Revolution in the Russian Empire

1. THE 1917 REVOLUTION

2. MAIN CAUSES
A) NICHOLAS
II’S
PERSONALITY
B) WORLD
WAR ONE
C) RASPUTIN’S
INFLUENCE ON
THE ROYAL
FAMILY
D) THE 1917
CRISIS

3. A) NICHOLAS II’S
PERSONALITY
 He belonged to the Romanov
Dynasty.
 He wanted to maintain an
absolute monarchy in
Russia.
 He established a policy of
severe repression.
 Nicholas II’s role in the 1905
Revolution:
 He wasn’t at the Winter
Palace when the Bloody
Sunday occurred. However,
many Russians blamed him
for the massacre.
 First he tried to suppress the
protests through a harsh
repression.
 Then he made many
promises (October
Manifesto) but he didn’t
comply with them.
 After that, he was considered
an untrustworthy person by
many Russians.

4. Why did Nicholas not comply with
the October Manifesto?
THESE ARE
SOME
EXAMPLES
OF WHAT
ACTUALLY
HAPPENED
IN RUSSIA
BETWEEN
1906-1908
 Instead of a Duma (Parliament) with fully
legislative functions  Nicholas II abolished
the Duma in 1906 (Later on it was re-opened
although it did not have important functions)
 Instead of a Constitution  Nicholas II passed
The Russian Fundamental Law of 23 April
1906 establishing his total control over the
legislative power, foreign policy, the army, the
police and the central government.
 Instead of civil rights and liberty  Prime
Minister Stolypin started a policy of
repression (between 1906-1908 more than
21,000 revolutionaries and normal people were
sent to prison and more than 1,000 were
executed)

5. B) WORLD WAR ONE
 Military defeats:
 In 1914 there were two military defeats at the
battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes
(250,000 casualties)
 In 1915 the Germans advanced into Russia.
One million soldiers died in a failed counter-
attack.
 Poor Preparation:
 The Russian troops were badly led and had
insufficient weapons (Nearly a million soldiers
were without rifles)
 Conditions in Russia:
 Fifteen million men were drafted into the
army which meant that there were not enough
left to run the factories or farm the land.
 Transport system:
 There were not enough trains to keep the
towns and army supplied with food.
 Inflation:
 To pay for the war the government printed
more money which caused the rouble to
lose its value. Between 1914 and 1917
there was a 400% rise in inflation. This
caused strikes and demonstrations
 The Tsar takes charge:
 In August 1915, the Tsar took personal
charge of the army. This was a mistake
because he was an incompetent
commander. He now made himself
responsible for Russian military
failures.
 The Tsarina:
 In the absence of the Tsar, the Tsarina
Alexandra was left in charge of the
government. She was German and
people did not trust her.
 Another problem was the huge influence
Rasputin exerted over her.

6. Russian death toll in WWI
Mobilized Dead Wounded Missing
Total
casualties
15,000,000 1,700,000 4,950,000 2,500,000 9,150,000

7. C) RASPUTIN’S INFLUENCE ON
THE ROYAL FAMILY
1. The Tsarina relied on Rasputin particularly
in the selection of ministers 
Unpopular among the Russian political
class.
2. There were rumours that they (Rasputin
and the Tsarina) were German agents
trying to undermine the war effort 
Unpopular among common people.
3. Since Rasputin once saved Prince Alexi’s
life and controlled his haemophilia, the
Tsar and Tsarina refused to pay
attention to Rasputin’s weird way of life
 Unpopular among the nobles.
4. In December 1916, a small group, led by
Prince Yusupov, assassinated Rasputin
 The unpopularity of the royal family
remained.

8. D) THE 1917 CRISIS
SHORT TERM
CAUSES
WHICH LED
TO THE
REVOLUTION
IN
FEBRUARY
1917
Fuel and food
shortages in
the most
important
cities
Strikes in factories
and demonstrations in
the streets
Chaos in the
government,
the army and
the
administration

9. A REVOLUTION IN TWO STEPS: FEBRUARY
AND OCTOBER

10. Major events in February 1917
February 23rd
On the International
Women’s Day a group of
women marched
protesting for the lack of
food in Petrograd.
February 25th
Over half of the city was
on strike
February 26th
The Tsar ordered the army
to disband the
demonstrators and closed
the Duma
February 27th
The army disobeyed and
mutinied. Soldiers
demanded the Duma to
seize power
Some MPs met to take
control of the situation and
formed the Provisional
Government
At the same time, the
Soviet of Petrograd was
created
February 28th
The Tsar tried to return to
Petrograd but he was
stopped by mutinied
soldiers.
March 2nd-3rd
The Tsar abdicated on his
brother, the Great Duke
Michael who did the same
24 hours later.
TSARISM WAS OVER

11. The Dual Power (I)
Provisional
Government
Soviet of
Petrograd
- SOCIAL
REVOLUTIONARY
(ESERS)
- MENSHEVIKS
- BOLSHEVIKS
- REVOLUTION
- WORKING CLASS
- KADET (HELP
FROM
MENSHEVIKS AND
ESERS)
- LIBERALISM
- MIDDLE CLASS
- UPPER
BOURGEOISIE

12. The Dual Power (II)
 Political prisoners were released and
revolutionary exiles were allowed to
return to Russia.
 Freedom of speech and press was
established
 An 8 hour day was introduced for
industrial workers
 The Tsar’s secret police (the Okhrana)
was abolished
 Equality for all was announced
(irrespective of class, religion or
nationality)
 The new Duma was to be elected by all
citizens through free elections
 This was the real source of power in
Petrograd since it had 3000 elected
members and the Provisional
Government could not rule without its
support.
 One of their first actions was to issue
Order Number One which gave them
control of the Russian army.
 They announced that they would accept
the rulings of the Provisional
Government but only if they thought
that they were appropriate.
Provisional Government Soviet of Petrograd

13. The Dual Power (III)
 They wanted to continue
the war.
 Food and fuel shortages
continued.
 Peasants took the land
from the nobles and the
Church whereas the
government was trying to
stop them.
 Democratic elections and
institutions were mere
promises since their
development was
postponed until the end of
the war.
 In April 1917 Lenin
returned from exile.
 He delivered a speech
called the April Thesis
promising peace, bread,
land and freedom.
 Lenin told the Bolsheviks
to be ready for a second
revolution: ‘All Power to the
Soviets’
The Provisional Government
became unpopular because…
The Bolsheviks became
popular because…

14. Events from April to October (I)
 APRIL:
 LENIN’S THESIS.
 MAY:
 RESTRUCTURATION OF THE PROVISIONAL
GOVERNMENT (KADETS, ESERS AND
MENSHEVIKS)
 PRINCE LVOV (PM)
 KERENSKY (MINISTER OF WAR)
 JUNE:
 FAILED RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE ON THE EASTERN
FRONT

15. Events from April to October (II)
 JULY:
 THE BOLSHEVIKS ORGANISED AND ARMED
DEMONSTRATION IN PETROGRAD TO TAKE THE
POWER (“JULY DAYS”)
 RIOTS LASTED THREE DAYS UNTIL THE
PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT WAS ABLE TO PUT AN
END TO THEM.
 AS RESULT THE BOLSHEVIK PARTY WAS BANNED.
LENIN WENT INTO EXILE AND TROTSKY WAS
INPRISONED.
 THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT CHANGED
AGAIN. LVOV RESIGNED AND KERENSKI BECAME
PM AND MINISTER OF WAR AT THE SAME TIME.

16. Events from April to October (III)
 AUGUST:
 TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAOS CREATED BY THE
BOLSHEVIKS, GENERAL KORNILOV (CHIEF
COMMANDER OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY) STAGED A COUP
(“KORNILOV’S PLOT”) AGAINST THE PROVISIONAL
GOVERNMENT. HE WANTED TO ESTABLISH A MILITARY
DICTATORSHIP.
 SINCE KERENSKI DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TROOPS IN
PETROGRAD TO STOP KORNILOV HE HAD TO GIVE
WEAPONS TO THE BOLSHEVIK MILITIA (“THE RED
GUARD”)
 THE BOLVSHEVIKS DEFEATED KORNILOV AND SAVE
THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. THEN THEY
REFUSED TO GIVE THEIR WEAPONS BACK.
 CONSEQUENTLY, THE BOLSHEVIKS IMPROVED THEIR
POLITICAL POSITION.

17. Events from April to October (IV)
 SEPTEMBER:
 THE BOLSHEVIKS BECAME THE MOST POPULAR
POLITICAL OPTION (AGAINST THE WAR WHEREAS
THE ESERS AND THE MENSHEVIKS SUPPORTED
THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT WHICH WAS IN
FAVOUR OF THE WAR)
 THE BOLSHEVISKS TOOK CONTROL OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT SOVIETS (E.G. TROTSKY WAS
RELEASED FROM PRISON AND BECAME
PRESIDENT OF THE SOVIET OF PETROGRAD)
 LIVING CONDITIONS WERE EVEN WORSE.

18. The October Revolution
October 9th
Lenin secretly came back
to Petrograd
October 10th
Lenin ordered to seize
power through an armed
insurrection
October 24th
Bolshevik troops led by Trotsky
stormed the Winter Palace,
controlled the key points of
Petrograd and arrested the
Provisional Government.
October 25th
Lenin announced to the II
Congress of Soviets the
creation of a Bolshevik
government. Mensheviks and
Esers left the Congress in
protest.
October 26th
Lenin decreed:
-Creation of the Committee of
People's Commissars
(SOVNARKEM)
- Negotiation of an immediate
peace.
- Expropriation and distribution of
land among peasants.

19. Other measures taken by the
Bolsheviks
 During November and December they passed the
following series of laws:
 Peace talks were opened with Germany to end the war
(Armistice of Brest Litovsk in December 1917 / Peace of Brest
Litovsk was signed in March 1918)
 Land which had belonged to the Tsar, church and nobility was
redistributed.
 Factory workers were to work a maximum 48 hours a week.
 All non-Bolshevik newspapers were closed down.
 A secret police force called the Cheka was set up.
 The Bolshevik party was renamed the Communist Party.
 Lenin allowed elections to a new parliament called the
Constituent Assembly take place in order to maintain popular
support.

20. Why were the Bolsheviks able to
seize power?
1. They had a strong political and economic centre
in the Petrograd Soviet.
2. They had their own armed forces, the ‘Red
Guards’.
3. They were organised and disciplined and had
clear planned strategies.
4. They were realistic, practical and clever in
setting their short term goals.
5. The Provisional Government was weak and
ineffective.
6. Lenin was an inspiring leader with vision,
clarity and ability.