What you see above is a political cartoon from Russia, late 1800s, which depicts a tired and oppressed Russian people burdened with carrying the three most oppressive forces in Russia's pre-revolutionary history: The Czar, the Church, and the whip-bearing Capitalist. I recently found this upon reading a book called "Russia in Revolution." I quickly realized just how much the mindset of the Russian people during that time was not a whole lot different than the mindset of Americans in today's politics. The Russian Revolution is probably the most significant event to happen in human history. The fall of the Russian Czar, the rise of the Bolshevik Regime, and the birth of Communism have sparked a series of events that continues to echo across the globe today. The purpose of the next few posts are to provide my readers a historical review of this critical moment in world history; to understand just how much of a disaster the birth of Communism really was for human civilization and why it bears so much significance in today's political climate.
Part I: The Fall of the Czars
The Russian Revolution was not a singular event. Across the span of several Russian Monarchs, the people of Russia had sporadic uprisings against the autocratic regimes for several decades before the Bolsheviks finally took the country over in 1917. Under the Czar autocracy, the Russian State owned and controlled everything within its borders: The people, the farms, the industry, the press, the universities, everything. As far back as 1825, Nicholas I was among the first of the Czars to meet with revolutionary adversity.
Nicholas I stamped out his initial resistance (known as the Decembrists) with executions and exile; the typical reaction of a threatened Monarch. Nicholas I tolerated no political movements that granted the Russian people any hope for autocratic reform; as did every Czar preceding him. The Decembrists longed for a Constitutional government and a freer nation for the Russian people, but doing so would remove too much power from the Czar; something a Monarch is often unwilling to compromise. The ownership and oppression of the Russian people continued and eventually Alexander II (son of Nicholas I) rose to power in 1855.
Alexander II made a feeble attempt to appease the masses of Russia (most of which were peasants) by liberating them from serfdom, thereby allowing peasants autonomous control over their own lands. It wasn't enough. The amount of land alotted to each peasant family was insufficient for an entire family to survive comfortably. Alexander II then allowed the people to establish the zemstvos; county councils whose members were elected by the people. The people were still unsatisfied. The zemstvos allowed further reforms which brought about improvements to local schools, hospitals, and roads. More schools, roads, and hospitals were built. Agricultural infrastructure improved and trial by juries were established. The people were still unsatisfied. Alexander II came to realize his peoples' lack of gratitude and regretted his decision to allow so many reforms in the first place; an attitude that eventually carried over to his heir, Alexander III. Later, a new revolutionary group started up; they were known as the Narodniks (The Populists). The goal of the Narodniks was to remove the Czar from power and turn Russia to Socialism. They first operated as missionaries, spreading revolutionary ideas to the people of Russia, but were often met with suspicion by the general public. They organized a secret group called The People's Will. Operations later evolved to planning acts of terror to intimidate the Czar regime. Trains were dynamited, officials were assassinated, and government buildings were bombed. In 1881, The People's Will succeeded in assassinating Alexander II and two of his Cossack guards (Russian Mounties) by bombing his coach as it passed through Petrograd (A city later called St. Petersburg). Members of The People's Will were eventually tracked down and executed.
Sidenote: The People's Will operations in late 1800s, Russia were quite comparable to the Weather Underground Organization (WUO) that begin in America, 1969. The WUO's violent efforts aimed to overthrow the U.S. Government and establish a classless society (Communism). Their efforts continued through the mid-1970s with a series of several monument and government building bombings, robberies and jailbreaks. Their messages were conveyed in a piece of literature called Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-Imperialism (a title inspired by a quote from Mao Zedong), which was met with high praises by the Liberal media at the time. Key leaders of the WUO (who were highly inspired by Marxist-Leninist ideals) were eventually caught and served prison sentences. Bill Ayers, one of the primary leaders of the WUO, is now an education professor in Chicago's University of Illinois and has counseled with President Obama before his election to discuss education reform among other things. Hmmm.
Alexander III (son of Alexander II) rose to power immediately after his father's death. Alexander III was very stern, temperamental, and merciless to those who stood in his way. He spent the next 13 years repressing the efforts of revolutionaries and undoing some of the reformations granted by his father. Sidenote: A revolutionary named Alexander Ulyanov was executed for the assassination attempt of Alexander III in 1887. Ulyanov's 17 year old brother, Vladimir Ilyich (alias: Lenin) would later become a key player in Russian history. During this time, however, Russia's industrial development and locomotive infrastructure improved dramatically. In 1894 Alexander III died from a bronchial infection. His son, Nicholas II took the throne two years later.
Nicholas II, the last of the Russian Czars, was nothing like his father. He was polite, quiet, and a bit unsure of himself as he would easily change his opinions on particular matters whenever met with confrontation. He disliked arguments and preferred to keep things peaceful. Nicholas II understood his personality was not fit for an autocratic ruler where a strong will and commanding presence is paramount. At a young age, Nicholas II did not want to be a ruler, particularly after witnessing his grandfather's (Alexander III) fate. It's especially unfortunate his personality rose to power during some of the most difficult and volatile times in Russian history. Nicholas II definitely had his work cut out for him. The first day of his rule began in tragedy for the Russian people. Traditionally, during a coronation (crowning) ceremony, the royal family offers gifts to the peasants who attend. Unfortunately, during the coronation of Nicholas II, a rumor spread there weren't enough gifts for all the peasants who were present. It resulted in a stampede that killed about two-thousand people and the rule of Nicholas II was branded as an omen by the Russian people because of this. To top this all off, the start of World War I, Russia's war with Germany and Japan, and the rapid rise of new revolutionary groups were enough to keep Nicholas II busy. While Nicholas II preferred to drop his responsibilities and spend more time with his wife and five kids, he was forced to spend the bulk of his waking moments exiling individuals with revolutionary ideas and organizing the war efforts against Germany and Japan. Over time, he grew even more distant from the Russian people as he gradually focused more of his time dealing with the Russian military, while leaving civil matters at the hands of his wife, Alexandra (grand-daughter of Queen Victoria of England). The biggest mistake made by Nicholas II was his unfettered focus on providing enough resources for the war effort while depriving the working citizens of Russia enough resources to live comfortably. The Russians grew weary from the losses of war and the rationing of food. The March Revolution in 1917 rapidly erupted. During this time, the Russian press issued newspapers announcing "Change!" (sound familiar?) as the events of the revolution began to unfold. Nicholas II, his wife, and his five children were exiled to Tobolsk, Siberia. In April 1918, Nicholas II and the rest of the Romanov family were moved to the Urals of Ekaterinburg. They were later massacred on July 17 by Bolshevik militants.
There were many relevant events and
political movements that took place before Nicholas II's removal and
many political movements that took place before the Bolsheviks' rise to power. 1917 was quite a busy year for the Russians. The most succinct
way I can illustrate the succession of these events would be: The March
Revolution > Removal of Nicholas II > Kerensky vs. Lenin > Rise of the Bolsheviks > Communism > Stalin. I'll delve further into the events of Russia, 1917 in the next few posts. Thank you for reading...and God Bless!
- JSR
- JSR
Click here for Part II: The March Revolution, The Dumas, and Lenin's Rise to Power
Reference
Halliday, E. M., & Black, C. E. (1967). Russia in Revolution. American Heritage Publishing Co.
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