The Russian Revolution
Years and years of discontent of the people concerning the social and political systems of Russia began building up before the 1900s. The people began to let their voices be heard and this time the government officials couldn’t hide away. In 1905, a group of peaceful protesters marched to Czar Nicholas’ Winter Palace in St. Petersburg then known as Petrograd. The people intended to get the Czar’s attention concerning the status of the nation. They wanted change in working conditions. The people were led by Father Gapon. What they didn’t know though, was that the Czar was not even at his palace that day. The crowd gathered around the palace gates just before the guards opened fire into the mass. Estimates of the death rate go as high as 5,000.
The middle class of Russian people was appalled by this tragedy. It did not help that Russia fought a costly battle with the Japanese during this time. The Russians eventually lost this war. Throughout all of this, the Czar seemed unknowing of the national sentiment towards him and his government. He continued to govern during this time.
As more and more people were becoming more and more discontent, Czar Nicholas II tried to counter it with increased repression. He maintained control with the growing unrest by worsening his relations with the population. Of course this made the people madder and more aggressive. There were many riots across Russia, in cities, and countrysides. Peasants were raiding manors and killing nobles all over the country.
Czar Nicholas II was aided in his decisions by his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna and a Siberian monk named Gregory Rasputin. He allowed both of them great governmental decisions. Nicholas’s son Alexis was suffering from Hemophilia and Rasputin knew how to relieve the pain. Public opinion towards Rasputin was negative and he was regarded as being very evil.
In 1914 World War I began and Russia joined the British against the Germans. When Russia entered the war their country was in shambles because of the poor decision making of Czar Nicholas and his advisors. Russia’s industry and military were very weak. These weaknesses lead to many Russian defeats and the loss of thousands and thousands of lives. The people of Russia were hitting a new peak of unrest, as they wanted to get out of the war before losing more lives.
In February 1917 riots broke out in St. Petersburg by workers and soldiers a like. They had had enough of the war and the czar and they wanted change. A provisional government was established to try to regain control of the country. Nicholas knowing he had no control abdicated the throne in favor of his brother Michael. The next day Michael renounced his claim.
Alexandr Kerensky led the provisional government after Nicholas abdicated the throne. He tried to gain control and establish its authority but was unsuccessful. Later that month on October 25th the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government. The Bolsheviks were lead by Communist Vladimir Lenin. The Bolsheviks immediately took Russia out of the war but with unfavorable terms. Then in 1918 the Bolsheviks executed the former Czar and his family. Also that year Lenin changed the name of Bolsheviks to the Russian Communist party. This government remained in power for years. They tried to change the social and economic status of the nation. For the most part the nation did not trust the Soviets, but they grew to join the party and rally behind them. Stalin was a profound torchbearer of the precedent made by these Bolsheviks, and the rest is, as they say, history.