The Russian Revolution: From Tsarist Autocracy to Communism

The Russian Revolution

In 1917, the Russian Empire went through a revolutionary process which put an end to the autocratic government of Tsar Nicholas II.

Before the Revolution

In 1900, the Russian Empire had the following characteristics:

• The government was autocratic.
• The economy was semi-feudal.
• There was social unrest.

The Causes of the Revolution

During the rule of Tsar Nicholas II (1894-1917), his autocratic power decreased for various reasons:

• The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905): Russia and Japan fought for control of Manchuria. The war was unpopular because new taxes were imposed in order to pay for the conflict.
• The appearance of political parties: Despite being forbidden, various political parties were created which opposed the Tsar.
• The 1905 Revolution: In January 1905, the industrial workers in St. Petersburg moved peacefully on the Winter Palace, the Tsar's residence, to ask for improvement in working conditions and political reform.
• Participation in the First World War: In 1914, the Russian Empire took part in the war because it was allied with Great Britain and France.

The 1917 Revolutions

In 1917, there was a revolution which took place in two phases: the liberal-bourgeois revolution in February and the socialist-proletariat revolution in October.

The February Revolution: The Provisional Government

In February of 1917, there was a successful revolution of workers in Petrograd, supported by soldiers and peasants. They protested about the disasters of the war and the shortage of food, and demanded Russian withdrawal from the war.

Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate. In March, a Provisional Government was formed, made up of liberals and Menshevik socialists led by the socialist Alexander Kerensky. The new government proclaimed Russia a republic and a democratic regime. A parallel government was created, led by the Petrograd Soviet. The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, gained the support of the soviets.

The October Revolution: Bolshevik Government

In the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks, organized into soviets and led by Lenin and Trotsky, attacked the Winter Palace in Petrograd, the seat of the Provisional Government.

They established a new proletarian government. Lenin's government actions included:

• Signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, which allowed Russia to withdraw from the war.
• Changing the name of the Bolshevik party to the Communist Party and making it the only legal political party.
• Founding the Third International to coordinate all the communist parties around the world.

In January 1918, a civil war broke out in Russia (1918-1921) between the counter-revolutionaries and the new regime.