the russian revolution_pt_2
DESCRIPTION
Soviet UnionTRANSCRIPT
KhlystHealer of heir-apparent hemophiliac Alexei
Rumored lover to Tsarina (all around ladies man)
The Russian Revolutions
From the February Revolution
to
The October Revolution
February (March) Revolution 1917
• Tsarist gov’t discredited and weakened by war and corruption.
• Bread riots and unrest breaks out and military refuses to stop it.
• Tsar tries to return to St Petersburg but is stopped and forced to abdicate.
• Provisional Gov’t created to replace the Tsarist Gov’t
Provisional Government Created• February Revolution was seen in
different ways:– Start of process towards
democracy—SR and Mensheviks– Start of anarchy—Kadets – Something to be taken advantage
of—Bolsheviks • Many in the new gov’t were from
the pre-Revolution Duma • Tsar Nicholas appoints Prince Lvov
as head of new Provisional Govt.• Would rule until elections held
Rule of the Provisional Government• Had to deal with rival
governments—Soviet worker committees that were created after Feb Revolution
• Continued the unpopular war and delayed land reform & elections
• Increasingly unpopular with public - faced pressure from every direction
• SRs dominated government
Lenin’s Arrival & the April Thesis• Lenin was secretly transported
by Germany to Russia & arrived in Petrograd in April
• He published his April Thesis calling for the Bolsheviks to stop support of the Provisional Gov’t—’all power to the Soviets’
• Not supported by many in Russia at first
• Trotsky switched support from Mensheviks to Bolsheviks
July Days
• In July a mob of Bolshevik supporters tried to overthrow the Prov Gov’t
• The Plot failed and Lenin fled to Finland
• Many Bolshevik supporters were arrested or forced into hiding as Prov Gov’t arrested them
• Bolsheviks were able to distance themselves from Prov Gov’t failures
Rise of Alexander Kerensky• From a middle class family• Studied law • Member of the SRs • Member of the Duma since 1912• Played an important role in
overthrow of Tsar• Minister of Justice in 1st
provisional gov’t• Following July Days unrest in
Petrograd and suppression of the Bolsheviks, made Prime Minister in July 1917
Kornilov Revolt• Sept ’17 Tsarist Kornilov tried
to march the Army on Petrograd to destroy the Bolsheviks
• Kerensky feared that Kornilov was making an attempt to seize power & overthrow Prov. Govt.
• Kerensky released and armed the Bolsheviks and they stopped Kornilov, but at a price
• Kerensky makes himself “Supreme Commander in Chief”
• Leon Trotsky leads Bolsheviks while Lenin is gone
October Revolution• Prov Gov’t had lost support
of the people and the Bolsheviks were the only party to offer people what they want.
• Organized and unified• 25 Oct 1917 they launch a
coup in Petrograd and quickly seize control of the city and the government
• Only in Moscow was there any real opposition.
Early Days of Bolshevik Rule• The most democratic • Party had little control over
the country or events• Expected world revolution
and made only limited plans to rule the country—more slogans than substance
• By end of Nov most of the urban areas were under control but rural areas and non-Russian areas were not
• White Armies were forming
Constituent Assembly Election• Elections took place in Nov• Social Rev won 53% and
Bolsheviks only 24%.• SR power was in the Rural
areas but Bolsheviks control the cities and the Army.
• Lenin split the SR party by pulling some of the left wing members.
• Constituent Assembly was dissolved by force when it met in Jan 1918.
Land, Bread, Peace• The Party recognized the peasant
seizure of land—inefficiency in production.
• Worker committees controlled the factories —inefficiency in production.
• Soldier committees controlled the military—no military.
• Peace w/Germany was needed—Peace of Brest-Litovsk (Mar 1918)
• Russia lost 32% of land and 60 M citizens—Bolsheviks were unpopular and SR left the Gov’t