The Russian Revolution
History will not be complete without the Russian Revolution. Who were radicals? How did the Russian Revolution begin? Who were Liberals and Conservatives? Read on for more information about the Russian Revolution.
A significant political event of the twentieth century was the Russian Revolution of 1917. After centuries of Russian imperial rule, the Romanov Dynasty was destroyed by this violent revolution. Led by leftist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, the Bolsheviks seized power during the Russian Revolution and destroyed czarist rule.
Russian Revolution: When Did It Happen?
1917 marked the end of centuries of imperial rule in Russia and the start of political and social changes leading to the creation of the Soviet Union. Social unrest in Russia had been simmering for decades before the two revolutions took place within a month.
The early 1900s saw Russia as one of the most impoverished countries in Europe, home to a large population of peasants and a growing majority of poor industrial workers.
Western Europe, for the most part, viewed Russia as an underdeveloped, backward society. Serfdom, which involves landless peasants serving the land-owning nobility, was practised in the Russian Empire during the 19th century. Serf emancipation influenced events leading up to the Russian Revolution by providing more freedom for peasants to organise.
Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution
In the wake of the Revolution, a dramatic change in the structure of society was possible. However, not all Europeans wanted a total transformation. While some were conservative, others were liberal or radical. Socialism in Europe and the Russian revolution gave rise to the age of social change.
Industrial Society and Social Change: The economic and social changes were taking place at this time. An industrial revolution was also underway. Women, children, and men were forced to work in factories for low wages. Liberals and radicals who owned factories felt they should be assisted in spreading the benefits of industrialization among workers.
Socialism in Europe: Socialism viewed private property as the source of social evils. Their visions of the future were different. Some believed in cooperatives, and some demanded that governments make cooperatives more attractive.
Who were Conservatives, Radicals and Liberals?
Liberals: Liberals were dedicated to building a nation that tolerated all religions. It was against the unrestrained power of dynastic rulers that they argued for individual rights and a parliamentary government. Due to their non-belief in the universal adult franchise, they were not democratic.
Radicals: Radicals believed the majority of its citizens should drive a country's government. Not having private property annoyed them, but the concentration of property in a few hands.
Conservatives: Conservatives resisted change. In the wake of the revolution, people started to accept change provided it was slow, linked to the past, and respected the past.
What were the Ideas of Conservatives?
The French Revolution, however, opened the eyes of even conservatives to the need for change. Conservatives opposed liberals and radicals. On the other hand, conservatives had tended to oppose a change in the eighteenth century. Their view in the nineteenth century was that some change was inevitable, but that the past must be respected and that change must be gradual.
How does the age of social change impact revolution?
Socialists considered private property to be the source of all social ills of the day. But why? The property that provided employment belonged to individuals, but the owners were only interested in their gain and ignored the welfare of the workers. As a result, if society controlled property instead of a handful of individuals, collective social interests would receive more attention. It was a cause for which socialists campaigned.
What were the effects of the Russian revolution?
The effects of the Russian Revolution of 1917 over Russia were as follows:
The Russian Revolution ended tsarist rule in Russia.
The world's first communist/socialist government was established. After the First World War, the Soviet Union withdrew from the conflict.
As part of the socialist agenda, all industries, farms, railroads, banks, mines, telephones, and private lands were nationalised. The state took control of them.
Economic planning began under Stalin. He introduced the collectivization of agriculture. All peasants were forced to engage in collective farming from 1929 onwards.
By the end of World War II, the USSR had become a powerful industrial nation thanks to its planned economy.
Poverty began to disappear from the country. The USSR established socialism as a global movement with the outbreak of the Second World War.
Conclusion
Thus, we can say that undoubtedly the Russian Revolution was an important historical event. In the past, when it became very necessary as well as important to bring social change in the society, the liberals as well as radicals had to come forward to support the motion and they started campaigns as well as movements and therefore became revolutionaries. They taught us to fight for the rights of the individual.
FAQs on Russian Revolution: Socialism and Concept of Liberals, Radicals and Conservatives
1. What was the end of the Russian Revolution?
Russia's Revolution began with the storming of the Winter Palace. The endings, however, are more complicated. A new Soviet government dispersed the newly elected Constituent Assembly on 6 January 1918, ending the Revolution. In 1917, the Russian Revolution effectively ended with the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly; a brutal civil war would now decide Russia's fate.
2. Why did the Russian Revolution occur?
Several factors caused the Russian Revolution.
The Czars' autocratic rule: Russia was reformed by Alexander II, who became famous among all. In his wake, Czar Alexander III and Czar Nicholas II became despotic. Their rule led to the loss of political power of political organizations like Meer, Jemstvo, and Duma. Russia's Czarist autocracy ignited the flame of unrest among workers, peasants, intellectuals and students. The hatred for the Czar grew.
The Policy of Russification: Czar Alexander III was despotic and, as a member of the ruling class, he pursued the Russification of all systems. His son Czar Nicholas II followed the same path and declared ‘One Czar, One Church, One Russia’. The Russian language was introduced even to non-Russian regions under Russian dominance, such as Poland, Lithuania, and Finland. Russia was engulfed in an atmosphere of unrest due to the Russification Policy of Czar Nicholas II.
The Social System: Before the revolution, Russian society was divided into two classes; the rich and the poor. The rich class was made up of nobles, feudal lords, and the rich. The poor class consisted of peasants, workers, and serfs. Czar Alexander II, during his rule, ended the ‘Serfdom’. Due to the loss of their lands, the feudal lords were irritated. Due to low earnings, labourers and workers found themselves unable to support their families. There was no class happier than the peasants. Due to the denial of all privileges, the political parties became unhappy. The Czarist rule led to the decline of all sections of society.
3. Who were liberals and radicals?
Liberals were said to be those who did not concentrate in one religion but respected all religions equally and were also considered against the dynasty rule in the society whereas if we talk about radicals, they used to support a system of government where it should be elected by the people's majority.
