The Path to Revolution







  

The Path to Revolution

This page will discuss the Reasons can causes of the Russian Revolution of 1917

Since the time of Ivan the Terrible the Czars of Russia have been gaining increasing power and control over the government. The Czars would either compensate the nobles (boyars), by giving them ore control of the land and its occupants or by simply taking the power form them by force. By granting control of land and its occupants, serfdom began. Serfdom tied the workers to the land. By the time of Catherine the Great the czars had virtually had autocratic rule over the nobles.
With the increasing presence of Western technology, western humanitarian ideals were being acquired by groups of educated Russians. Revolution and change was in the mind of certain Russian citizens. The Decrembrist revolt of in the year 1825 was an example. A group of young military officers had planned an attempt to force the czar to accept a constitutional monarchy, and to prevent Nicholas I form taking power. They failed miserably, and Nicholas I assumed the throne later that year.
Czar Alexander II abolished serfdom in 1861. This did very little to help the peasants of Russia. Emancipation of the Serfs imposed harsh economic conditions on the serfs, and did not satisfy their need for farmland. The attempts of the lower classes backfired and caused the government to become more conservative.
Concurrently, Russia was expanding territory. It's borders reached to Afghanistan and China. The Russian Empire had also acquired territory on the pacific coast. Several seaports were also established. These ports included Vladivostok and Port Arthur. The Trans Siberian rail way (built form 1891-1905) helped link Russia with its new territories, and helped move commerce along.
In 1894 Nicholas II had acceded to the throne. He was a very incompetent leader and so was many in his cabinet. Due to Russia's presence in the Far East Japan attacked. This started the Russo-Japneese war. It was an utter disaster for Russia. The Japanese army and navy were superior to that of Russia. Around the same time the Revolution of 1905 occurred. The revolution took place on January 22. A group of defenseless workers, led by a priest went to the czar’s winter home to stage a peaceful demonstration, in an attempt for the government to pass reforms. When the defenseless workers approached the home, troops opened fire. Many were killed or wounded. This event also got the nickname "bloody Sunday". These two events resulted in several riots, mutinies, and peasant outbreaks. As a result of these riots, assassinations, ect, the Czar established a Duma, or elected congress.
To make matters worse World War one began in 1914. Russia was heavily evolved with the fighting. Russia was ill equipped to fight, and the war was taking a serious toll. The loss of life was astronomical. Famine and disease swept the country. Czar Nicholas was not even in control of the country. He was directing troops at the front. With all these factors and the current state of Russia, the climate was ripe for a revolution...