What was russian revolution

Revolutions are an instrument of change and often an attempt to promote equality and combat oppression. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students.

Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Background Info Vocabulary. On November 7, , members of the Bolshevik political party seize d power in the capital of Russia, Petrograd now St. This conflict , ultimate ly, led to a Bolshevik victory in the Russian civil war that followed, and the establish ment of the Soviet Union in The October Revolution was actually the second Russian revolution of In March, revolutionaries led by the Petrograd soviet , or council , violently overthrew Czar Nicholas II, the monarch whose family had ruled Russia for more than three centuries.

The czar ist government was replaced by a republic , largely led by Russian noble s. The majority bolshe in Russian of Russians were peasant s and industrial workers. They did not support the new, noble-led government. Conscription swept up the unwilling in all parts of Russia. The vast demand for factory production of war supplies and workers caused many more labor riots and strikes. Conscription stripped skilled workers from the cities, who had to be replaced with unskilled peasants, and then, when famine began to hit, workers abandoned the cities in droves to look for food.

Finally, the soldiers themselves, who suffered from a lack of equipment and protection from the elements were discontent with Russia's poor accounting in the war. Political Politically, most areas of Russian society had reason to be dissatisfied with the existing autocratic system.

They had no representation in government, and the Tsar remained out of touch with the people's problems. Dissatisfaction with Russian autocracy culminated in the Bloody Sunday massacre, in which Russian workers saw their pleas for justice rejected as thousands of unarmed protestors were shot by the Tsar's troops. The response to the massacre crippled the nation with strikes, and Nicholas released his October Manifesto, promising a democratic parliament the State Duma to appease the people.

However, the Tsar effectively nullified his promises of Democracy with Article 87 of the Fundamental State Laws, and then subsequently dismissed the first two Dumas when they proved uncooperative.

These unfulfilled hopes of democracy fuelled revolutionary ideas and violence targeted at the Tsarist regime. It appears as though Tsar Nicholas II never really considered Russia a constitutional state and invariably held on to his strong inclination towards an Autocratic Russia. Beside the economic and social problems plaguing the country, the Russian Empire was still recovering from a humiliating defeat at the Russo-Japanese War of One of Nicholas's reasons for going to war in was his desire to restore the prestige that Russia had lost during that war.

Nicholas also wanted to galvanize the diverse people in his empire under a single banner by directing military force at a common enemy, namely Germany and the Central Powers. He believed by doing so he could also distract the people from the ongoing issues of poverty, inequality, and poor working conditions that were sources of discontent.

Instead of restoring Russia's political and military standing, World War I would lead to horrifying military casualties on the Russian side and undermined it further. From the beginning the troops were not adequately supplied with weapons, or were led by incompetent generals and officers.

Logistics were also a problem, since Russia's poorly maintained roads and railroads inhibited communication and distribution of supplies. Almost everywhere Russian forces were matched against German forces who had a superior advantage in weaponry, military talent, and logistics.

World War I Russia's recent history was a litany of military failures. Most of Russia's fleet was sunk by the Japanese in that war. While the Russian army enjoyed some initial successes against Austria-Hungary in , Russia's deficiencies — particularly regarding the equipment of its soldiers and the lack of advanced technology aeroplanes, telephones, poison gas became increasingly evident.

Russia's first major battle of the war was a disaster. Palmegiano Prize James A. Schmitt Grant J. Beveridge Award Recipients Albert J. Corey Prize Recipients Raymond J. Cunningham Prize Recipients John H. Fagg Prize Recipients John K. Franklin Jameson Award Recipients J.

Marraro Prize Recipients George L. Palmegiano Prize Recipients James A. What Was the Bolshevik Revolution? How Is Russia Governed?

What Is the Communist Party? How Much Personal Freedom in Russia? Is There Freedom of Religion? What Is the Soviet Economic System? Can Russians Own Personal Property? Are They Realistic in Foreign Affairs? What Was the Third International? Will Russia Share in Reconstruction? When Nicholas declared war against Germany and Austria-Hungary in July , he was absolute ruler of a realm of nearly million people that stretched from Central The Romanov family was the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia.

During the Russian Revolution After overthrowing the centuries-old Romanov monarchy, Russia emerged from a civil war in as the newly formed Soviet Union. The French Revolution was a watershed event in modern European history that began in and ended in the late s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. Boris Yeltsin served as the president of Russia from until Though a Communist Party member for much of his life, he eventually came to believe in both democratic and free market reforms, and played an instrumental role in the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Since its start a century ago, Communism, a political and economic ideology that calls for a classless, government-controlled society in which everything is shared equally, has seen a series of surges—and declines.

What started in Russia, became a global revolution, taking Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. When Was the Russian Revolution? Nicholas II After the bloodshed of , Czar Nicholas II promised the formation of a series of representative assemblies, or Dumas, to work toward reform.

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