Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION - Coggle Diagram
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
In 1917
The autocratic government of Tsar Nicholas II ended
Before the revolution
Characteristics of the Russian Empire
The economy was semi-feudal
some wealthy people owned land
peasants worked that land
industrialisation began
around 1890
the creation of
a small bourgeoisie of business owners
a proletariat
There was social unrest
three-quarters of the population were peasants
they lived in poverty
they paid high taxes
suffered hard working conditions
low wages
long working days
The government was autocratic
civil rights were not recognised
political parties were repressed
the tsar had unlimited power
The 1917 revolutions
It was a revolution that took place in two phases
the liberal-bourgeois revolution in February
the socialist-proletariat revolution in October
The February Revolution: the provisional government
a successful revolution of workers
In February 1917
in Petrograd
supported by
soldiers
peasants
they protested about
the disasters of the war
the shortage of food
demanded Russia's withdrawal from the war
as a result
Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate
a provisional government was formed
made up of
liberals
Menshevik socialists
it was led by by the socialist Alexander Kerensky
proclaimed Russia a republic
began to set up a democratic regime
they legalised political parties
called elections for the end of the year with universal male suffrage
to establish a Constituent assembly
it failed because
they did not redistribute land among the peasants
they did not withdraw from the war
A parallel government was created
led by the Petrograd Soviet
it demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russia from the war
they supported the Bolsheviks after the distribution of the April theses
a political programme in which
the demands of the workers, soldiers and peasants were met
the soviets were recognised as the supreme power
The October Revolution: the Bolshevik government
the Bolsheviks attacked the Winter Palace in Petrograd
they were led by
Lenin
Trotsky
they established a new proletarian government (Council of People's Commissars)
First, Lenin was the leader
When Lenin died Trotsky succeeded him
the first actions of Lenin's government were
to redistribute land among the peasants and give the control of industries to the workers' committees
to make the Bolshevik party the only legal political party
the Communist Party
to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Russia had to give territory to Germany
to found the Third International (Comintern)
to coordinate all the communist parties around the world
The civil war
In January 1918
the two sides
the White Army
was formed by
liberals
the tsarists
Mensheviks
was supported by
the Allied powers
because
they wanted Russia to re-open the Eastern Front against Germany
that is
Great Britain
the United States
France
Japan
the Red Army
the Bolsheviks
the White Army was defeated
The creation of the USSR (the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
In 1922
The Constitution of 1924 established
territorial organisation
governmental institutions
Economy
the New Economic Policy was created
allowed some capitalist systems to exist
because after the civil war there was shortage of food and this way production increased
characteristics
small private artisan and trading companies were set up
important sectors were controlled by the state
large industries
foreign trade
banks
peasants could sell their produce
Territorial organisation
The USSR
a federal state
it respected their autonomy and right to self-determination
formed by
Russia (the main republic)
smaller republics
such as
Belorussia
Ukraine
accepted the soviet system
Political organisation
it put into practice Marxist ideas
characteristics
political power was held by the soviets
they had the power to
make laws
choose the people who held executive power
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only political party
it represented the interests of the workers
The causes of the revolution
During the rule of Tsar Nicholas II
The appearance of political parties
They were forbidden, but they were created anyway because
people were unhappy about
the lack of rights
miserable conditions that most Russians lived in
Political parties
The socialist workers' party
They considered the proletariat to be real revolutionary class
In 1903, they divided into two factions
The Mensheviks
They thought that before any revolution, there had to be a liberal regime
The Bolshevics
They wanted to carry out a revolution to replace the tsarist regime by a proletariat dictatorship
Their leader was Lenin
They had Marxist ideals
The socialist revolutionary party
They had socialist ideals but not Marxist
They wanted a peasant revolution to end the tsarist regime
The constitutional democratic party
they represented
the landowners
middle-class businessmen
they had liberal ideals
Participation in the First World War
the Russian Empire took part in the First World War
because it was allied with
Great Britain
France
but they didn't have enough food or weapons
15 million soldiers were mobilised
they were constantly defeated
The Russo-Japanese War
Russia and Japan fought for control of Manchuria
The people didn't like it because
soldiers were continually being recruited
Russia lost because of
outdated military equipment
a lack of transport
a badly organised army
new taxes were imposed in order to pay for the conflict
1904–1905
The 1905 Revolution
in January 1905
industrial workers in St Petersburg went to the Winter Palace
to ask peacefully for improvements in
working conditions
political reform
The protesters were brutally suppressed
Bloody Sunday
The people responded with
strikes
protests
The Social Democratic Workers' Party met
the soviets were formed to organise the protests
Tsar Nicholas II agreed to
make some political reforms
authorise the formation of a Duma (parliament)
it had the power to make laws
it was dissolved very quickly and autocracy was re-established
it was elected by all the classes
