Influenced by the Russian Revolution of 1917, a series of strikes and revolts had broken out making Italy nothing but a ground for organised crime. The elected liberal government could not do anything but stand and watch as riot let loose leaving Benito Mussolini to take matters into his own hands in order to combat unrest, manipulating Italy’s Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti in the making, this being the beginning of Mussolini’s rise to power. One of Mussolini’s first moves, inspired by the red shirts, was to gather nationalist intellectuals, young land owners whom opposed peasants and former army officers to form a group known as the Paramilitary Blackshirts – Mussolini’s military tool in his political movement. This was the beginning of the growth of Fascism in Italy. The paramilitary Blackshirts were used by Mussolini to torture those who opposed the fascist movement, as Mussolini’s power grew, the Paramilitary Blackshirts methods became harsher and Fascism grew.
Some peasants left to work in the cities as the Tsar wanted Russia to be an industrial power, however the living conditions there hardly improved, which matched their dreadful working conditions. This poor treatment is what led to the 1917 strikes that helped force the Tsar to abdicate from the throne. This was an important factor in bringing down the Tsar because with so many people opposing him (over the years, because of food shortages and war failures, they were supported by women and army members, and the number of workers on strike rose to 250 000), he had no choice but to give up. However, I believe there is more causes behind this so I wouldn’t label it the most important factor of the Tsar’s abdication. Russia’s poor performance in WW1 played a very significant role in bringing down the Tsar too.
Although, the development of change already faced opposition from right-winged supporters, including rich landowners who feared social changes that the Republic would try to implement. Under Generals Sanjurjo, Franco and Mola, the Spanish Civil War began as a military coup, which was aimed to put an end to the democratic political change that was seen in 1931. As seen in Italy with Mussolini in 1922 and with Hitler in Germany in 1933, one could argue that the rise of fascism subsequently kick started the demand of a takeover in Spain. But, we have to bear in mind the bad timing of 1931 to implement such a change, with the worldwide economic crisis caused by the 1929 Wall Street Crash in America, and the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, there was now fear throughout Europe of communism and revolution. Although at the beginning of the rebellion, the three main generals were not actually all in Spain.
This was an economic concession that Lenin was forced to make due to the deteriorating economic conditions and the real threat of a revolt against the Bolshevik government. It was always intended as a temporary measure, and the question after Lenin’s death wasn’t whether it should continue or not, but how it should be put an end to. The debate lay between the left-wing, lead by Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev, who advocated a quick movement into rapid industrialisation, which would mean abandoning the New Economic Policy, militarising the labour forces and exploiting peasants for grain to fund the industrialisation; and the right-wing, led by Bukharin, who wanted to continue the New Economic Policy for another 20 years, which would mean peasants would grow wealthier and be encouraged to buy consumer goods, which in turn would lead to more products being made in factories and a gradual process of industrialisation. This became a passionate issue because economic policy was also at the heart of the debate of what a socialist society should look like. The growth of a rich super class led to activities such as property dealing, land speculation, gambling and prostitution, all of which conflicted greatly with the ideology of Communism.
How did authoritarian governments emerge in the different countries of Spain, Germany, and Italy? Since the countries were in a state of depression, the government became weak, and this gave political parties a chance to rise to power. Mussolini increased military powers in Italy, and gained the favor of the people. He rose to dictatorship, and Hitler also increased military power. Later, Franco rose to power and ruled Spain.
All Russian governments in this period faced strong opposition to their regime with the period as a whole punctuated by riots, disturbances and revolutions. Political change was expected in Russia during this period, particularly during the Tsarist regime where the growth of the revolutionary intelligentsia, ironically an effect of the Great Reforms, led many to question the need for a Tsar or a royal family at all. The first main success of political opposition is widely considered to be the assassination of Alexander II at the hands of the People’s Will in 1881. Although they assassinated their Tsar, it is very likely this did not actually lead to their desired outcome, it being greater political freedom/democracy. Many historians have said Alexander II was considering the formation of a parliament in Russia.
During the fifteenth century, Italy was constantly struggling to stay strong and unified. This gave Barbarians, France, and Spain a perfect opportunity to invade Italy and battle for control. Since Italy did not have one unified, cenralized government, there was much confussion and chaos throughout the country. For over fifteen years, the French and Spanish battled eachother to dominate Italy. The Italian writer and poet, Niccolo Machiavelli, wrote a world famous book titled The Prince, which gave suggestions on how a proper ruler should lead his country.
Their plan was to use the money they were going to receive from Germany and Austria, but the Central powers never followed through. Financial collapse seemed everywhere, spreading like wildfire. In May 1931, the largest bank in Austria even collapsed. It was evident that the Depression had taken its toll. In 1930 President Roosevelt won election and started the New deal in hopes of turning American strife around.
Ironically, one of the lasting actions by the Bolsheviks was the attempted indoctrination of German prisoners-of-war. Many of these troops were eventually transferred to the Western Front which was still raging in 1918, but some of them were virtually useless as soldiers. When the war ended, they returned to Germany, where many threw themselves into the post-war revolution then tearing at Germany's social fabric. The opposing fascists eventually gained control of the country and added further tragic chapters to the history of Russia and Eastern
Causes of the Russian Revolution, Feb 1917 With a complex dynamic such as that of 1917 Russia there cannot be one single cause, we must examine whether it was the long term, medium term or short term causes that was the biggest catalyst in causing the revolution. The Tsarist Autocratic system had failed to industrialize Russia and prevented it from becoming a major European power. In 1905 the Russian people were not happy with every aspect of their life, which caused social unrest leading to a year of “revolution”. The war was not going well for Russia and with the Tsar in charge of the army, leaving the Tsarina to rule at home matters were only made worse. The War also had massive social and economic impacts on Russia that resulted in a strike that ended with a revolution.