IGCSE History Russia- Complete Outline

The Russian Revolution

•  CAUSES OF THE MARCH [FEBRUARY] REVOLUTION OF 1917 [Why Was There A Revolution In February]?
  • Weakness of Russia (7 things)
    • Size
    • Peasants
    • Poverty
    • Corrupt autocracy
    • Okhrana
    • Censorship
    • = lack of support.
  • War (4 things)
    • army badly led
    • army poorly equipped
    • huge defeats at (2 battles):
      • Tannenberg
      • Masurian Lakes
    • = anger and unrest.
  • Tsar and Tsarina unpopular (6 things)
    • hated after Bloody Sunday 1905
    • Tsar blamed for WWI defeats
    • Tsarina left in charge while Tsar commanded army
    • Tsarina gave great power to Rasputin
    • incompetent government
    • = Nicholas and Alexandra hated.
  • Attacks and opposition (3 points)
    • Duma [The Cadets]
      • angry over lack of power
      • = Duma didn’t support Government.
    • Social Revolutionary Party
      • = wanted peasant revolt,
    • Social and Democratic Labour Party split into (2 parties)
      • Mensheviks
      • Bolsheviks
      • = wanted Communist government
  • Reforms failed (3 things)
    • Prime Minister Stolypin had tried reform (2 reforms)
      • let kulaks buy own land
      • tried to improve conditions for workers
    • but was murdered 1911
    • = last chance to reform was lost.
  • Industrialisation (3 things)
    • created huge urban workforce
    • terrible conditions
    • = disaffection in Petrograd.
  • Famine (5 things)
    • Trains diverted to war effort so fewer supplies to cities
    • 15 million men joined army
    • high prices
    • bad winter 1916-17
    • = demonstrations and bread riots.
•  EVENTS OF THE MARCH [FEBRUARY] REVOLUTION OF 1917
  • 7 March
    • Steelworkers on strike.
  • 8 March
    • International Women’s Day – bread riots.
  • 10 March (2 things)
    • Half workforce on strike
    • Tsarina orders army to stop them.
  • 11 March (2 things)
    • Troops fired on crowds
    • Tsar dissolves Duma.
  • 12 March (3 things)
    • Soldiers joined riots
    • Duma sets up 12-man ‘ Provisional Government’ led by Kerensky.
    • Soldiers and workers set up ‘Petrograd Soviet’.
  • 15 March
    • Tsar abdicated.
•  THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT [Government That’s Provisional Will Be Killed]
  • Government (2 things)
    • Petrograd Soviet issues Order Number 1
      • workers and soldiers only obey Provisional Government if Soviet agrees
    • = government has little power.
  • Terrible conditions (2 things)
    • Continuing war led to worse inflation and food shortages
    • = people feel let down.
  • Peasants (3 things)
    • Took nobles land
    • Provisional Government sent in troops
    • = anger.
  • War (3 things)
    • Russian defeat in Austria
    • deserters executed
    • = naval mutiny, desertions increased.
  • Bolsheviks (5 things)
    • Lenin returned
    • Lenin Published his ‘April Theses’:
      • 'Peace, Bread Land'
    • ‘July Days’ riots,
    • Provisional arrested leaders but allowed Bolshevik…