The Russian Revolution of 1917

The Russian revolution occurred in 1917 led to the rise of Marxian socialism under the leadership of Lenin and the Bolsheviks and the collapse of the Old Russian Empire that was governed by Nicholas II. This revolution had a significant impact on other nations worldwide and marked a new beginning in Russia. This revolution was caused by three groups: the peasants who comprised of the majority of the Russian population and who were extremely poor, the working class who were oppressed by the capitalists and lastly the ruling class that was only concerned with their interest at the expense of the citizens. The capitalists believed they were chosen to rule by God.

Because of the imperial rule, Russia remained behind as an underdeveloped country with a growing population of peasants and class of industrial worker. As other European countries embraced industrialization, Russia remained as an agrarian country. The 1917 revolution began on 23 February an international women’s day when women workers went on the streets of Petrograd city to protest for change that could grant them good working conditions, economic stability, peace and new leadership that would end the regime of Autocracy. The following day men joined the protest, and by February 25th the demonstrations had become widespread with the soldiers and police also participating, and this brought the city to a standstill. On 1st March it was clear that the Russian monarchy had collapsed and the following day Nicholas II abdicated.

With the fall of the old government, two groups emerged to claim the leadership of the country. The former members of the parliament (Duma) “who represented the upper and middle class and the Petrograd Soviet that represented the workers and the soldiers” (Mazower 174). Finally, the Duma members were allowed to form a provisional government to run the nation because the Petrograd felt that the country was not yet economically ready to go through a real socialist revolution. The interim government brought about some reforms that Russians needed that included putting an end to ethnic and religious discrimination, abolishing the death penalty, and granting of civil liberties as well as amnesty to the political prisoners and those people in exile. This amnesty led to the return of the leader of Bolsheviks Vladimir Lenin. Despite the reforms by the provisional government, Lenin felt they had not done enough because it did not improve quality of the life of the Russian people; it did not deal with land reforms and did not put an end to war (20th Century Europe 13). Lenin disagreed with the provisional government concerning their support for the country’s participation in the World War I. By basing on these claims Lenin started advocating for a new revolution, and in few months he had amassed supporters for his course. Lenin a Marxian socialism supporter believed that the only way to eliminate capitalism was through a revolution that will lead to the working class taking control of the production and forming a democratic government where the capital will be nationalized. 

In October 1917 Lenin was able to convince the Bolshevik party leaders that there was a need for another revolution and that the people of Russia were ready for it. The new uprising began on 25th October, and the Bolsheviks with the help of troops loyal to them and armed workers seized power ending the regime of the provisional government. In the new administration, Lenin “promised to end the war, abolish all private land ownership and to create a system for workers’ control of factories” (Mazower 183). All these promises were aimed to fulfill the needs of Russians 

Though Lenin had good intentions by his promises, its implementations proved they were more harmful to the country, and they did not at all fix the people’s problems. Pulling out of World War I led to an influx of millions of soldiers back home who were hungry and in need of their jobs. The abolishment of private landowners led to a shortage of food because farmers lacked the initiative to produce more and they only produced just enough for themselves. Many factories collapsed causing a high rate of unemployment and this adversely affected the economy. As a result of worsening conditions civil war broke out between the opponents of the Soviets (the whites) and the Bolshevik government (the red) which lasted for two years. The Bolshevik ended up winning the war however in the process millions of innocent Russians lost their lives (Fitzpatrick 72). This civil war changed the socialist agendas that the Russians had fought for during the revolution, and the regime was transformed into a dictatorship government.

Effects of the Russian Revolution on the History of European Nations

The Russian revolution played a vital role in the history of many European nations, and its impact is still evident in areas like culture, religion, philosophy, and history today. The Russian communism inspired citizens of many European countries to challenge the existing political and social structures of the capitalistic governments in the quest of establishing a Marxism socialist state where inequality between the ruling class and the working class will be eliminated. Because of the revolution led by Lenin, Russian was transformed from an agrarian country to an industrial giant, and this had a significant impact on the economic growth of the country as well as other European nations (20th Century Europe 21).

The success of the Russian revolution that saw the old regime collapse encouraged the establishment of the international movement against capitalism and colonialism. This Russian revolution inspired a widespread social upheaval across Europe and as a result leading to other nations like German and Sweden to form social-democratic welfare states that were founded on the principles of freedom and equality (Mazower 134). The establishment of USSR led to the eradication of poverty, the establishment of free healthcare, free education, and affordable housing as well as job security. The changes that were witnessed in Russia after the revolution made it a model state for others that were experiencing oppression due to the capitalistic rule to emulate. Similarly, the socialist had a significant role in the defeat of the fascism and Nazism and therefore ending World War II.

Conclusion

The Russian revolution inspired by the Marxism ideology led to the fall of the Russian monarchy and the establishment of a new socialist regime. This new regime brought about an end to war, elimination of poverty, and social equality. Similarly, the socialist government led by Lenin encouraged industrialization and abolished private land ownership. The success of the Russian revolution played an essential role in bringing an end to imperialism in Europe and across the world and also in the defeat of Italian fascism and German Nazism. However, nationalization of land and other capital resources did not solve the problem as expected by Lenin but instead led to insufficient food supply and unemployment since the peasant farmers lacked the initiative to produce more.

Work Cited

Fitzpatrick S. The Russian Revolution. Oxford University Press. 1917, P 49-71

Mazower M.  Dark Continent. European twentieth century. Vintage press. 1998, p 1-271

20th Century Europe. Stanilist modernization. 1-34

20th Century Europe. The Russian Revolution.  1-18