The Russian Revolutions

To briefly recall where things last left off in Russia, Nicholas II put in place the October Manifesto which set up numerous reforms such as the Duma. However, many of these recently granted reforms were steadily taken back as Nicholas II tried to assert his power.

• Since this point, Russia found itself progressively losing ground and status as it lost numerous wars. Given this:

What was one of the main reasons why Russia lost its groove?

• Lack of adequate leadership proved to be a significant problem during this time in Russia. This lack was due in part to the weak, indecisive Nicholas II who held said power.

• Analyzing the Russian revolutions that followed Nicholas II's later abdication, connections can be drawn between Nicholas II and Louis XVI, king in the years leading to the French Revolution of 1789.

Are Nicholas II and Louis XVI the same?

• Both men, while facing different national backgrounds, can be identified as inept rulers . Between Nicholas II and Louis XVI there exists a common theme of weakness and disconnect with the masses. Thus, such issues brought on their respective downfalls.

The March Revolution

While the events of the March Revolution and their immediate reasons are fairly understandable, it is more difficult to clearly assign complete blame to any one party. In addition, fault can be attributed to Russia's continuing position in World War I .

Below are some of the individuals or preceding events that could be found to have contributed to the uprisings.

Nicholas II :  Given his role as tsar, Nicholas II had the ultimate power to remove Russia from World War I , where it was increasingly facing defeat. However, as the war and defeat dragged on, the feelings of the people waned leading to popular unrest.

Tsarina Alexandra:

To what extent was the March Revolution Alexandra's fault?

• With her husband at the front, tsarina Alexandra found herself relying heavily upon the Serbian peasant, Rasputin as a magical healer and chief advisor.
• Her reliance on Rasputin led to many questions and speculations by the public on the state of the ruling family.

• Many feared that the true power was in the hands of Rasputin with the tsar and tsarina as his puppets.

Background on Rasputin

-Rasputin was a Serbian peasant who was invited into the palace as a self-proclaimed healer.

- Often drunk, Rasputin would prophesize future events and employ certain methods of healing.

- He was brought into the palace to cure the heir apparent, Alexis, who had hemophilia.

-So as not to reveal a heath setback in the future ruler, the tsar and tsarina kept the information from the public.

- Thus, to a broader extent, Alexis could share in the blame for the March Revolution.

 - This only succeeded in the public questioning Rasputin's presence in the kingdom.

Why was her reliance on Rasputin so problematic?

• By relying heavily on Rasputin and his role in helping her son, tsarina Alexandra let many of the growing tensions without remedy. After Rasputin was murdered, the tsarina was sent into a state of shock that left her largely incapable of controlling the masses as they began their uprising.

                       Why else would tsarina Alexandra not been trusted by the Russian people ?

• Alexandra was a German princess by birth. As World War I was raging on, many Russians viewed her with suspicion, not knowing if her loyalties went to Germany or Russia.

The Provisional Government

• Following the March Revolution, Nicholas II abdicates. This allows the Duma to set up a provisional government to take his place.
• Among issues of competing with the Petrograd Soviet for total power and the mandating of such laws as Army Order No. 1, the provisional government ends in failure.

Why, then, did the provisional government fail?

The provisional government continued efforts in World War I. 

• Had the provisional government made the choice to exit World War I rather than continue, they could have survived longer than they did.  While the provisional government would have probably still failed, it had a better chance of sticking around longer if they chose this route instead.
• The failures of Russia's involvement in World War I only created better opportunities for people like Lenin and the Bolsheviks to seize power.
• With slogans such as  "Peace, Land, Bread" , Lenin found a fairly responsive public as he assumed the role that the provisional government could not.

The French Revolution v. The Russian Revolution

Both revolutions have similar roots causes of shortage of bread, demands for land, and an ultimate call for peace after years of violent uprisings.

The Second Revolution

The second Russian Revolution during this period existed between two enemy groups:

- White Army

- Red Army

- The conflict led to civil war within Russia between the two sides.

White Army

• The White Army included all other groups in Russia that opposed Communist rule under Lenin and the Bolsheviks. This group was united by little else aside from having a common enemy in the Red Army.

Red Army

• The Red Army was Lenin's forces coming from the capital.

Why did the Red Army win the civil war?

• This win had two immediate reasons:

- Had the White Army won the civil war, there were few points on which they agreed on for setting up a replacement government.

- Communist fighters in the Red Army had a clearer rallying point and strongly believed in the ideas, or cause, for which they were fighting.

The Red Army