The most important event in the history of Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century was the October Revolution. The consequences of this coup changed the country beyond recognition, redrawed the political map and became the biggest nightmare for the capitalists. The ideas of V.I. Lenin, in various variations, live in different parts of the world to this day. Today we will get acquainted with the history and consequences of the October Revolution.
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The October Revolution on the Julian calendar, which at that time was operating in Russia, took place on October 25-26. Despite the fact that literally at the beginning of next year the state switched to the Gregorian calendar, according to which the events took place on November 7-8, the name of the coup remained unchanged. And this even though the first anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution was already celebrated on November 7th. In order not to get confused, consider the chronology of events according to the old calendar, which at that time was considered the only true one. The revolution took place in just two days, but public discontent had been brewing since the beginning of 1917. Yes, and it lasted at least another year. But we will talk about the consequences of the October Revolution later, but for now we will get acquainted with the premises.
The beginning of 1917
The First World War (1914-1918) was the main reason for the spread of protest sentiments throughout Europe. By the end of hostilities, four empires fell at once: German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and a little later - Ottoman.
In Russia, war was not perceived by both the people and the army. Even the government could not formulate its true goals. The initial patriotic impulse, backed up by the spread of anti-German propaganda, quickly came to naught. Regular defeats at the fronts, retreats of the troops, enormous casualties and a growing food crisis - all this aroused the discontent of the people and the growing number of strikes.
In early 1917, the state situation was simply disastrous. All sectors of society, from peasants to ministers, were unhappy with the policies of Nicholas II. Political and military miscalculations of the king only reduced his authority. The faith of the people in the king-father quickly lost its steadfastness. Even distant provinces received information about the harmful influence of Rasputin on the imperial couple. Representatives of the State Duma accused the sovereign of treason, and his relatives began to seriously think about the liquidation of Alexandra Fedorovna, who kept interfering in state affairs. Taking advantage of the prevailing conditions, the radical left parties launched large-scale campaigning activities. Their slogans featured the need to overthrow the autocracy, end the war and fraternize with the enemy.
February revolution
In January 1917, a wave of strikes took place across the country. In Petrograd (from 1914 to 1924 the so-called St. Petersburg) more than 200 thousand Russians took part in the protests. The government practically did not respond to popular discontent.
On February 17, due to constant interruptions in food supplies, a serious strike began at the Petrograd Putilov factory . By February 25, all enterprises were in the capital. The reaction of the authorities was still slow, and any measures were taken with a significant delay. It seemed that officials deliberately left things to chance. In this situation, the king spoke with the words: "I command tomorrow to stop unrest in the capital!" According to historians, he was poorly informed or underestimated the level of popular discontent. One way or another, such statements only aggravated the situation.
Meanwhile, the Bolsheviks were actively agitating the Petrograd garrison. As a result, on February 26, the military began to switch to the insurrectionary side, which for the government meant the loss of the main defense. It is important to note that all strata of the population took part in the February revolution. For a common purpose, the State Duma parties, industrialists, officers, and aristocrats worked hard. Therefore, later the Bolsheviks will call this coup universal.
On February 28, the revolutionaries won a complete victory. Imperial power has lost its power. The interim committee of the State Duma, headed by Mikhail Rodzianko, became the leader of the country.
The abdication of Nicholas II
The first thing the new government took care of was the removal of the king from power. No one doubted that the emperor should be persuaded to renounce. February 28, learning about what was happening, Nikolai went to Petrograd. Echoes of the revolution, which quickly spread throughout the country, met the monarch on the road - the soldiers stopped the royal train at the entrance to the capital. The emperor did not take any decisive action to save the autocracy. He thought only of reunion with the family, which was at that time in Tsarskoye Selo.
The tsarist train was forced to turn into Pskov, where deputies of the State Duma also headed. On March 2, Nicholas II signed a renunciation manifesto. Initially, the interim government intended to preserve the autocracy and transfer the throne to Tsarevich Alexander, but because of the likelihood of another surge of popular discontent, this idea had to be abandoned. Thus ended the story of one of the most powerful royal dynasties. The former emperor spent his last years of his life in prison.
Petrosoviet
Simultaneously with the creation of the Provisional Government, the Petrograd Soviet of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies (Petrosoviet) was formed, which became the key organ of democracy. The creation of this council was an initiative of the Social Democrats and Social Revolutionaries. Soon, such self-government bodies began to appear throughout the state. Their tasks included: improving the situation of workers, regulating food supplies, abolishing royal decrees, arresting police and officials, and other state affairs. The Bolsheviks, meanwhile, continued to remain in the shadows.
Dual power problems
On March 2, when the emperor abdicated, the Provisional Government and the Petrosoviet officially began to operate in the country, that is, dual power was established.
Due to diarchy, the ministers of the Provisional Government could not establish order in the state. Self-government of the Soviets at enterprises and in the army led to the undermining of discipline, and rampant crime. The issue of further political development of the country remained unresolved. The new government approached this problem without much enthusiasm. The constituent assembly, which was to determine the future fate of the country, was assembled only at the end of November 1917.
The situation at the front was also greatly aggravated. Supporting the decisions of the Soviets, the soldiers ceased to obey the officers. The level of discipline and motivation in the troops fell sharply. However, the Provisional Government was in no hurry to end the war.
Lenin in Petrograd
The fundamental turning point in the life of the country and the first essential prerequisite for the October Revolution of 1917 was the arrival of V.I. Lenin in Russia (April 1917). It was then that the rapid growth of the Bolshevik Party began. Lenin's ideas quickly gained the support of the people, as they were clear to everyone.
April 4, Lenin announced the program of action of his party. The main task of the Bolsheviks was to overthrow the Provisional Government and transfer power to the Soviets. In history, this program was called the April Theses. On April 7, it was published by the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda. Lenin’s program was simple and straightforward. He demanded the transformation of hostilities, the confiscation and nationalization of landowners and the struggle for socialism. From the stands, Lenin spoke with the slogan: "Earth - to the peasants, factories - to the workers, peace - to the soldiers, power - to the Bolsheviks!"
Miscalculation of Milyukov
On April 18, Pavel Milyukov, the then Foreign Minister, announced that Russia was ready to wage war until victory, which further weakened the reputation of the Provisional Government. Anti-war demonstrations were organized in the capital, in which more than one thousand people participated. Miliukov had to resign.
The final weakening of the reputation of the Provisional Government
To achieve their goal, the Bolsheviks willingly used miscalculations of power. On June 18, the front launched a large-scale offensive, which began successfully, but as a result completely failed. Forced to retreat, the Russian military suffered huge losses. In the capital, discontent of the people broke out again, fully supported by the Bolsheviks. In order to restore order, the government arranged the persecution of the Bolsheviks. They again had to go underground. Nevertheless, despite the apparent elimination of the political opponent, the government systematically lost the trust of citizens.
Kornilov rebellion
To stabilize the situation, the newly made Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky took advantage of emergency powers. The death penalty was again introduced at the front, and the economy began its "recovery". The efforts of Kerensky did not bear fruit, but only exacerbated the situation. Then, in order to strengthen the position of the government, the chairman decided to conclude an alliance with the military. At the end of July 1917, Lavr Kornilov, who enjoys a good reputation among soldiers, was appointed commander in chief of the Russian army.
Determined to resist the left-wing elements, Kerensky and Kornilov planned to save the fatherland by joint efforts. However, due to the fact that they were not able to share power among themselves, the goal was never achieved.
On August 26, Kornilov sent his troops to Petrograd. Then Kerensky had no choice but to turn for help to his ideological enemies - the Bolsheviks, who could influence the soldiers of the capital's garrison. The clash never happened, but this situation once again illustrated the incompetence of the Provisional Government, and its inability to lead the country. This incident played into the hands of the Bolsheviks, since thanks to him the whole country saw that they were able to get it out of chaos.
The triumph of the Bolsheviks
In September 1917, the overthrow of the Provisional Government was only a matter of time. Kerensky’s attempts to change the situation with the help of a change of ministers turned out to be futile. The people perfectly understood that the only motive of the government was personal gain. Regarding the events of that time, Lenin said absolutely precisely: "The power was lying under my feet, you just had to take it."
The country's economy was on the verge of collapse, prices were rising, and food shortages were exacerbated. Mass strikes of workers and peasants were accompanied by pogroms and reprisals against wealthy fellow citizens. Across the country, the soviets of workers and military deputies went over to the Bolsheviks. Choosing the most successful moment, Lenin and Trotsky advocated the seizure of power. On October 12, the Petrograd Soviet created the Military Revolutionary Committee, designed to prepare a mass uprising. In a short time, 30 thousand activists received weapons.
On October 25, revolutionaries occupied the key strategic objects of the capital: stations, telegraph and post office. On the night of October 25-26, the Provisional Government was arrested. Having seized power, the Bolsheviks immediately held a Congress at which two decrees were adopted: “On Peace” and “On Earth”. Local authority was transferred to the workers, peasants and soldiers' deputies. The October Revolution of 1917 was the logical conclusion of the period of total anarchy in the country, the chronology of which we examined. In fact, the new government has proven that only it can take responsibility for government. The superiority of the Communists in the events of that year is even noted by those who are not close to their ideology.
Consequences of the October Revolution
The government formed at the second congress of Soviets was headed by V.I. Lenin. The decree of January 15, 1918 marked the beginning of the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), and the decree of January 29 - the Workers 'and Peasants' Fleet. Gradually, the country introduced free medical care and education, an eight-hour working day, as well as insurance for employees and workers. The estates, ranks and titles were eliminated. The church was separated from the state, and the school from the church. It is also important to note that after the October Revolution, the government gave women and men equal rights in all areas of activity.
In January 1918, the All-Russian Congresses merged, which made it possible to unite the Soviets of Peasant and Worker Deputies. Shortly after the October Revolution, authorities proclaimed Russia the Republic of Soviets. Having adopted the resolution “On the Federal Institutions of the Russian Republic”, the Congress issued the creation of the RSFSR. The state was established on the basis of a free union of peoples. In the spring of 1918, the process of registering the peoples inhabiting the territory of the RSFSR was launched.
On January 21, 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee passed a decree annulling the foreign and domestic loans of the two previous governments. Decrees after the October Revolution also annulled treaties concluded by previous governments.
After the conclusion of the Brest Peace Treaty, Soviet Russia lost 780 thousand km 2 of area, on which 56 million people lived. At the same time, Russia began to withdraw its troops from these territories, and the enemy, on the contrary, went there and established control. On November 13, 1918, when Austria-Hungary and Germany did lose the war, the Brest Treaty was canceled.
The preparation of the Constitution after the October Revolution began quite quickly - in January 1918. On July 10 of that year, the text of the document was approved by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets.
Civil War after the October Revolution
Despite the fact that the majority of the population supported the Bolsheviks, there were those who did not want another change of government. Therefore, speaking of what happened after the October Revolution, it is important to mention the Civil War. It began with the coming to power of the Bolsheviks and continued, according to various sources, until October 1922 / July 1923. The cause of the war was a deep social, ideological and political split. As a result, the White Army, which opposed the Bolsheviks, lost. Thus, for some, November 7 is the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, and for some, it is the anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War.