The Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a period in history which demonstrates the lengths to which frustrated and enraged citizens of a tyrannical government will go to gain and preserve basic civil rights and liberties. The revolution was characterized by a series of events taking place in the Russian Empire from the Revolution in 1905 to the fall of the Romanov Dynasty eventually leading to the rise of the Bolshevik Party under the instruction of Vladimir Lenin.

Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 was seen as a disgrace to the Empire due to the fact that it came at the hands of a non European nation. Russia's defeat in the war was primarily due to logistical problems as well was the Japanese approach to the war. The Russians were miles away from important resources and equipment needed to proceed successfully in the war effort; they had to wait months at a time for such these necessities to arrive. In addition to that the soldiers were ill trained as well as being ill equipped to fight the war. The Japanese on the other hand had the advantage of fighting in their territory and thus had their resources and equipment at their disposal, thus they were not plagued by time lags to acquire to these necessities. Additionally the Japanese war plan was set with a specific goal in mind. The Russian army had their strength in numbers therefore the Japanese seek to gain advantage in the war by cutting down the Russian army. Thus they destroyed the Russian Pacific Fleet and captured the Russian naval base at Port Author; they then decided proceeded to destroy the Russian land forces in Manchuria. Suffering such a humiliating loss the Russians surrendered in 1905 which added fuel to an already simmering state of civil unrest in Russia.

Although the Russo-Japanese War had a part to play in the 1905 revolution in Russia, was not the main. The Bloody Sunday massacre of unarmed and peaceful demonstrators also had a role in the outbreak of the revolution. Russia was in a state of civil unrest due to strikes that were occurring at the time from members of the working and peasant class living and working under deplorable conditions. However a group of non violent demonstrators looking to their Czar to rectify the situation were gunned down by the Imperial Guards upon their arrival in St. Petersburg. This resulted in a surge of bitterness toward the Czar and his autocratic rule of the people. This event turned civil unrest into an outright revolution.

All these occurrences led the Russian people to become intolerant of the intransigent and dogmatic traditionalistic rule of the Czar. Nicholas II despised the idea of a constitutional monarchy thus turning his back on any notion of giving away power to elected representatives in Russia. From his youth he had been socialized in ideas of honor, service and tradition and thus despised any kind of reform. However the events taking place at the time left him with little option. Russia's economy was in a state of shambles at the time as most of the population lived and worked under deplorable conditions and were severely impoverished. It was a lop sided economy with a very large (80% of the population) and impoverished lower class consisting of factory workers and peasants as well as the small but wealthy nobility and a few middle class business men.

With the plight of the people ringing in society, the Czar sought a way to appease the people and rectify the situation. His solution was to put in place a legislative assembly- the Duma, which would have basic legislative and oversight powers. However in reality, the Czar was determined to retain his autocratic power; this was most evident on several occasions when the Duma was dissolved. He then proceeded to deal with the pressure for change by increasing police powers and brutally suppressing uprisings that occurred as well as gradually restricting the civil rights granted to citizens.

Russia's involvement in World War I in 1914 did not sit well with the members of society. Decisions made during this period in time further frustrated and angered the Russian people. Grigory Rasputin became a regular in the Russian palace and gained the favor and protection of the Czarina. It was believed he was the only person who had the ability to see to the needs of the hemophiliac heir to the Romanov Dynasty. Being aware of the fact that he 'kept the heir alive' he was able to wield significant power over the Czars and it is believed by extension, Russia.