The 20th century was left in the past as the most bloody, difficult and unpredictable period that forever changed the course of Russian history. Power, the usual way of life and the political system will change several times. The country will be destroyed by large-scale revolutions, and another, completely new state will be built on its ruins. After 70 years of existence, it will be destroyed and erased from the memory of the modern generation. Millions of people over a hundred-year period of historical drama will re-learn how to live, adapt, and believe.
100 years - 4 political revolutions, economic abyss and incredible rise, unquestioning faith and contempt, unification and collapse. This is too much for one generation of a simple Russian family.
Precursors of Trouble
Peter I in 1721 officially created the Russian Empire, the power and significance of which has been questioned and criticized for almost 200 years of history. However, it was during this period of time that the Russian state expanded its borders, achieved recognition inworld in science, literature and education.
But while the monarchy was drowning in gold, absorbing more and more new entertainments, traveling the world and filling their palaces and cities with luxury, ordinary Russian people often starved. The level of illiteracy of people during this period reached critical levels.
The Northern and Russo-Japanese wars worsened the already deplorable state of the common people. A low standard of living, high mortality, a huge social gap between the rich and the poor - this is exactly what life was like in the country. Russia has long needed new reforms, but the monarchy hesitated, only aggravating its situation.
All these circumstances caused the first political revolution in Russia.
Russia at the beginning of the 20th century
In 1894, Alexander III dies and Nicholas II, his son, ascends the throne. At that time, absolute autocracy was already weighing on the people. The country demanded change. After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, in fact, the life of an entire class, namely the peasant population, did not change.
In addition, the hard work of the working class in factories and plants gave rise to unrest and indignation. Working conditions were extremely difficult and pay was very low.
The Russo-Japanese War exacerbated the already difficult situation of the people. Russia's struggle for the Far East was very crumpled and indecisive. As a result, the Japanese de alt a crushing blow to the empire, which overnight undermined the authority of the Russian government in the ranks of the already tired population of the country. More than 50 thousand people were killed, more than 70thousands were taken prisoner. All these events became the impetus for the first political revolution.
First Revolution
The deplorable state of the majority of the population ensured the emergence of "their own" leaders. These leaders interpreted the conditions for the state in order to make life easier for the common man. One of the main conditions was the limitation of autocracy. In fact, people demanded elementary things: a reduction in the working day, freedom of speech, equality before the law for all citizens of Russia. In early January 1905, a strike at the Putilov factory forced the workers to write a petition to the tsar asking him to take action. It was a peaceful demonstration of ordinary Russian workers tired of their desperate situation.
On January 9, a peaceful procession to the Winter Palace turned into a bloody massacre. About 200 people died, which was the beginning of the first political revolution. Faith in the king was undermined, a wave of uprisings and rallies swept the country. This revolution will last 2 years. Later it will be called the "Bourgeois revolution", which means - directed against the bourgeoisie and the monarchy. To a large extent, it is she who will weaken the royal power, becoming a kind of first stage towards a large-scale second revolution.
Second Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917, or the Bourgeois-Democratic Revolution, finally decided the question of the monarchy in Russia. This political revolution was caused by the same problems: the peasant and land issues were not resolved, the plight of the workers,military associated with the First World War (1914-1918). People died in the war, Russia was clearly losing, the country was in economic decline. Strikes and rallies continued, acquiring a crushing scale. The authorities were powerless, and Nicholas II understood this very well. He finally decides to abdicate on March 2, 1917.
Now the Bolsheviks came into play. Their task was to create a provisional government, resolve the issue of Russia's participation in the First World War and improve the life of the country's population. The death pen alty was immediately abolished, political prisoners were released. Chaos began in Russia, which was the harbinger of the third political revolution.
Third Revolution
October 25 (November 7), 1917, the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, completely seized power in the country. The new proletarian government set clear and meaningful goals for the people. All property was nationalized. Private property has been abolished. "Factories for the workers", "Land for the peasants" are the main slogans of the new government. Religion and the church were not left out. The churches were turned over to the state, atheism became the new religion in the country.
A strong and educated leader Vladimir Ulyanov-Lenin led the country on a new road to a bright socialist future.
The political revolutions of 1917 marked a new era in the history of Russia. In its almost 70-year history, Russia has experienced a lot of ups and downs. However, the amplitude of terrible and good events was so great thatit is difficult today to objectively talk about the pluses and minuses of Soviet power.
The consequences of three revolutions
The political revolutions of 1917 did their job, the government completely changed, the Soviet era began. The most high-profile events of this era from 1917 to 1991:
- 1917 - Seizure of power by the Bolshevik Party.
- Nationalization of land, banks, private property, churches.
- March 1918 - Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, withdrawal from World War I.
- 1918 - the beginning of the Civil War, the creation of the Red Army.
- July 1918 - the execution of the last members of the royal family.
- July 1918 - creation of the first constitution.
- August 1918 - the beginning of the Red Terror, the extermination of people who disagreed with the revolution.
- Transfer of the capital of Russia from St. Petersburg to Moscow, renaming the city of St. Petersburg to Leningrad.
- 1922 - formation of the USSR.
- Since 1928 - collectivization, creation of collective farms.
- Since 1932 - a terrible famine, the beginning of industrialization.
- Stalin's repressions.
- 1941 -1945 - Great Patriotic War.
- 1949 - creation of the atomic bomb.
- 1961 - the first manned flight into space.
- 1961 - construction of the Berlin Wall.
- 1962 - Caribbean Crisis, conflict between the USSR and the USA.
- 1979 - Introduction of troops into Afghanistan.
- 1986 - Chernobyl accident.
- In Russia, the rise of entrepreneurship, the fall of the Berlin Wall.
- 1991 - collapse of the USSR
All these events led the country to the fourth political revolution.
The Fourth Revolution
The last Russian revolution is also called the "criminal revolution". After desperate attempts by Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev to improve the life of the population by trial and error, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev came to power. Economic stagnation begins. For the next 30 years, the country is rapidly falling into an economic and social abyss. In an attempt to create a more democratic state, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev proposes a new economic policy. The people are given the opportunity to engage in entrepreneurship, to privatize housing and state facilities. Strikes and riots begin in the country. The illiterate policy of the highest echelons of power results in the collapse of the USSR, not without the participation of Western countries. People who are tired of incompetence, wars and the absurdity of the decisions being made, for the most part do not support change, but, alas, they are already inevitable.
What do dreams lead to?
Throughout human history, people simply wanted to live well. These are the main causes of political revolution. Russia endured a lot, as a result, under the leadership of strong leaders, stepped into a new era, starting to build a new state with enthusiasm. Perhaps if the leaders of this state were more patriotic and educated, we would not have to experience another split in society. In the pursuit of power and empty awards, we have lost the most important thing - respect and faith.
Often the October Socialist Russian Revolutioncompared with the Great French political revolution, which took place more than 100 years earlier and as a result of which the Bastille was taken and the monarchy was overthrown. The desires of the French and Russian citizens coincided - everyone wanted to live better. But France went its own way, eventually creating a strong democratic state and giving hope that changes for the better are possible for other countries, including Russia.
Forgotten History
The political revolutions in Russia were organized by the brave and strong leaders of that time. With the help of "Western" funding and a fairly illiterate stratum of the population, a new state was created. Today, in the public domain, you can find many films, historical references and archives, there are no longer secrets and prohibitions on knowledge.
The history of political revolutions is fascinating, but very cruel. This is the story of a whole generation, individuals, cultures. The whole world is involved in its consequences! Do not forget about the exploits of your people, trust only one point of view, because we have the opportunity to be objective, thanks to the invaluable work of writers and historians.
Will there be a fifth revolution?
Today there is a lot of controversy about the current government. Someone actively supports it, someone, on the contrary, is looking for all sorts of errors. Few are indifferent, but those who are not indifferent are arguing whether there will be a fifth revolution. A new political revolution can be justified by the change of a strong leader, which was already happening in the Soviet Union, as well as by the colossal social gap between the layerspopulation. The difference between the rich and the poor in Russia has reached its highest level in the history of the state. Whether this will cause a new round in the history of revolutions is not yet known.
