Assess The Causes Of The 1917 Russian Revolution

In 1917 a revolution broke out in Russia. The people eventually overthrew the government and in November of 1917 the Bolsheviks, or Red army came into power. After the Russian Revolution, there was a civil war between the White Army and the Red army. The White Army wanted opposed the Russian revolution while the Red army supported it and wanted to establish a Communist state. The Red Army was able to defeat the White Army, due to the White Army being disorganized, the use of war communism by the Bolsheviks (Red Army) and their use of terror.

The White Army was very disorganized compared to the Red Army. The White Russian armies, which fought the Red Army for several years, could not adequately organize themselves, and the Allied help was

Within months of the revolution, a new secret police, known as the Cheka appeared. The government headed by Lenin carried out extensive repression of all actual or potential sources of opposition The Cheka killed anyone who was in the White Army or against the revolution and the Red Army’s communist beliefs. In the summer of 1918, the Bolsheviks even murdered the tsar and his family. This event contributed to the Whites becoming weaker because some groups in the White Army were still hoping that the Tsar would eventually gain his power again. The Russian people considered the Cheka very brutal. One of its leaders claimed, ‘The CHEKA does not judge, it strikes’. People became so scared that they were being watched that less people now thought twice about opposing them. The chief of the Cheka was Felix Dzerkensky, but evidence indicates the role played by Lenin himself in enforcing the policy of terror. Lenin wanted to make his government better by getting rid of all the people who did not support his beliefs. In July 1918, Lenin ordered ‘to execute and exterminate hundreds of prostitutes, drunken soldiers, former officers, etc’ This period eventually became know as the “Red Terror”. This led to the disappearances of many people during this time. The purpose of the program was to make people scared, which they were, which made them support the Bolsheviks. By gaining more followers, their power over the masses of Russia increased, making them able to win the civil war against the White