Russian Revolution of 1917

Russian Revolution of 1917
unknown; photo retake by George Shuklin · Public domain · source
Name	Russian Revolution of 1917
Caption	Vladimir Lenin in 1917
Date	1917
Place	Russian Empire
Outcome	Bolshevik seizure of power; Treaty of Brest-Litovsk; Russian Civil War

Russian Revolution of 1917 was a pair of political upheavals in 1917 that dismantled the Russian Empire and led to the rise of the Soviet Union, reshaping Europe and global World War I alignments. The events involved mass participation by workers, soldiers, and sailors linked to industrial centers like Petrograd and cities such as Moscow, driven by crises involving the reign of Nicholas II, the policies of Alexander Kerensky, and the leadership of Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik Party.

Background

Long-term strains included industrialization centered in St. Petersburg, agrarian tensions among Russian peasantry, political repression under the Romanov dynasty, and ideological ferment from thinkers like Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Georgi Plekhanov, and Vladimir Lenin. Short-term pressures accelerated after defeats in Russo-Japanese War and heavy losses in Eastern Front battles such as Battle of Tannenberg and Brusilov Offensive, which amplified discontent among units of the Imperial Russian Army, sailors of the Baltic Fleet, and urban workers in factories owned by entrepreneurs influenced by Sergei Witte and managed under ministers like Pyotr Stolypin. Wartime shortages of grain and coal affected rail hubs on the Trans-Siberian Railway and provoked strikes connected to unions and soviets inspired by the 1905 Russian Revolution, the October Manifesto, and the writings of Leon Trotsky and Rosa Luxemburg circulated with help from émigré networks in Geneva and Zurich.

February Revolution

In February (March by the Gregorian calendar) protests began in Petrograd when women textile workers joined railway and munitions laborers in strikes influenced by food riots and by mutinies among units linked to the Pavlovsky Regiment and sailors of the Kronstadt garrison; protesters confronted police forces like the Okhrana while calling for the deposition of Nicholas II, the abolition of the State Duma's constraints, and the formation of popular councils modeled on the Soviet of Workers' Deputies. Mass demonstrations and the defection of troops led to the abdication of Nicholas II and the end of direct rule by the House of Romanov as politicians from the Constitutional Democratic Party (the Kadets), the Trudoviks, and figures such as Alexander Kerensky negotiated with military leaders including General Lavr Kornilov and state bureaucrats to avoid full collapse, while international observers from Allied powers monitored developments in Scandinavia and France.

Provisional Government and Dual Power

After the abdication, a Provisional Government formed composed of Duma liberals including Prince Georgy Lvov, Pavel Milyukov, and Alexander Kerensky, while the Petrograd Soviet—led by activists such as Leon Trotsky, Mensheviks like Julius Martov, and Bolsheviks including Vladimir Lenin—exercised influence in factories and barracks, producing a period of "dual power" where authority was contested between ministers and soviets. The Provisional Government continued the war effort, negotiated with representatives like Georges Clemenceau and David Lloyd George through envoys such as Pavel Milyukov, and attempted reforms influenced by jurists familiar with Code of Laws traditions; meanwhile, radicals organized in groups including the Bolshevik Party, Socialist Revolutionary Party, and anarchist circles linked to activists influenced by Mikhail Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin, while the land question agitated peasants in regions from the Black Earth Region to Siberia.

October Revolution

In October (November by the Gregorian calendar) the Bolshevik Party under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin and a military committee including Leon Trotsky and Felix Dzerzhinsky orchestrated an insurrection in Petrograd, seizing key locations such as the Winter Palace, Telegraph Office, Smolny Institute, and State Bank with support from Red Guards, sailors from Kronstadt, and detachments previously engaged in street actions during the July Days. The overthrow displaced the Provisional Government figures like Alexander Kerensky and led to decrees issued by the new Council of People's Commissars including nationalization measures, peace proposals to Central Powers and later negotiations leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk; international reactions included condemnation from capitals such as London, Paris, and Washington, D.C. and enthusiasm from revolutionary circles in cities like Berlin and Vienna.

Civil War and Consolidation of Bolshevik Power

Following the seizure, factions coalesced into the White movement—with commanders including Anton Denikin, Alexander Kolchak, and Nikolai Yudenich—opposed by the Red Army organized by Leon Trotsky and guided by institutions such as the Cheka under Felix Dzerzhinsky. The conflict drew intervention by foreign powers including United Kingdom, France, Japan, and United States in ports like Murmansk and Vladivostok and encompassed campaigns across the Volga, Caucasus, and Ukraine where national movements like the Ukrainian People's Republic and anti-Bolshevik governments contended with Bolshevik soviets. Bolshevik policies—war communism, grain requisitioning, and the suppression of parties such as the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries—were contested during crises including the Kronstadt rebellion and rebellions in regions like Tambov; the eventual victory of Bolshevik forces, consolidation under figures like Joseph Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov, and institutionalization through the Congress of Soviets led to the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and long-term transformations in international politics exemplified by later events such as the Treaty of Rapallo and the reconfiguration of socialist movements worldwide.

Category:Revolutions