1917 Russian Revolutions Ms Leslie History 12 FebruaryMarch

1917 Russian Revolutions Ms Leslie History 12

February/March Revolution § Begins with street demonstrations in Petrograd over food shortages § Feb 25/March 8 1917 - International Women’s Day. A group of women demonstrated against high food prices § At the same time Revolutionaries are calling for workers demonstrations

§ Feb 26, 200, 000 people gathered in the streets § Tsar ordered Cossacks stop them, they refused. § Tsar ordered in the troops; dozens of protesters killed § Feb 27, troops join protesters and kill their commander § Protesters get weapons and burn down the police head quarters and hunt tsarist supporters § Feb 28, Tsarist ministers under arrest and the police had vanished.

§ Tsar is busy at the front of WWI § When informed of riots he thinks nothing of it and stays put § Petrograd is controlled by revolutionaries within 24 hours

Tsar’s Reaction § Dissolves the Duma § Tries to return to the capital but is stuck § Revolutionaries blocked the train tracks to stop his return and ensure the revolution is a success

Moscow’s fate § Falls by March 14 § Tsar abdicates in an attempt to keep domestic tranquility and the war effort. § Also abdicated for his son (an action which is illegal under the 1797 Law of Succession § This fact would make people question the legitimacy of the provisional government

March 16 § The Moscow Soviet and the Duma get together and create a Provisional Government, § It is made up of moderates and some Soviet radicals § Promises : a Constituent Assembly with universal secret ballot and to legalize Strikes

Interesting fact § Important to note that the revolutionary leders (Lenin and Trotsky) were not even in the country § Lenin was exiled in Switzerland. § Trotsky in New York

Provisional Government § Made up of Liberal Duma members § led by Prince Georgii Lvov § Vowed to hold elections for a constituent assembly § Always had problems with legitimacy § Ruled for 8 months § In the middle of WWI and social turmoil § Lvov wants to stay in the war and honour commitments

Provisional Government’s goals § Civil rights, Minority autonomy, rule of law § Self government at every level § Goals not attainable in war time

Struggle for power § The Provisional government had disagreements between the Liberals who thought the revolution had gone too far and the Marxists who thought it didn’t go far enough

PG Problems § Order #1 - gave soviet’s authority over army § Made the army a democracy - No more hierarchy § Army discipline begins to unravel § Bad idea to over haul the army in the middle a war!!!

§ PG’s priority was government reform, not fixing the catastrophic conditions in Russia § Most of the agricultural land was owned by the rich. Peasants were still starving § No immediate plans for land reform § 90% of the population becomes impatient

Other things the PG did § § § Independence to Poland Finland Freed political prisoners Made plans for judicial reform Drafted legislation for self-government But things are easier said then done. Have to put things on hold and deal with food shortages

The PG and the War § Could not hold and election in the chaos of Germans at their borders § Feel they are not a legitimate government due to not being elected § Thought the Russian people wanted to continue the war - this is completely wrong

Return of Lenin § In Switzerland during Feb Revolution § Heard about the Bolsheviks aligning with the PG and is infuriated § It’s important to note that most Bolsheviks were living outside of Russia at the time due to exile, the ones remaining in Russia were led by Stalin

How to get back to Russia? § Germany knew if Lenin returned to Russia he would come in to power and pull Russia from the war, giving a great help to Germany

§ The Germans provided Lenin and 100 other Bolsheviks with a sealed train across Germany. § This would cause Lenin to be accused later of being a German Spy on the Kaiser’s Payroll.

Lenin Arrives!!! § April 3 to cheering crowds gives his ‘April Thesis’ which promises: ‘Peace, Land Bread’ Proletariat to bring a communist revolution Wants to end coalition and give ‘all power to the soviets’ Immediate peace Seizure of gentry’s land factories § Most think he’s crazy as they just had a revolution why have another?

§ Shortly after Lenin’s arrival, Trotsky also returns from exile. § Is Lenin’s 2 nd in command

June 1917 § Kerensky was the leding commander for the war and saw a future in Russia if they were to follow a democratic path § Fights the Bolsheviks when they try to over throw Lvov § But the people want ‘Peace, land bread’ § 30, 000 troops desert. Known to kill officers when ordered to fight

§ Kerensky arrested Trotsky and Lenin fled to Finland § After major unrest in July Lvov is replaced by Kerensky, § Kerensky is leder until Lenin’s take over

September § Loose alliance between Kerensky’s socialists and General Kornilov’s Constitutional Democrats § Kornilov Affair - Kerensky and Kornilov send troops into Petrograd to stop a disturbance. Kornilov betrays Kerensky attempts a coup § Kerensky defended the government by freeing the Bolsheviks he jailed and armed them. This was the beginning of ‘The Red Guard’

§ The Red Guard was able to convince many of Kornilov’s soldiers to desert § They arrested Kornilov § Kerensky dissolved the coalition § This affair gave the Bolsheviks a majority in the Petrograd and Moscow Soviets

The October/November Revolution § Night of October 24 th/November 6 § They seized key centers of power in Petrograd such as government buildings, telegraph offices and bridges. § Kerensky fled the city in search of supporters, in finding none he fled to America.

§ Lenin returned from Finland on Oct 23 rd and arrests the PG § There’s little resistance § The ease of which the PG fell shows how little support it had.

§ Most of the Great Russian cities fell to Bolshevik control while the countryside remained in a political vacuum with little in their lives changing.

The first months § called for an immediate end to the war with peace offers § announced all of Russia’s land belonged to the peasants. This is contrary to communism § The third decree was for self-determination for ethnic minority groups. § The capital was moved to Moscow, a more secure location.

Problems for Peace § Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March of 1918. Germany dictated the terms and Russia lost 26% of population, 27% of farmland 74% of iron or and coal. § Trotsky fought against these demands, but Lenin knew Russia had to get out of the war fast or risk losing the socialist revolution. § After the war, Russia was able to get a lot of the land back, except for Finland the Baltic states.

Problems for Food § During the winter of 1917 -18 there were food shortages in the cities. § Party members were sent out to the villages to confiscate food or buy it with worthless paper money, this angered the peasants.

Problems for Food § In 1919 -20 Famine § Party members were given rations while others starved § Moscow lost half its population and Petrograd lost 2/3. § In 1921 the Volga famine saw several million people starve. § Diseases such as cholera and typhoid were rampant

Had to resort to cannibalism

Lenin’s steps to Communism 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Peasants seized land Factories under worker control Banks nationalized Private accounts confiscated Foreign trade = state monopoly Opposition groups illegal including Mensheviks 7. Counterrevolutionary Committee established

War Communism § enterprises were put under direct state control and Mining, textile, electrical, forestry, resin, glass, mills, cement industry etc. § workers under military discipline compulsory labour § Rationing replaced private trade

§ Peasants did not want to give the government anything as they got little in return. § The government had to feed the Red Army so food was taken from peasants at gunpoint and peasant uprisings were ruthlessly crushed.

First elections after the war § This new Constituent Assembly gave the Social Revolutionary party 51% of the seats with the Bolsheviks winning only 25%. The rest of the seats went to Mensheviks and Cadets. § It convened in January of 1918 and on the second day Bolshevik guards barred the doors of the Assembly hall on Lenin’s orders.

The Cheka § The Secret Police § acronym of ‘Extraordinary Commission to Combat Counter-Revolution and Sabotage’. § The leder was Feliks Dzerzhinskii and he was charged with being the ‘sword of the revolution’ and would dispose of state enemies real or imagined. § He set up a series of prison and labour camps, the worlds first concentration camp system.

Trouble in the party § The Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries’ plotted against the Bolsheviks. § Assassinations on Bolshevik leders were made; Lenin himself received 2 bullet wounds. § The reprisals escalated into the Red Terror, which killed 100, 000 people and caused 2 million more to leave the country.

Civil War 1918 -1920 § Anti-Bolshevik forces (the Whites) were preparing for a counter-revolution. led by Kornilov! § Tsarist Army Officers, Cossacks, Bourgeoisie, Outlawed political groups § Allies sent troops to strategic locations in Russia, but many of the war-weary troops could not be counted on. In the Black Sea French troops mutinied. British dock-workers refused to load ships bound for Russia.

§ The Whites mostly controlled the countryside while the Red had major Urban centers § Allied support was in material only (not actual fighting) all it did was start the ground work for the Cold War (Communism vs Capitalism)

§ By 1920 Bolshevik Russia had triumphed. § By 1921 the revolution was successful everywhere but Finland, Poland the Baltic states. § In Siberia resistance only lasted as long at there was Japanese presence, by 1922 they were gone. § Lenin and the Bolsheviks had to rebuild their devastated country. No other country was as damaged by WWI as Russia.

5 reasons the Bolsheviks Won 1. They controlled central regions and communication centers. They could transfer troops quickly to where there was need. The Whites had longer supply lines and lacked communication in rural areas. 2. The Whites were not organized. They did not have a political agenda for propaganda campaigns. The White leders fought amongst themselves and would not co-ordinate their efforts.

3. Mood of the people: 1. Whites were middle/upper class 2. Reds were lower class 3. pogrom campaigns made it hard for Western powers to justify their aid to the Whites. Especially when White leder Deniken ordered the slaughter of 100, 000 Jews in the Ukraine. 4. The White’s allied support was little more the lip service

5. Red Army was huge. In 1920 is was the largest in the world, numbering 5. 5 million men led by Trotsky overcame problems with lack of leadership by forcing ex-Czarists officers to serve. A dual command system was put in place and political commissars added to all army units.

Death of the Tsar § On the night of 16/17 July 1918, the royal family was awakened around 2: 00 am, told to dress, and led down into a half-basement room at the back of the house; anti-Bolshevik forces were approaching § Present with Nicholas, Alexandra and their children were their doctor, and three of their servants, who had voluntarily chosen to remain with family - the Tsar's personal physician, his wife's maid, and the family's chef, and footman

§ A firing squad had been assembled and was waiting in an adjoining room, composed of seven Communist soldiers § Nicholas was carrying his son; when the family arrived in the basement, the former empress complained that there were no chairs for them to sit in. § chairs were brought in, and when the empress and the heir were seated, the executioners filed into the room

§ It was announced to them that they had been condemned to death by the Ural Soviet of Workers' Deputies § Tsar replied, "You know not what you do, " paraphrasing Jesus' words on the cross.

§ Nicholas was the first to die; he was shot multiple times in the head and chest. § Anastasia, Tatiana, Olga, and Maria survived the first hail of bullets; the sisters were wearing over 1. 3 kilograms of diamonds and precious gems sewn into their clothing, which provided some initial protection from the bullets and bayonets. § They were stabbed with bayonets and then shot at close range in the head.

§ An official announcement appeared in the national press two days later, announcing the killing of the Tsar, but not of his family. § Their remains were Found in 1991, but not confirmed until 1998. These remains did not include the son or one of the sisters, their remains were not found until 2007 § On 1 October 2008, Russia's Supreme Court ruled that Nicholas II and his family were victims of political repression and should be rehabilitated.

Economic Policies § The USSR emerged from long years of World war, Civil war and famine. Losses were in the millions and production was at an all time low. § many more millions had fled the country to avoid political persecution. § War Communism was beginning to collapse.

§ Lenin came to the realization in 1921 that he would have to be more flexible to have economic recovery.

New Economic Policy (NEP) 1. Some private trade permitted 2. Allowed to sell surplus (after taxes of course) 3. Factories with less then 25 employes could purchase their factory for joint ownership. § This policy was in direct disagreement with Bolshevik principals but it was a tactical move; peasants would produce more if authorities didn’t confiscate it.

NEP Con’t § Small businessmen were allowed more freedoms, given the ability to hire and fire workers and buy and sell goods as they pleased. § This new businessman was labeled a ‘Nepman’. § Unions were given greater freedom with the ability to strike against private capitalists

§ With the NEP grain production increased by 22 million tones. § Despite this there was a famine and 5 million more starved to death. § And cannibalism was known to be common in the most affected areas.

Foreign Relations § Russia was an isolated country following the Revolution and Civil War § The West did offer humanitarian aid during the famines. § Western countries also wanted to block the spread of communism while the Bolsheviks wanted to break out of their isolation.

German-Soviet Deal Treaty of Rapallo § In 1922 Lloyd George tried to bring Germany and Russia into the European trade system The French blocked this deal and the German-Soviet deal came into reality from this.

German-Soviet Deal Con’t § Both cancelled debts § USSR to make illegal war materials for Germany forbidden by Versailles § Germany to give USSR Steel manufacturing technology § Germany was able to develop weapon systems and train soldiers until 1934

Politics § Political freedom was taken away despite an increase in economic freedom. § The Kadet political party was banned in 1917 and Mensheviks leders were allowed to leave the USSR in 1921. § Lenin knew of the opposition within his own party § In 1921 the party was purged and 200, 000 of the 730, 000 Party Members were thrown out § After 1922 most of the anti-communist opposition was eliminated

§ In 1922 the Cheka was replaced by the more efficient GPU (The State Political Administration – Gosudarstvennoe Politicheskoe Upravlenie) Which could arrest party members, something the Checka could not do

§ In 1922 Stalin was made Party Secretary so use his organizational skills to streamline the Party. § He introduced a filing system that allowed him to control all the information on party members. § This job would help him take over later

International Politics § Communist theory is that once your country becomes communist, you must spread the joy. § Germany and Hungary had Communist rebellions § In 1919 Communist International (Comintern) was set up to assist in international communist revolutions

§ In 1922 the Bolshevik Party was renamed the Communist Party and was referred to as ‘The Party’ § Russia also became known as the USSR - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Lenin’s Will § Lenin new of the power Stalin was gaining and it worried him. § In his Will he wrote that he recommended the party replace Stalin with some one ‘more tolerant, more loyal, more polite and more considerate. ’ § He also wrote he felt Trotsky was the most capable man to led the USSR § Unfortunately, only his wife knew about the Will.

Lenin’s Health § Lenin’s health had been in decline due to the strain of the revolution. § The assassination attempt on his life had left a bullet lodged in his neck until April 1922 when a German doctor removed it. § In May 1922 He had his first stroke and was Paralyzed on his right side, his role in government declined. He had a second stroke in December and retired from politics all together.

§ In March 1923 he had a third stroke and was bedridden and speechless the rest of his life. § He died on January 21, 1924, over 900, 000 passed through the Hall of Columns while he laid in state for 4 days

§ The city of Petrograd was renamed Leningrad 3 days after his death, until 1991 when it reverted back to it’s original name of St. Petersburg. § His body was embalmed and put on permanent display in the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow on January 27, 1924.

§ The USSR is plunged into a bitter battle for ledership § More of that laters