on March 2nd.
- Petrograd Soviet only 3 days old, but had 3000 members & growing
- Dual power between Provisional government & Soviet emerged.
- Disagreed on many aspects = continuation of food shortages + inflation =
provisional government unpopular with workers & desertions from Army
increased.
The Return of Lenin (April 3rd 1917):
- Lenin, leader of Bolsheviks, returned from exile with backing of German govt.
- Transformed fortune of Bolsheviks who were minority.
- Bolsheviks unsure how far to co-operate with PG
- Mensheviks represented capitalists (democratic phase of Marx’s historical theory
which was necessary precursor to establishment of socialist state).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=8yvXBF4QieA&list=PL6DY9psvTXR_5xm_h2pHEiNniIA17V5h7&index=26
9:54
Page 233: How did Bolsheviks gain power & how did they consolidate their rule?
- Russia in chaos after Tsar abdication (power vacuum) + midst of European conflict
- Duma took over & set up “Provisional Government” (emergency govt set up when political void created),
led by Alexander Kerensky
- Intention: elections to be held in 1917 to form govt
- Reality: Never happened – November 1917 revolution

How effectively did the provisional govt rule Russia?

Problem Details
Involvement in war Anxious not to be
associated with failure +
desperate for spoils of war
= govt continued with
WW1.
Launched “Kerensky
offensive”  failed, by end
of 1917, 2 million soldiers
had run away, some killed
officers rather than fight.
Significance
Govt allowed problems to
continue at home, as too
busy dealing with war.
568 factories over 6
months, 100,000 lost their
job

-
(NOT VERY EFFECTIVE OR ORGANIZED)
 What made Russia such a hard country to run?

 Minorities
 Size
 Peasants
 Infrastructure
 Army
 Nature of leadership: Autocracy and repression
 Power of Orthodox Church
 Nicholas II
 Alexander III (father of Nicholas)