Tsar Nicholas II: The Russian Revolution Of 1917

‘A man with a gun can control one hundred without one.’ –Vladimir Lenin. The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a significant landmark in time. With growing discontentment among peasants with the out-dated governing of aristocratic family the Romanovs, and disgruntlement amidst ordinary workers with the publically perceived (and rightly so) lack of empathy and blatant disregard exhibited by Tsar Nicholas II the suffering of the Russian people, a revolution in Russia was inevitable. The First World War was in its third year in 1917, and citizens were lethargic and tormented with pangs of hunger. With promises of a fair and equal society for all the people of Mother Russia, originating from the ideals of Communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin and

Russia and its people were enduing hardships in all aspects of its existence. Socially, Russia was in disarray. The Tsarist regime weighed heavily, mistreating the masses for centuries. Russia’s economy was in tatters; over fifteen million natives had fought in World War I, ill equipped by the Tsar for battle which seen approximately 5 million Russians lose their lives. The workers in industry were over worked, underpaid and outraged. Politically Tsar Nicholas II was an authoritarian ruler. He ignored the state of Russia, and the emerging dissatisfaction of the workers in industry. The seeds of revolution had taken over a century to blossom but the several social, economic and political dilemmas within the country for decades had sprouted. It was a deep seeded desire for change in these three branches of Russian society that was the driving force behind the uprising. People demanded a modified society, a sense of stability and serenity within society. It was time for a new era in Russia. It was time for

Under the impression that the people could not govern themselves, the ‘all-knowing’ Czar had neglected his subjects and his own expense. Before the radical revolution of February 1917, the Proletariat, ie, the wage earners in Russia had taken to the streets in 1905, now known as Bloody Sunday, and journeyed to Tsar Nicholas’ palace. Lead by priest Georgy Gapon the workers demanded work reforms, particularly an increase in wages. Without the guidance of Tsar Nicholas II, as he was absent from the palace, the inexperienced army fired into the crowd, with many protestors massacred as a result. Due to the irate sentiment of the Proletariat, Tsar Nicholas is forced to reform the political system. Established in 1906, Russia’s first parliament, the Duma was a political façade, a guise under which Tsar Nicholas fooled the people of Russia into thinking they had at last a voice. Because Tsar Nicholas revoked the Duma after its creation, this was another contributing factor to the events of February 1917. He had an ideal opportunity to share power with parliament, but instead he chose to rule Russia himself, an ode to the saying that ‘absolute power corrupts