The Russian Revolutions

Did you know that the Russian Revolutions of 1917, removed Russia from the First World War and brought about the rise of the Soviet Union?

At the outbreak of the First World War, the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary faced off against the Triple Entente Alliance of France, Britain and Russia. The Entente Alliance had been designed to ensure that, should war occur, Germany would be faced with enemies to the east and the west. However, in many ways Russia was the odd one out in an alliance that prided itself on democracy. The Romanov Dynasty had ruled Russia in various forms for nearly 400 years, and at the start of the 20th century, the people were beginning to push back against this rule.

Road to Revolution

Dissent against the Romanov’s rule in Russia had been building for decades before the First World War. Much of the resistance stemmed from poor wages and limited civil rights in Russia, coupled with the slow progress the country was making towards industrialisation which left huge numbers of the population at the mercy of poor harvests, famines, and unemployment.

In 1881, the then Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in the streets of St Petersburg by members of the revolutionary organisation ‘The People’s Will‘. In 1905, the country entered a period of revolution triggered by the government’s aim to make Russian peasants nominal land-owners who could then be charged additional taxes. The land each peasant was to be awarded was not enough to supply them enough food for their own use and many peasants could not afford to purchase the additional food they required, let alone pay extra taxes on land that they were forbidden from selling. Additionally, industrial labourers in the main cities were still agitating for improved working conditions. Furthermore, the size of the Russian Empire meant that there were a number of competing nationalities within its borders that desired greater recognition by the Russian rulers.

The Revolution of 1905, began when workers at a railway plant in St Petersburg went on strike and would spread to include assorted workers, labourers, and even nearby sailors . The naval mutineers would later be remembered in the famous Sergei Eisenstein film Battleship Potemkin.

The revolution would eventually be crushed following violent governmental reprisals that became known as Bloody Sunday.

However, whilst the Russian Tsar Nicholas II retained the throne, the early seeds of future uprising had been planted.

Russia and the First World War

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia maintained an active interest in guaranteeing the safety of the Slavic nations on their borders, such as Serbia. When the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist, Austria-Hungary, with German backing, used the attack as a pretext to levy a series of strident demands on Serbia and, eventually to declare war.

The system of alliances that crisscrossed Europe in 1914 meant that Russia would inevitably enter the war opposed to German and Austro-Hungarian actions in the Balkans, and alongside their allies Britain and France to the west.

The nations of Europe had long feared that one day Russia would be able to harness its tremendous manpower advantage and sweep west overwhelming all resistance. At the first outbreak of war, Germany remained concerned that they would be unable to deal with the Russian juggernaut. However, it rapidly became clear that Russia was in no way equipped or prepared for such a modern war.

After war was declared, Russia quickly staged an invasion of East Prussia where they experienced a devastating defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg. Whilst Russia would stage other offensives during the war, including having a measure of success during the Brusilov Offensive of 1916, they were never able to break the German lines.

The longer the war dragged on with little hope of victory, the worse conditions both in the army and on the Russian home front became. With morale plummeting, the desire for revolution came to the boil.

The February Revolution

On the 3rd March 1917 (18th February in the old Russian calendar), protesters took to the streets of Petrograd to demonstrate against the government. On the 8th March, the numbers were swelled by those marking International Women’s Day and protesting against imminent food rationing laws. Over the following days, the demonstrations evolved into demands for the abdication of the Tsar, the creation of a new more progressive government, and the end of the war.

In response, the Tsar, currently away ostensibly commanding his army, issued orders for the protests to be broken up. However, the protestors had soon seized large areas of the Russian capital, and a desperate message was sent to the Tsar:

The situation is serious. The capital is in a state of anarchy. The Government is paralysed. Transport service and the supply of food and fuel have become completely disrupted. General discontent is growing … There must be no delay. Any procrastination is tantamount to death.

With the protests spreading and previously loyal soldiers from the army joining the rebellion, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate in an attempt to appease the revolutionaries. However, to also help ensure the lineage of the Romanov dynasty he also nominated his brother to succeed him, an honour his brother turned down upon realising he would have no popular support.

A new Provisional Government took power and the Tsar and his family were placed in protective custody. The Provisional Government was not uniformly supported by the revolutionaries however, and socialist groups within the protesters had formed into Soviets in an attempt to take power for the people.

Seeing their enemy as vulnerable for defeat, the German Army secretly arranged for Vladimir Lenin to be smuggled into Russia to help drive the revolution. Lenin was a noted Bolshevik and Marxist revolutionary who had been previously exiled from Russia because of his activities. The return of Lenin to Russia would prove disastrous to the Provisional Government.

October Revolution

Following the February Revolution, power had effectively been split between the Provisional Government and the assorted Soviets and Bolshevik splinter groups.

As the year continued, Lenin was able to build enough support within these separate factions to stage the overthrowing of the Provisional Government. On the 7th November 1917 (25th October in the old style) an armed insurrection began in Petrograd against the Provisional Government.

However, whilst armed, most of the uprising was carried out peacefully. The culmination saw the Winter Palace, once home to the Tsar and now to the Provisional Government, being stormed by Bolshevik revolutionaries.

The revolutionaries had seized power in the capital and declared themselves to be the new rulers of Russia. This rule was contested however, by cities and soldiers still loyal to either the Provisional Government or the Tsar. As a result, Russia descended into Civil War between the ‘Red’ Bolshevik forces and the ‘White’ Loyalists.

Aftermath

With the civil war still ongoing, the new leaders of Russia signed the Brest-Litovsk treaty ending their participation in the First World War. The treaty, written by the Germans, was heavily punitive and stripped Russia of large swathes of territory.

The Tsar and his family had previously hoped to be permitted to enter exile in Britain or France but neither of these two former allies were willing to accept the family for fear of stoking revolution at home. Following the October Revolution, the Imperial family were effectively held as hostages by Red forces and kept far from power. However, fearing that loyalist forces may attempt a rescue of the family and to reinstall them into power, plans were made for their elimination.

In the early hours of 17th July 1918, the family were moved to the basement of a house they were staying in and summarily executed by their captors.

The Russian Civil War would continue until 1922, years after the conclusion of the First World War. At various points British, French, and American forces attempted to assist the White forces but it became clear that the war could not be won.

With the final defeat and elimination of the loyalists, Russia ceased to exist as a country and was replaced by the newly declared Soviet Union.