Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

• In 1917, The Russian Revolution occurred as peasants and the working class revolted against Tsar Nicholas II's government.
• Vladimir Lenin led the revolution, along with the Bolsheviks.
• The revolution established a communist government and the Soviet Union.

Views of Radicals

• Radicals wanted immediate social change led to by the majority through a government reflecting the country's population.
• Radicals did not agree with the idea of private properties.

Views of Liberals

• Liberals wanted a nation that tolerated all religions and opposed the absolute power of dynastic rulers.
• Liberals aimed to protect individual rights against governments through a representative, elected parliamentary system.
• This system would be governed by laws interpreted by a well-trained, independent judiciary.
• Liberals were not democrats and did not originally advocate for universal adult franchise.

Views of Socialists and Philosophers

• Robert Owen sought to establish a cooperative community called New Harmony in Indiana, USA.
• Louis Blanc advocated for the government to promote cooperatives to replace capitalists.
• Karl Marx believed workers needed to create a radically socialist society with socially controlled properties to escape capitalist exploitation.
• Friedrich Engels was also against capitalism.
• They did not believe in the universal adult franchise, felt only men who had property should have the right to vote.
• Also they did not want women to have the right to vote.

Bloody Sunday

• 1904 had rising prices and declining real wages for Russian workers.
• Following the dismissal of four members of the Assembly of Russian Workers, a large group led by Father Gapon marched to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to petition the Tsar in January 1905.
• Police attacked the workers, killing over 100 and wounding about 300.
• The incident, known as 'Bloody Sunday', forced Tsar Nicholas II to announce a manifesto, leading to the formation of the Duma.

Causes of the Russian Revolution (1905)

• Russia was under the autocratic rule of the Tsars, particularly Tsar Nicholas II, who was seen as inefficient and corrupt.
• Liberals and Socialists opposed dynastic rule and, supported by Jadidists, demanded a constitution.
• 1904 was a bad year for Russian workers, with prices of essential goods rising so quickly that real wages declined by 20%.
• Workers striked, demanding reduced hours, increased wages, and better conditions.
• The Bloody Sunday incident, in which over 100 workers were killed, was a turning point that led to an all-Russia strike.

Vladimir Lenin's contribution

• Lenin was a socialist leader against the autocratic rule of Tsar Nicholas II.
• Lenin's April Theses called for an end to the war, land redistribution to peasants, and the nationalization of banks.
• Lenin opposed the Provisional Government and united Soviets to prepare for revolution.
• Under Lenin's leadership, the Soviets overthrew the Provisional Government which led to the Bolshevik party being renamed the Russian Communist Party.

October Revolution 1917

• Led by the Petrograd Soviet and the Bolshevik Party under Lenin's leadership.
• A Military Revolutionary Committee, appointed by the Soviet under Leon Trotsky was organised
• Began on October 24th and seizure was completed after a day.

February Revolution

• Grim conditions included food shortages in Petrograd in the winter of 1917.
• A lockout at a factory on February 22nd led to workers' strikes in fifty factories, with women leading the way.
• The strikes that were led by the women came to be called International Women Day.
• The government suspended the Duma on February 25th
• Striking workers and soldiers formed the Petrograd Soviet, leading military commanders to advise the Tsar to abdicate on March 2nd.
• Soviet and Duma leaders formed a Provisional Government, promising a Constituent Assembly elected by universal adult suffrage.

Russia in World War

• Russia's participation in World War I led to over 7 million soldiers' deaths.
• The war caused the destruction of crops, homes, and industries, creating over 3 million refugees.
• Russian industries were cut off from suppliers and there was a shortage of workers when most of the workers were sent to the army.

Results of the October Revolution

• The Bolsheviks were against private property and nationalized most industries and banks in November 1917.
• Land was declared social property, allowing peasants to seize land from the nobility.
• Large houses were partitioned and old aristocratic titles were banned and new uniforms were designed for the army and officials.
• The Bolshevik party was renamed the 'Russian Communist Party'.
• The Bolsheviks made peace with Germany at Brest Litovsk in March 1918, despite opposition.
• The Bolsheviks became the only party participating in elections and Russia became a one-party state.

Russian Civil War

• Non-Bolsheviks condemned the uprising, leading to a civil war.
• The ‘greens' and 'whites' controlled most of the Russian empire in 1918-1919.
• Foreign troops intervened, fearing the growth of socialism.
• The Bolsheviks eventually controlled the former Russian empire by January 1920 and cooperated with non-Russian nationalists and Muslim jadidists.

Creation of the USSR

• The Soviet Union (USSR) in December 1922. Initiated centralized planning with Five Year Plans.
• Prices were fixed to promote industrial growth during the first two plans (1927-1938).
• There was increased industrial production with new factories
• Schooling system was developed and arrangements for the education of factory workers and peasants were made.
• Crèches, public Healthcare and model living quarters were set up workers.

Stalinism and Collectivisation

• Grain shortages emerged in Soviet Russia in 1927-1928.
• Stalin, who led the party after Lenin, introduced collectivization and forced grain collections.
• Peasants worked on collective farms, sharing profits, while those who opposed the idea were deported.
• Despite the revolution and collectivisation, bad harvests led to devastating famine.

Global Impact

• The Russian Revolution inspired communists globally and the Comintern was founded. But Russia denied freedoms and developmental activities were repressed measures.
• The USSR as a socialist country declined.