The Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a rebellion of the Russian people against the rule of the Russian emperor, Nicholas II. Russia was going through changes in the early 1900’s and the late 1800’s. This revolution brought forth the Soviet Union, and was known as the Marxist Revolution. In the 1905 Revolution, thousands of men, women, and children were led by a Russian Orthodox priest, marched to Czar Nicholas II’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. The other revolution was the February and October Revolutions.
Russia was a country full of many unsatisfied people. Russia was experiencing changes in the early 1900’s and the late 1800’s. In the rural part, a sequence of poor harvests, farm laborers and peasants and their families were starving. In the urban side, industrialization was changing the face of Russian society. The middle class and workers were asking to be a part of ruling of the country.
The disappointed Russians formed three political organizations. The three important organizations were the liberal constitutionalists, the social revolutionaries, and the Marxists, who followed the ideas of Karl Marx. The liberal constitutionalists wanted a western form of parliament government to replace the rule of the czars. The social revolutionaries wanted to start a revolution with the Russian peasants. The Marxists wanted a revolution with the city and town workers.
The march to St. Petersburg led by the Orthodox priest, Father Gapon ended in a bloody massacre. The goal of the march was to ask for a democratic elected assembly and a basic reform. The czar was not happy with this demonstration so his soldiers fired on the demonstrators, killing and wounding hundreds of them. This was known as the “Bloody Sunday.” After the massacre there was a rebellion led by the liberal constitutionalists demanding a parliament to be set up. Nicholas agreed to set up a parliament. The parliament system did not work out the way they were hoping to turn out. There was three parliament systems that were set out, the first and second Nicholas ruled out because he did not want to give up power. The third one was laid out and Nicholas changed the election laws so that less workers and peasants can vote. This whole period ended when...