RUSSIA BETWEEN 1870 AND 1914

INTRODUCTION

- Between mid 19th and early 20th Centuries, Russia was one seventh (1/7th) of the land mass of
the world and was referred to as a Eurasian country as it covered part of Europe and parts of
Asia (covered ½ of Europe and 2/3 of Asia) .
- Much of the period up to 1917, Russia was ruled by the Tsars or Czars who belonged to the
Romanov Family and ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917.
- The Tsars were too autocratic whose governments were oppressive and inefficient in
comparison to other monarchies in Europe.
- The Russian Press was severely censored; freedom was limited while education and the
judiciary were closely monitored by the political secret police known as the Chekas.
- The Tsars were advised by the State Council made up of the Aristocracy and was served an
army of corrupt whose inefficiency was covered by activities of the Chekas (secret police)
which silenced any kind of opposition.
- In response to Tsars’ oppressive government systems and dissatisfaction in rural areas, political
groups such as Social Democratic Party (SDP) emerged in Russia with the aim of toppling the
government.
- Other revolutionary groups of educated people in the universities later formed revolutionary
groups which were against the Tsars. These groups were:
1. Anarchists comprised groups of radical Russians who advocated anarchy and called for the
complete destruction of the state, the Tsar family, law and other institutions. This meant
organizing plots against the Tsar and the lives of Tsarist officials.
2. Nihilists aimed at eradicating the leadership of the Tsar, rejected all traditions and believed in
the building of a completely new Russian society.
3. Social Democratic Party (SDP) was formed in 1898 and mainly appealed to industrial and
factory workers by pointing out how the government had brought suffering on them
4. The Social Revolutionary Party (SRP) was formed in 1901 with the aim of seizing all land
from the large land Lords and redistribute it to the peasants. It carried out assassinations of
important people as well as members of the ruling family.

RUSSIAN ECONOMY BEFORE 1900

- Economically, Russia was an agricultural backward country whose majority of its population
lived in rural agricultural communities.

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 - Most of the Russian farmland was divided into large estates owned by Russian nobility and
worked by peasants and Serfs.
- Serfs had settled and worked on the land owned by their land Lords or the Nobles.
- Mostly, peasants cultivated the land and their farming equipments were too primitive such as
the use of wooden ploughs hence much of the food was imported.
- These Serfs did not have the land of their own but kept on supplying labour on the estates of
their land Lords on some days as payment for staying on the land.

RUSSIAN EFFORTS AT INDUSTRIALIZATION

- By 19th century, few industries had existed in Russia around St. Petersburg and Moscow.
- Low-grade Pig Iron industries and textile factories existed while heavy industries like metal
refining and industrial tools were absent.
- After 1861, new textile factories were created in Moscow while Iron and Steel plants were
created in St. Petersburg and areas in modern Ukraine and Poland.
- Industrial development occurred during the reigns of Alexander III and his successor.
- In 1892, de Witte became Minister of Finance and hence worked hard to Industrialize Russia.
- Money to finance industrial growth came from France in terms of loans.
- The following industries developed in Russia between 1890 and 1905:
(i) Trans-Siberian and Chinese Eastern Railways
- Money to finance industrial growth came from France in terms of loans, i.e. capital for the
construction Trans-Siberian and Chinese Eastern railways came from French investors.
- The Trans-Siberian Railways began in 1891, linking Moscow with Vladivostok, opened Siberia
and Maritime Province to agriculture, mining and industry.
(ii) Between 1892 and 1902, Russia’s production of coal doubled hence this increased the industrial
use of coal.
- Iron and steel plants were created in St Petersburg and areas in modern Ukraine and Poland.
(iii) Production of oil in the Caucasus increased five-fold between 1885 and 1905.
- Witte also protected new industries by tariffs, only such imports as heavy machinery being
allowed in without payment of a high duty.
- By about 1900, Russia had some three million factory workers.

EMANCIPATION OF SERFS IN 1861

- On 3rd March 1861, Alexander II passed a progressive decree or emancipation edict of

emancipating the peasants hence bringing an end to Serfdom.
- The abolition of Serfdom gave the Serfs person freedom such as:

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 i. Peasants or Serfs were free to leave the estates of their land Lords without
ii. Peasants were no longer tied to the land hence were now free to move to towns.
iii. Nobles could no longer flog a peasant to death or force troublesome serfs to join the army
as part of punishment.
iv. Peasants could now marry freely without being told whom to marry.

RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR- 1904-05

- It was fought between Russian and Japanese armed forces and lasted from 1904 to 1905.
- Tsar Nicholas II underestimated and thought Russia was going to record a quick and easy
victory against Japan hence the latter a “nation of little apes”.

CAUSES

1. Russia attacked Japan in an attempt to annex Manchuria which the Japanese had colonial
interests as well.
2. Russian failure to withdraw troops sent to Manchuria during the Boxer Uprising.
3. Tsar Nicholas II wanted to expand Russian territory eastwards despite her slow industrial
development.
4. Russian penetration of Korea which Japan had colonial interests in hence the latter felt ready to
test themselves against the Russians.
5. Russia attacked Japan in an attempt to rally the people behind the Tsar and prevent the possible
occurrence of looming revolutions aiming at toppling the Tsarist government.
6. Tsar Nicholas wanted to acquire a warm-water of Port Arthur on the pacific for Russia.

COURSE OF THE WAR

- Efforts to settle the war peacefully failed, so in 1904, Russia sent its war fleets to the pacific.
- In reaction, Japanese forces made a quick attack on Port Arthur on January 1, 1904 and
destroyed the Russian cruiser ship called Varyag.
- By 1904 December, the Japanese forces met little resistance at Port Arthur hence the Russian
forces easily surrendered.
- At the battle of Tsushima in 1905, the Japanese forces defeated the Russian Baltic Sea fleet.

RESULTS OF THE WAR

i. The Treaty of Portsmouth was signed in September 1905 in which Russia recognized
Japan’s special position in Korea hence ending Russian expansion in Asia.
ii. Japan thus obtained Port Arthur and Dalianwan.

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 iii. Russia lost land to Japan on Liaotung peninsula.
iv. Both Russia and Japan agreed to withdraw their troops from Manchuria.
v. Karafuto, the southern half of the island of Sakhalin was ceded to Japan.
vi. It also exposed the weaknesses of the Russian army with its outdated weapons.
vii. The loss of the war gave morale to the revolutionary movement which aimed at removing
the Tsar from power.
viii. Russian railway (South Manchurian railway) and mining rights were given to Japan.

LENIN AND THE BOLSHEVIKS

- Lenin was born in April 1870 and spent most of his years in exile especially between 1900 and
1917.
- His real names weres Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov but he later adopted a revolutionary name of
Lenin in order to evade the Tsar’s attempts on his life.
- Lenin became part of the revolutionary movement at the age of 16.
- Lenin’s older brother, Alexander belonged to a terrorist organization that plotted to kill Tsar
Alexander III.
- He was arrested, proudly admitted his role in the plot, and was hanged in May 1887.
- After his brother’s death, Lenin himself became a revolutionary.
- In 1896 he was arrested and sent to Siberia for three years.
- From Siberia he went into exile in Switzerland where he became the leader of the Bolsheviks
in 1917.
- In 1917, the Germans allowed Lenin to return to Russia because they hoped that he would incite
a revolution and take Russia out of the war.
- At first, Lenin led a Social Democratic Party (SDP) which later split into two i.e. Mensheviks
(minority) and Bolsheviks (majority) due to misunderstandings in the manner the revolution
was to be achieved.
- The Mensheviks were in favour of the Tsar’s gradual reforms and willing to cooperate with the
regime in Russia.
- The Bolsheviks on the other hand insisted on the use of force to overthrow the existing regime
in Russia (Tsarist Government).
- Lenin believed in Marxism by emphasizing that workers would never be free until the capitalist
and their governments had been overthrown by violent revolution.
- However, the workers needed to be organized and led by trained professional revolutionaries-
the Bolsheviks

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 - Unlike Marx, Lenin believed that Revolutions could occur in industrially underdeveloped
countries such as Russia hence fitted the theory to reality.
VLADIMIR ILYICH ULYANOV (LENIN)

JOSEPH STALIN

THE 1905 RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

- The Russian Revolution which took place on the 9th of January 1905 is also known as the
Workers’ Revolution.

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- Although it was unable to overthrow the Tsar’s government, the 1905 Russian Revolution was
a very important event in the Russian history where opposition to the Tsar was concerned.

CAUSES

1. AUTOCRATIC RULE OF TSAR NICHOLAS II

- Just like his predecessors, Tsar Nicholas II was very autocratic.
- He ruled the country alone without the Duma (Parliament) to check his unlimited powers.
- He was too repressive with the press heavily censored.

TSAR NICHOLAS II

2. PEASANTS’ GRIEVANCES
- The peasants were the main producers of food but had no rights of their own.
- They had no rights to the land on which they grew crops.
- Peasants had no political rights and remained poor at the mercy of the rich land Lords who used
them as tools of production.

3. POOR WORKING CONDITIONS OF FACTORY AND TOWN WORKERS

- Factory and town workers worked long periods over 12 hours but received low wages.
- They lived in poor housing accommodation with poor facilities for water and sanitation.
- Their working places, the factories, were in sub-human conditions.
- Such conditions greatly reduced workers’ nutrition, morale and standard of living.
- The workers were also very discontented with Tsar’s government that did not protect them from
the capitalists who exploited them.
- The Tsar’s government appeared to be in support of industrialists in exploiting the workers.

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4. WORKERS’ AND PEASANTS’ EXPOSURE TO KARL MARX REVOLUTIONARY
LITERATURE AND IDEAS
- Karl Marx revolutionary ideas stated that there is class struggle in society at every time in history
between the ruling class and the ruled; between the Bourgeoisie and proletariats (workers) and
between the land Lords (nobles) and the peasants.
- Marx therefore argued that a time would come when the proletariats rise in a revolution and
topple the Bourgeoisie, they would seize the factories and take full control thereby creating a
classless society.
- The proletariats (workers) will then form a proletariat government called the ‘Soviets’ after a
Proletarian Revolution.
- Such materials greatly influenced them to take up arms and revolt against the autocratic
government.
5. RUSSIAN DEFEAT BY JAPANESE FORCES IN 1905
- The defeat of Russia by Japan in 1905 was very shameful to the ordinary Russians as it showed
the Russian people how weak militarily their government was.
- According to Lenin, the defeat of Russia was a defeat of the Tsar and the humiliation of the
army, but the victory for the Russian people.
- Lenin also claimed that Russian failure during the war symbolized the fall of Tsarism in Russia
and the rise of communism hence he encouraged Russians to rise against the Tsar.

COURSE OF THE WAR

- Started on 3rd January 1905 when over 100, 000 workers at Putilov Woks in St Petersburg
went on strike because of four of their fellow workers were dismissed by management.
- It later spread to other cities hence affecting industrial, business and public life as thousands of
unemployed people in towns joined and supported the strikers.
- Real revolution started a week later on 9th of January 1905 when a priest by the name of Father
Gregory Gapon led a procession of peaceful workers, women and children to Winter Palace at
the Palace Square to present a petition to the Tsar demanding economic, social and political
changes (a peaceful protest against poor working and living conditions).
- Instead, Father Gregory Gapon and workers were shot at by the Winter Guards and over a
thousand of them died and many were wounded at the Palace Square.
- This incident came to be known as ‘Bloody Sunday’ since it took place on Sunday.
- On 10th January, 1905, there were strikes and violent demonstrations all over the country
against the Tsar.

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- Workers seized a printing company and printed thousands of revolutionary materials inciting
people to take up arms and overthrow the Tsar and establish their own government.
- However, the revolution was quickly put down by Tsar’s government.

RESULTS

- Though not very successful, the following took place:

1. Tsar Nicholas II for the first time in the history of Russia allowed the formation of the Duma
(parliament) with legislative powers and elected franchise.
2. The Tsar lost some autocratic powers although it only lasted for a short time.
3. Freedom of speech began with at least less censorship of the press.
4. Nicholas II allowed the constitution to be set by October 1905.
- However, the gains did not last long because Nicholas II dismissed all the liberties achieved.
- Also, the 1905, 1906 and 1907 Dumas were all dismissed while the pre-1905 revolution rule
was restored.

THE FEBRUARY/MARCH 1917 RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

- The March 1917 Russian Revolution was a very important event in the Russian history because
it removed the Tsar government from leadership.
- It also brought political changes and a new form of government different from the Tsarist
government.
- It was well organized by the Mensheviks and included the Rich Land Lords, Businessmen and
few workers.

CAUSES

1. AUTOCRATIC RULE OF THE TSAR

- The Tsar (Nicholas II) did not respect and effect some of the reforms he introduced after the
1905 Revolution.
- The Dumas (Parliament) of 1905, 1906 and 1907 were all dismissed.
- Russian press was heavily censored as press censorship was re-introduced.
- More oppression on those who opposed him became the order of the day as many of them were
sent into exile.
- Generally, the Tsar did not want to allow any existence of a constitution government.
2. RUSSIA HAD ENTERED THE WAR PATRIOTICALLY IN 1914
- When the war broke out in 1914, Russia joined on the side of the Allied nation forces.

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- Practically, the Russian government was not prepared in terms of war materials, railway
network and food supply to the battle front.
- The Russian soldiers were experiencing shortages of food, medical supplies and weapons since
Russia did not have enough factories to produce enough war materials for the execution of the
war.
- Poor rail network and transport system in general delayed food supplies to reach the soldiers on
the battle front in time thus horses could be used as alternat5ive transport.
- Russian soldiers faced defeat after as a lot of them were peasants’ sons who were forced to join
the army without any military training.
- A number of them got killed and others got wounded due to being poorly equipped.
- Hunger and poor conduct of war made a number of soldiers to start running away from the battle
front.
- People at home blamed the Tsar for the mess of the country.
- Tsar Nicholas II made another mistake of himself being a commander- in-chief of the army on
the battle front despite having military training.
- He also made another mistake of leaving his wife the Tsarina to be in charge of the government
while he was away as she made a lot of political blunders.
3. RASPUTIN GREGORY EFIMOVICH’S INFULENCE ON THE TSARINA
- Rasputin was a bogus monk from Siberia who claimed to have some mystical powers as a holy
man.
- He healed Prince Alexis (son of Tsar Nicholas II) who was an hemophilic.
- The healing of the Tsar’s son by this man increased his reputation such that the Tsar invited him
to be staying at the Winter Palace.
- Soon, this man became so influential and began participating in policy making which was
supposed to be done by the members of the royal family.
- However, the Tsar came to rely on Rasputin’s advice.
- Worse still, in the absence of the Tsar, Rasputin developed an intimate relationship with the
Tsarina which later disgraced the respect which the royal family had enjoyed.
- The Tsarina and Rasputin worsened things as the latter became an indirect ruler of the country
hence both the Tsarina and Rasputin were hated by every Russian.
- Due to his bad influence on the Tsarina, Rasputin was assassinated by the members of the royal
family.

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 GREGORY RASPUTIN

4. PEASANTS’ ISSUE
- The Peasants in particular were the unhappy because they experienced food shortages as many
food producing areas of Russia had been over run the advancing Germany forces e.g. the
occupation of the Ukraine, a wheat producing area.
- Some peasants even lost their sons who were conscripted into the army in order to replace the
soldiers who were dying on the battle front in large numbers.
- Additionally, the government did not compensate them for the loss of their sons.
- Also, peasants abandoned their lands and took refuge into towns since their territories had been
occupied by the enemy.
- In towns, the peasants became destitute and suffered very much because they did not have the
education and skills to be employed in the factories.
- Worse still, peasants suffered when the state began to confiscate crops and animals such as
horses which were supplied to the soldiers.
5. STRIKES AND FOOD SHORTAGES IN TOWNS
- Due to too much concentration on the war, peasants’ crops were only being supplied to the
soldiers thus this led to food shortages and other goods in towns.
- Food and fuel supplies fell and prices went up.
- In cities, people qued in long lines for long hours outside empty bakeries for bread that never
came.
- The Tsar was blamed for everything.

COURSE

- In March 1917, women started looting bakeries and food shops when hunger increased.
- The Tsar called out the troops to restore order in Petrograd.

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- However, the police and soldiers joined the hungry rioters whom they armed with weapons and
the revolution spread throughout the country.
- Without the army’s support, the government became powerless and within days it collapsed.
- In the country side, the peasants also looted and burned houses , crops and destroyed any
reachable property of land Lords.

RESULTS

- The Tsar tried to escape but was arrested together with his family in March (February) 1917 and
he was forced to abdicate the throne.
- Tsar Nicholas II and his family were shot dead by the firing squad.
- The February/March 1917 Revolution managed to end the Romanov rule but it did not bring
down the Bourgeoisie who controlled the means of production in towns.
- The fall of the Tsarist government ushered in a new government called the Provisional
Government (Interim government) under the leadership of Alexander Kerensky.

THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT

- After the fall of the Tsarist government, the Petrograd politicians in the Duma declared Russia
as a new Republic.
- They set up a Provisional Government (temporal government) as they waited for elections later
in 1917.
- Alexander Kerensky was appointed to lead the Provision Government.
- From the start, the Provision Government was not popular among the many Russians.

REASONS WHY THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT WAS HATED AND LATER

OVERTHROWN BY THE BOLSHEVIKS

1. Many hated it because it appeared to be a government of the Mensheviks.

- It was only for the Rich Land Lords, Businessmen and very few workers and peasants hence it
was not the type of the revolution many anticipated.
2. Alexander Kerensky himself refused the peasants to take over land in the country side.
3. He also wanted to go ahead with the hated war to please Britain and France despite that the
soldiers were tied fighting and wished to go back home.
4. Kerensky also failed to address the problem of food shortages for workers in towns.
- He again delayed to make the much anticipated reforms after the fall of the Tsarist government
hence forcing the Bolsheviks to stage another revolution in October 1917.

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THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION OF 1917 (THE BOLSHEVIKS REVOLUTION)

- The October 1917 Revolution or the Bolsheviks Revolution brought an end to the Provisional
government and ushered in Communism in Russia.
- Lenin came back from exile in Switzerland in 1917 soon after the overthrow of the Tsarist
government.
- He believed that the March 1917 Revolution was not a complete one as he felt it was organized
and executed by the Mensheviks who were the minority.
- He quickly mobilized the Bolsheviks and became the leader.
- He came up with slogan of ‘Peace, Bread and Land’.
- For soldiers on the battle front, he promised them peace that he would bring an end to the
unpopular war by bringing them back home.
- He promised bread to workers and everyone in towns
- He also promised land to be given to the peasants in the countryside.
- Soldiers and workers also had set up Soviets (Councils) to run factories and towns.
- This made Lenin add to his slogan that “All power to the Soviets”!
- He also got support from those Councils in Petrograd capitals of Russia.
- In few months, Lenis was known throughout Russia because he ordered the Soviets not to
cooperate with the Provisional government.
- As a result, demonstrations broke out against the Provisional Government across Russia hence
Alexander Kerensky (leader of the government) blamed these on the Bolsheviks and called
Lenin a German agent.
- Kerensky therefore issued arrest warrants for all Bolshevik leaders.
- In Petrograd, Lenin set up his own fighting wing known as the Red Guards (Red Army)
controlled by his friend a trained Army Commander by the name of Leon Trotsky.

LEON TROTSKY

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 - By 20th October, 1917, the Petrograd Soviet was determined to seize power so it worked hand
in hand with the Moscow telephonists and the Sailors of the Aurora.
- On 6th November 1917, the Bolsheviks called for a strike.
- Soldiers and Sailors mutinied in the barracks and in ports against the Provisional Government.
- On the same day, Trotsky and the Red Guards marched on Government buildings in Petrograd
and took over key buildings and installations such as Railway stations and telephone exchange
centres.
- Trotsky and the Red Guards arrested all Provisional Government officials while some were
killed except Kerensky who escaped abroad.
- They took over government with less resistance and two days later, the All- Russian Congress
of Soviets met in Petrograd.
- Those who opposed the Bolsheviks walked out and this left control of the Soviets in the hands
of the Bolsheviks.
- Later, Trotsky turned to the Tsar and killed him together with his family.
- By 17th November 1917, Lenin was installed as a new leader of Russia and changed his party
from the Bolshevik to Communist Party and adopted a red flag with a new symbol of a
Hammer and Sickle, symbolizing union between workers and peasants.
- As a new Russian leader, Lenin immediately came up with the following economic reforms
aiming at improving the collapse economy:
1. He grabbed land from the Rich land Lords (Nobles) and distributed it to the peasants to produce
more food and bread for the starving masses in the country.
2. Factories and workshops were seized by the state without compensation.
3. Private ownership of property was abolished hence factories were nationalized and became
government property.
4. Labour was made compulsory in government factories to produce more food.
5. The public debts of the previous governments were cancelled.
6. The Russian Orthodox Church was abolished.
7. To fulfill the promise for peace, the Bolshevik Government pulled Russia out of war by asking
Germany for an armistice (end to war).
- In March 1918, a Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed between Germany and Russia in which:
i. Russia lost one-quarter (1/4) of her best Ukrainian wheat producing agricultural land to Germany.
ii. Russia lost her railways and some industrial areas which included Coal and Iron Ore fields.
iii. Russia had to pay 300 Million gold rubies in reparation.
- The terms of the treaty represented the cost of peace.

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