A political factor that caused the Russian Revolution was absolutism. As stated in Document 2, absolutism caused strikes, illegal proclamations, underground circles, etc. Document 4 shows the numerous strikes that took place before the Russian Revolution, due to the Bolsheviks’ point of view toward absolutism. Document 3 was stated by a delegate at Samara who talked about absolutism. He believed that the people should own the land.
In January 1905, there was a revolutionary tide in Russia. This was mainly caused by the defeat of the Russo-Japanese War in September and the Bloody Sunday Incident in January. In the country, workers, peasants and merchants were holding demonstrations in order to express their discontent to the Tsarist government. Although Nicholas II issued the October Manifesto to pacify the discontent of people temporarily, he still had to face some problems after the 1905 Revolution. To regain the support from people, he needed to carry out the reforms in the October Manifesto.
By early 1917 all the ingredients for revolution existed in Russia. (a) What does Source A tell us about the problems facing Tsar Nicholas II in 1917? (4 marks) (b) Describe the key features of the government of Russia under Tsar Nicholas II before the revolution in February 1917. (6 marks) (c) Explain the effects of the February Revolution on Russia in 1917. (8 marks) (d) Explain why the Bolsheviks were able to seize power in October 1917.
Since Russia was formed, it was always ruled over by a monarchy. Examples of this are Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Alexander I ("Background Note: Russia"). In 1905 there was a Russian Revolution due to the defeat in the Russo-Japanese war which forced the monarch to grant a constitution introducing democratic reforms. In 1917 there was another revolution. This revolution resulted from the horrific defeats in World War I for the Russians and internal pressures.
Assess the effectiveness of the Bolshevik government in creating changes in society in the period 1917-1928. During the years 1917 through to 1928 the Bolshevik government created changes within society, in the areas of social relationships within classes, a result of political and economic changes, education, health, religion and women. In order to assess the extent to which these changes were effective it is important to look at the original aims of the Bolsheviks. The extent to which they achieved these aims determines their overall effectiveness is creating changes within society. A change in society occurred in June of 1918 with the introduction of War Communism.
How far do you agree that Trotsky’s leadership of the red army was responsible for the survival of the Bolshevik government? In October 1917 the Bolshevik’s took control of Russia after staging a revolution. However they faced many dangers/threats while in power from the years 1917-1924 such as a civil war and the economic crisis it caused. The leadership of the red army by Trotsky is a very important reason that the Bolsheviks got into power as his red army implanted the revolution but also to the survival of the Bolsheviks as the red army overcame the Bolsheviks biggest threat of the civil war. However there are other reason which just as or more important than Trotsky’s leadership such as the ideas and sacrifices made by Lenin during the year’s 1917-1924 such as signing the harsh treaty of Brest-Litovsk and enforcing the New Economic Policy or NEP, to create economic sacrifices rather than political ones which allowed the Bolsheviks to remain in power.
On the other hand, it can be argued that Trotsky’s leadership of the Red Army during the Civil War was just as, or even more important in the Bolsheviks’ seizure of power, as was the image of the Bolsheviks as being patriotic heroes fighting against Tsarist leaders and foreign invaders. Obviously, it was the October Revolution which brought the Bolshevik Party into power, giving them control of Russia. It can therefore be said that, had this not occurred, then it is incredibly unlikely that the Bolsheviks would ever have come into power. The Revolution was, of course, Lenin’s major goal (though in the end it was organised by Trotsky) for his party, and it was through his leadership and staunch dedication to the fall of the Provisional Government that the Bolsheviks eventually seized power in October 1917. Had it not been for Lenin, the Bolsheviks would never have taken power in the first place, as free elections were to be held in November 1917, with the Social Revolutionaries (SRs) being the most popular at the time.
By December 1917 central Russia and Siberia were under the control of Lenin’s government. The Brest-Litovsk peace agreement between Germany and Communist Russia galvanized significant portions of Russia's population to violently oppose the Bolshevik government. The White armies evolved out of this opposition and became the principal threat to the Bolshevik regime.
‘The October Revolution was the most significant turning point in the development of Russian government.’ How far do you agree? If a ‘turning point’ can be taken to describe a significant irreversible shift in the course of history, then certainly the October Revolution in 1917 can be described as one. Yet whether it was the most substantial event in determining the course of Russian government in the years after is debateable. To assess whether this is truly the case, the Bolshevik uprising can be compared against other key turning points, such as Khrushchev’s ‘Destalinisation’ and Alexander II’s assassination, in terms of their effects on the ideology of government, whether or not it altered the structure of government in any way, if representation was reformed and if the tools of government changed whatsoever as a result. Arguably Russia’s transformation from an autocratic state to a communist one was the greatest modification in the whole period 1855 to 1964, however, despite differing ideals there was in fact a large amount of continuity between the idealistically different styles of governance.
This was the last of the direct line of the Romanov family. The after math of the death of Nicholas ii, the instant effect of the February Revolution was a widespread atmosphere of euphoria and excitement in Petrograd. On 16 March, a provisional government was declared and was led by alexander Kerensky. The socialists had formed their rival body, the Petrograd Soviet four days earlier. The Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government contended for power over