Russia+Revo.+caroline.norgreen+Part+2

Process Chart showing how a war with the Germans lead to the Bolsheviks taking control of the government.

NOTES

Russia At War, 1914-17 Early Defeats


 * Russia went into war 1914 against Germany – Tsar renamed St. Petersburg (sound too German), Petrograd


 * Two huge armies attacked German – in a war, which they should have won, they lost badly
 * Also a million without rifles, and many without boots
 * Over 250,000 killed, wounded, or taken prisoner after 6 weeks
 * End of war Russians lost over a million men
 * Russians were wiped out at Tannenberg & Masurian Lakes

The Collapse of the Economy


 * 1915 – economy began to collapse
 * There was a lack of workers
 * 15.5 million young men were taken into the armies
 * There was half the amount of people needed in the factories and fields
 * 600 factories closed & farms not farmed
 * Transportation was also big issue
 * Food could not be transported to soldiers because there weren’t enough making coal and enough to run the trains
 * Inflation was a huge problem also, Russian money lost value as prices went up in 1914
 * Army kept losing – end of 1915
 * 300,000 were killed
 * 3 million were wounded/in enemy prison camps

‘Dark Forces Destroying the Throne’


 * August 1915 – Tsar Nicholas took command of his own armies
 * Left Petrograd, and when to army headquarters 500 km
 * Alexandra was left in charge or the government (but was under the influence of Rasputin)
 * Had power to do anything – sacked ministers who displeased her, replacing them with people her, and Rasputin, liked.
 * Changed all Ministers (up to 5 times)
 * Changing of Ministers – government work stopped – armies supplies lessened even more
 * Death toll went over a million
 * Rumors flew around – because Alexandra was German – that her and Rasputin tried to destroy Russia from within
 * Concluded that they were Russia agents
 * December 1916, 3 loyal nobles to the Tsar, went to destroy the ‘dark forces’, and murdered Rasputin
 * New of death, public rejoiced – ‘dark forces’ were no more
 * January 1917 – terrible blizzard began (-35ºC)
 * 1000+ Railway engines froze and burst their boilers – transportation of grain, coal, wood, and oil ** stopped **

The Revolution of March 1917


 * Conditions worsened and March 1917 – turned into a full-scale revolution
 * March 7 – giant Putilov steel works locked out their 20,000 workers after pay talks broke down– people went on strike to support the steel workers
 * March 8 –
 * 50 factories close & 90,000 workers went on strike
 * It was International Women’s Day – socialist women were demonstrating
 * All anyone wanted was bread
 * March 9 – 200,000 workers on strike
 * Half of the workers were striking – they would come to work, but hold meetings and head towards the centre of the city
 * March 10 – 250,000 workers on strike – there was no public transport or newspaper
 * Later that day crossacks refused to attack
 * March 11 – president of the Duma (Michael Rodzainko) send a telegram the the Tsar
 * Gov. is in a state of anarchy – no transport, no food, - troops are fighting each other
 * Tsar responded by telling the Duma to stop meeting
 * March 12 – Duma takes over (Provisional Committee) – same evening the revolutionaries sets up a Soviet ( a council of workers and soldiers in Petrograd
 * The Soviet immediately began organizing food supplies for the city
 * March 13 – Tsar offered to share power with the Duma, but Duma said it was too late
 * March 14 – Leading army generals sent a telegram to Tsar saying that he had no military support anymore – Tsar tried to return to Petrograd to take back control
 * March 15 – 250 km from Petrograd the revolutionaries stop Tsar’s train – force him to abdicate throne - ended up giving throne to his brother
 * Grand Duke Michael – feared he’d be as unpopular as Nicholas – abdicated
 * Country was a republic (being governed by an elected leader) – should Provisional Committee or Petrograd Soviet get this power?

Notes continue below

media type="youtube" key="mMGrIwLj7gU?fs=1" height="385" width="640" This video shows how the uprisings in Petrograd started

The Provisional Government

Two new governments (march ish 1917)


 * Provisional Government – would govern Russia for a short period of time until election
 * Petrograd Soviet – made up of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies
 * Other soviets form around Russia taking lead from the Petrograd Soviet
 * Order No. 1. – Soldiers and sailors must set up committees to take control of the arms, ammunition, and equipment. + off duty soldiers are not to salute officers, who had titles like ‘Mister Colonel’ and ‘Mister General’ – not ‘Your Excellency’.
 * Order give by the Petrograd Soviet
 * April 16 1917 - Provisional Government ordered an attack on Austria
 * July Days (16/17) – because attack on Austria failed turned into retreat –everyone wanted soviets in power then – Kerensky claimed they were working Germany
 * Lenin --> Finland – exiled again
 * Kornilov sent troops to Petrograd to wipe out Provisional Government – Bolsheviks stepped in and set up Red Guard to protect Petrograd

The Bolshevik Revolution of November 1917


 * Provisional Government began to loose their authority – peasants rebelled, soldiers stopped fighting, Bolshevik workers readied themselves for a second revolution

The state of Russia in September 1917


 * Summer 1917 – peasants killed landlords
 * Took land and divided among themselves
 * Also seized land from Tsar
 * Kerensky (leader of Provisional Committee) tried to send out soldiers on ‘punishment expeditions’ – couldn’t find loyal enough troops that would keep doing his dirty work
 * Most areas continued being violent toward landlords
 * Because of violence - harvest was delayed causing food shortages
 * People faced winter with a treat of famine
 * Armies began to disobey the Petrograd Soviet’s Order No. 1
 * Began deserting the army to go back home to get their fair share of land
 * Front lines there were Bolsheviks who encouraged soldiers to lay down their weapons
 * Soldiers would amuse themselves by rolling live hand grenades into officer’ quarters

The November Revolution


 * October 1917 – Lenin returns
 * Bolsheviks planned to stage an armed uprising against the Provisional Government
 * Leon Trotsky wrote up plans and set up headquarters in the ** Smolny Instute **– unused school
 * November 6 – Red Guards were well armed with rifles from Peter and Paul Fortress – began to take control of important locations in Petrograd (bridges, telegraph station)
 * November 7 (morning) – Seized government building, railway stations and power stations
 * November 7 (evening) – the cruiser, the Aurora, sailed up and down the Neva river – fired blank shells at the Winter Palace
 * Guns in the Peter and Paul fortress opened fire
 * Red Guards then stormed Winter Palace – Cadets and Women’s Battalion gave in without a fight
 * Ministers of the Provisional Government surrendered and were arrested
 * Bolsheviks now controlled Petrograd
 * Came to power after one day of rebellion

Summary:

Russia is losing badly in the war and has left Petrograd to take control of the army, which is when chaos breaks out in Petrograd. People are demonstrating and the military members disobey their of officers for killing innocent people. When the Tsar tried to return, the revolutionaries stopped the train, leaving others to run the government, which eventually led to the Bolsheviks (November revolutions) to taking over the government.

Questions:

Did the April These change everyday life in Russia? If yes, then how? Cause and Effect; Effect: November Revolution Cause and Effect; Rumors spread about bread and other goods being held back from the people of Petrograd. Why was Rasputin assassinated? Why does the economy start to collapse? How did Rasputin gain power & what did he do to abuse that power?