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Examination of the Russian Revolution

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The purpose of this essay it to illustrate the causes of the Russian Revolution (November 1917), analyse the consequences and evaluate conflicting interpretations. The Russian Revolution of November 1917 was one of the most notable events in modern history, bringing about the first ever modern socialist government. It cannot be attributed exclusively to one cause. A collective series of political, social and economic failures were all significant factors to the cause of the revolution (Academic Kids, no date) . Politically, the Tsarist regime was one of autocracy and weak leadership. The dictatorship of Tsar Nicholas II caused immense resentment from the Russians. The inherent authoritarian way in which he ruled meant the Russians had only the Tsar to blame for the failings in Russia. He learnt very little from the 1905 Revolution, and whilst some farming and factory reforms were adopted, the farmers and the workers were not appeased. Saliently, the Russians blamed Nicholas for their disastrous performance and losses that the Russians suffered in World War 1 (WW1) (History Learning Site, no date). In latter years the Tsar becam e more influenced by his wife, the Tsarina Alexandra. When the Tsar personally took command of the army and joined them on the frontline, he left his wife and unpopular advisors, including Rasputin, in control. The Tsarina, influenced by Rasputin firmly believed that without autocratic rule, the Romanov Dynasty would collapse. This caused more discontent amongst the Russians. Hatred of the Tsar grew when he ignored a warning from the President the Duma advising that delays in forming a government would be equivalent to death (Bunce and Gallagher, 2008, p.83). The Duma was an organisation created to approve any new laws prior to them becoming operative. The first Duma was elected in 1905, following a year of revolution that exposed the Tsar’s vulnerability. There were four Duma’s during 1906 and 1917 made up of Socialist-Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, and Bolsheviks. The Duma themselves were relatively powerless and outnumbered by the reactionaries and nationalists. Rather than cooperating, the Tsar dissolved the Duma on 11 March 1917 and diminished any hope of the two powers combining efforts to improve Russia’s situation. Mutiny exploded in the Volinksy Regiment of the army and soldiers marched into Petrograd and assisted the people of Russia in seeking arms. The city of Petrograd, by 14 March was in the hands of the revolutionaries (Thomas and McAndrew, 1995). Socially, the contribution to the Russian Revolution was caused by centuries of tyranny towards the lower classes and WW1. Whilst peasants maintained almost 85% of the population in Russia, they were by far the poorest and whilst prices continued to rise, food was in short supply. The peasant’s aspirations for more control over their land were not met by the Provisional Government who postponed land reforms. Whilst they lived in better conditions than of previous years, the peasants were dissatisfied at the little land they had. Peasants were give in a certain amount of land to cultivate following new terms drafted by the government, however as the amount of land was insufficient; mass riots broke out (Academic Kids, no date) . During WW1, the vast demand fo

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