Dylan Wang8Br
Mr. Zuggi
World History
December 9, 2014 Why Did Russia Experience a Revolution But Not The U.S.? In 1917, during WW1, two revolutions occurred in Russia. The last revolution, happening in October, allowed the creation of a communist state, lasting 69 years. However, during the time around the revolution, many people were facing similar problems, such as shortages and increasing death tolls. However, only Russia experienced a revolution. The reason is due to preexisting problems worsened by the war, an incompetent government, terrible failures in the military campaign, and propaganda by political parties.
In 19041905, Russia fought a sea war with the industrialized, asian power, Japan. The
RussoJapanese war ended with a Japanese victory, causing the population discontent with the adamant autocratic government to surge out in a revolution. Although the uprising was crushed with the use of the military, it caused the Czar to grant the formation of an elected national assembly, called the the Duma, the creation of a constitution, plans for universal education and legalizing both political parties and labor unions. Despite these changes, the general populace never saw any major changes, as the Czar essentially ignored these guidelines and disbanded the
Duma, which only had advisory powers for the Czar, and rewrote the laws to favor nobility.
These changes did however, allow for secret political parties to come into the open.
Afterwards, political parties, which was predominantly socialist, encouraged workers and peasants, who made made the cast majority of Russia, to support their views and philosophical ideas. In Russia industrial workers received little pay, worked long hours and in bad conditions, they demanded better pay and working conditions. The peasants yearned to own land instead of working on an aristocrat’s land. With the disbanding of the Duma, the people turned against the nobility, and caused the nobles themselves to believe that an uprising would undeniably happen.
When World War 1 broke out, the burden of feeding and clothing 12 million soldiers caused supply to the general populace to dwindle, letting millions to starve. Due to terrible tactics,
Russia suffered major losses in the war, eventually the Czar accepted command of the army, which allowed the populace to have a figurehead to blame the army's mistakes. On International
Women’s Day, women workers went on strike for more bread rations, eventually causing a domino effect that shutted down Petrogradsky’s entire industry and had students and whitecollared workers joined in. When the Czar ordered troops to fire on the protesters, who were made mostly made of women, the army mutinied and joined the rebellion. Which led to the
Czar abandoning the throne and leaving by train, before getting caught.
The formation of the Provisional Government however was a short reign as they chose to continue the war against Germany, a choice unpopular with the masses, at the same time Lenin returned from exile, supporting a Marxist society. In October of 1917, the
