The Russian Revolution

Setting the scene

By 1917, Russia had lost 1.7 million soldiers in World War I, with food shortages in cities and the tsarist regime discredited. Nicholas II had taken personal command of the army in 1915, leaving his German-born wife Alexandra and the mystic Rasputin effectively running the government. Inflation was 400%, bread lines stretched for blocks in Petrograd, and soldiers mutinied. The Duma (parliament) demanded reforms, but Nicholas refused, believing in divine right autocracy.

What happened

The February Revolution began March 8, 1917 (February 23 Old Style) when women textile workers struck for bread. Within days, 200,000 workers joined, and troops refused to fire on crowds. Nicholas abdicated March 15, ending 304 years of Romanov rule. A Provisional Government under Alexander Kerensky continued the war. Lenin, exiled in Switzerland, returned in April via German sealed train and promised 'Peace, Land, Bread.' On November 7 (October 25 Old Style), Bolshevik Red Guards seized the Winter Palace in a nearly bloodless coup, overthrowing the Provisional Government.

Why it still matters

The Bolshevik Revolution created the world's first communist state, leading to a civil war (1918-1922) that killed 10 million, and eventually the Soviet Union in 1922. It withdrew Russia from WWI via the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ceding vast territories to Germany. The revolution inspired communist movements worldwide, shaped the 20th century's ideological divide, and led to the Cold War. Lenin's government executed Nicholas and his family in July 1918. The revolution's promise of workers' power devolved into Stalin's totalitarianism, but it proved that a small, disciplined party could seize and hold a major state.

Background

They paved the way for the creation of the Soviet Union.