Probably, today not any of our compatriots will be able to answer why the second revolution took place in Russia (it is the Great October Revolution), and also how long it took. And this is a serious omission - being an important stage in the formation of a great power, it had a huge impact, completely changing the course of the country for many decades. But for greater completeness, we will tell you first when the first attempt was made to arrange a coup.
When was the first revolution, and what are its results
Many people do not even remember that in 1905 an attempt was also made to arrange a revolution. Moreover, these events did not last for several days, but for two years - from 1905 to 1907.
The reasons for these attempts are quite obvious - a huge stratification of society and its rights. While the political elite feasted in palaces, traveled the world and simply spent days, years and decades idle, the vast majority of the Russian people were openly starving.
The peasants did not have their own land to feed their families — as a result, they had to work on the land of the landowners, receiving only crumbs for their incredible labors. So the decree abolishing serfdom, adopted almost half a century ago, turned out to be an empty phrase - the peasants still depended on who owned the land. The situation was no better for the workers — irregular working hours, inhuman working conditions, low pay — all this pushed the people to revolt. People lacked confidence in tomorrow, protection of natural human rights.
The question became even more heated when, in January 1905, by order of Nicholas II, a peaceful demonstration in St. Petersburg was brutally dispersed. As a result of dispersal, 130 people died on the spot and later, from wounds received. About 300 more were seriously injured.
As a result, a wave of murders swept through the country - people who had nothing to lose killed gendarmes, bankers, factory owners, military men, and even governor generals. That is, everyone who in their eyes personified power. In just two years, about 9 thousand people were killed.
But the main goals have not been achieved. The government escaped with light concessions - the peasants received freedom of movement (which they did not have before), reduced the working day to 10 hours, unions were allowed, as well as several political parties.
However, the most terrible events unfolded only after more than a decade. When the second revolution began in Russia, it swept the country with an iron skating rink, destroying millions of people.
date
By 1917, the patience of the Russian people came to an end. Particular relief during the first revolution could not be achieved. And the decisions of the autocrat, which ordinary people did not understand and did not support, were supplemented by the Russo-Japanese war (which could not be won), as well as entry into the First World War, which was drawing juice from an already suffering country. Therefore, the causes of the second revolution in Russia coincide with the causes of the first.
The government, as usual, promised reforms, but was in no hurry to bring them to life or even simply develop them. It was also not going to reckon with ordinary people, to fulfill their requirements. The people, who realized that they could not succeed in peaceful ways, had no choice but to take up arms and seize power.
The officially indicated years of the second revolution in Russia are from February 1917 to January 1918. But it is worth noting that the revolution gave rise to the Civil War, which lasted almost five years and claimed the lives of millions of people.
Causes
As mentioned above, ordinary people - peasants and workers, who made up a huge part of the country's population - simply did not have decent living conditions. Permanent hunger, living in unsanitary conditions, regular illness and death - all this could not last long.
Banks did not belong to the state and people, but to individuals who were enriched by finely thought out operations and the financial crisis.
Education, medicine - all this remained for ordinary people simply inaccessible. Even not everyone knew how to read - in 1913, about 54% of men and only 26% of women possessed this invaluable skill. That is, almost two-thirds of the population were completely illiterate. Yes, there have been shifts. But the improvement went extremely slowly, free schools were completely absent. The Russian empire was critically inferior in education to most enlightened countries. For comparison, by 1913, in the UK and Germany, 99% of the population was able to read, in the USA - about 93%, in France 95%, and in Austria 81% of men and 75% of women. Now compare these numbers with the figures in Russia.
Representatives of the Provisional Government spoke a lot, promising a series of reforms. But all of them remained only in words - in practice, nothing was done. Therefore, the second bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia began in 1917, becoming inevitable at this point.
Main driving forces
At the stage of preparation and the active phase of the revolution, there were many parties: left and right Socialist-Revolutionaries, Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, anarchists, supporters of the Provisional Government, people who want to revive the monarchy, and many others.
However, most of them either did not take serious measures, or gradually joined other parties that were ready to act more decisively. Thus, by the time the second revolution in Russia (1917) began, only the supporters of the existing government and the Bolsheviks were most determined.
Stages
Let us single out the main stages by which the second bourgeois revolution in Russia can be traced:
- February 1917 - mass strikes of workers and soldiers in Petrograd.
- March 1917 - the formation of the government of the Soviets began, Nicholas II abdicates the throne.
- July 1917 - the clash of Bolsheviks and anarchists, which became the first major bloodshed in the chronology of the revolution.
- August 1917 - Nicholas II and his family were exiled to Tobolsk. The Provisional Government demands the dissolution of the revolutionary units, placing all the soldiers in concentration camps.
- October 1917 - relying on the majority, the Soviets strengthen their positions, beginning to dominate most major cities. The October Revolution begins.
Unfortunately, the second bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia began in 1917, but did not end at all with the seizure of power by the Soviets. The Civil War broke out - the worst thing for any state - that has been booming for several years.
Civil War
After the Soviet regime received official status, a wave of indignation passed through the country. Not all of the population accepted it. Someone underestimated far-reaching plans, someone could no longer believe the official authorities, and someone adhered to traditional views on politics.
Be that as it may, the Civil War broke out. The main active forces are considered to be red and white. However, far from all the detachments of counterrevolutionaries, often led by tsarist officers, had a single program and views on politics. This led to numerous bloody clashes.
Of course, as during any Civil War, detachments of ordinary robbers appeared - the greens. Without a political program and at least some established views, they simply plundered, killed and committed atrocities in peaceful villages where no one could repulse them.
An additional mess was introduced by the intervention of other states - from the well-known Czechoslovak corps to the Khiva khanate, the Bukhara emirate and others whose residents felt the opportunity to gain autonomy.
Battles fought across the country, and blood poured in.
The first decrees adopted by the new government
While fierce battles were fought on the outskirts of the country (Urals, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe), the power that strengthened in the capital, headed by V. I. Lenin, actively issued decrees, calling them the resounding French term "decree."
It was thanks to them that the new government managed to gain the trust of the population. Not only did they inspire confidence in the future with promising titles with content, but they were also brought to life. The first decrees were adopted:
- About the world.
- About the earth.
- On the destruction of the estates.
- About an eight-hour working day.
- On the nationalization of banks.
- On the separation of the church from the state.
These decrees in many respects set the vector of development for the entire state and were strictly observed (sometimes even overfulfilled) throughout the entire existence of the USSR.
Human losses
Alas, new factories, thousands of schools, hospitals and libraries, tractors in the fields and even space flights (the launch of Sputnik-1, which became the first artificial body launched by mankind into space, took place only 40 years after the revolution, when two-thirds of the population just could not read!) were given a lot of blood.
During the formation of the country, the Red Army lost about 950 thousand people, the White - 650 thousand. In addition, about 900 thousand greens, ordinary bandits and robbers, were killed. As a result of the brutal purges of the "dissenting" nearly 2 million people were killed (not only red, but also white and green). Epidemics and hunger claimed the lives of 6 million people. The total losses of the Russian people are really staggering - about 12.5 million.
Needless to say, this is really scary. Almost every family lost several family members during the war or from starvation. Some ceased to exist completely. Therefore, the Civil War can be safely called one of the most terrible and black pages in the history of Russia.
results
Surprisingly, when the Communists came to power, everything that was promised during the call of the people to overthrow the regime was done. Therefore, the second bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia had a number of important consequences.
In a matter of years, hunger was completely destroyed. Industry developed at a tremendous pace - by the beginning of the Civil War the country was considered completely backward: there were not enough factories and factories, and those that were available were seriously inferior to similar ones in Europe and the USA. Maxim machine guns were made abroad, as were cartridges for them. Ammunition was seriously lacking during the First World War, which often frustrated plans for an offensive.
Now, factories were being built in hundreds. In the shortest possible time, we managed to overcome the technical lag behind Europe.
Ubiquitous electrification allowed the entire population of the country to enjoy the achievement of progress at a time when, for example, only the wealthiest people could afford such luxury in the English countryside.
Universal education has become not only free, but also compulsory. Both children and adults could get it - special evening schools were created.
It is practically impossible to list all the achievements that the USSR managed to achieve. Of course, progress would be even more impressive if after only two decades a new war had not erupted, causing our country no less severe damage.
Reflection of the Revolution in Art
Of course, the second revolution in Russia had a huge impact on all spheres of human life. It is not surprising that it was reflected in all areas of art without exception. Hundreds of books were written and hundreds of films were made, where exactly the events of the Revolution and the Civil War became, if not the main theme, then the background for the actions of the main characters. Moreover, this applies equally to adult literature and children's literature.
The most famous are such books: “Red Devils”, “White Guard”, “RVS”, “Eternal Call”, “How Steel Was Tempered,” “Quiet Don” and many others.
Among the films it is customary to name such: "Chapaev", "We are from Kronstadt", "The First Horse", "Pavel Korchagin", "Nakhalenok", "Army of the Wagtail", "Elusive Avengers", "White Desert Sun" and many others.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. Now you know why the first and second revolutions in Russia took place in our history, when they occurred, what are their main causes and stages. Well, and, of course, we tried to briefly, but succinctly talk about the consequences that these events had for the country.