The Russian Revolution: From Tsarism's Fall to the USSR

The February Revolution and Dual Power (1917)

On February 23, 1917, a large demonstration occurred in Petrograd, quickly followed by a general strike and riots in the barracks. Facing widespread unrest, the Tsar abdicated, and a republic was proclaimed.

This new republic was headed by a Provisional Government, which promised to call constituent elections to establish Russia as a parliamentary democracy. The new government initiated political and social reforms, but crucially, they decided to remain committed to their allies in World War I.

The Provisional Government's Challenges

The commitment to the war made it difficult to improve the living conditions of the population and implement the anticipated land reform. Popular discontent grew, and the Soviets began to demand the dismissal of the government. The forces that had united to end the Tsar's rule began to break up, and a duality of power emerged, challenging the authority of the Provisional Government.

The Bolshevik Ascent and October Revolution

Most of the Soviets supported the Bolsheviks. Their leader, Vladimir Lenin, returned to Russia from exile and published his new ideas in the April Theses.

Lenin's April Theses and Revolutionary Decrees

Lenin proposed radical changes, including:

• Establishing a government of worker and peasant Soviets.
• Signing a peace treaty with Germany.
• Distributing land among the peasants.
• Giving workers control of the factories.
• Nationalizing the banks.
• Recognizing the nationalities of the Russian Empire.

The Bolsheviks created an armed militia, the Red Guards, and prepared for an insurrection. The revolution quickly spread to Moscow and other industrial regions.

The Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets, meeting in Petrograd, proclaimed a workers' government led by Lenin, which included key figures like Trotsky and Stalin.

In November 1917, elections were held for the Constituent Assembly, which had been convened by the Provisional Government. Although the Bolsheviks won a majority in cities and industrial regions, fearing groups opposing the revolution, Lenin dissolved the Assembly, effectively ending political pluralism in the new Soviet Russia.

The new government decreed the first revolutionary measures:

• Land was expropriated for distribution among the peasants.
• Workers' committees were given control of factories.

Civil War and the Birth of the USSR

In 1918, those who supported the return of Tsarism or the maintenance of a liberal political system took up arms against the Soviet government. This counter-revolutionary force, known as the White Army, confronted the Red Army, led by Trotsky. The White Army received help from French, British, Japanese, and American troops.

The Civil War lasted three years and brought great misery to the population, who suffered severe food shortages and a huge number of casualties. Ultimately, the Red Army won the war. This conflict solidified the Soviet regime and paved the way for the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).