The Russian Revolution: Why Do People Revolt?

Name Professor Subject Date The Russian Revolution An imperial family of the Romanovs had ruled Russia for three centuries but the ruler at that time Tsar Nicholas II was regarded as a terrible leader. Riots started in Petrograd on 24th February of 1917 since the public was angry due to the lack of food and how badly World War I was going. The riots spread quickly to the factories and the army making it difficult for the Czar to keep order, (Zajda, and Joseph). Tsar Nicholas stepped down on the 2nd March since many of the soldiers refused to follow his commands to dissolve the uprisings. Nicholas stepped down thinking that his brother Michael would replace him and continue the Romanov rule, but Michael declined. A provisional government formed by Duma and led by Kerensky took the governance of the country and restored in people the hope of a better life, but many issues continued leading to the second revolution in October. The provisional government was tumbled, and all power was given to the Soviets in the second revolution. The Bolsheviks which was led by Vladimir Lenin took control and demolished the traditional Tsarist rule. In 1917, the connection between the Tsar and the people of Russia had broken down due to exploitation and governmental incompetence. The poverty of the Russian people, coupled with the brutality of the state, and the weakness of republican institutions since the late 18th century led to discontent. The failure by the leaders to undertake reforms leading to military downfalls in the Russo-Japanese war resulted in humiliation and embarrassment of the state. The Tsar’s unreceptive policies which included the sporadic disbanding of the Russian parliament led to public discontent, (Hasegawa, and Tsuyoshi). The many ethnic minorities of the Russian empire grew gradually restless. The ineffective government actions of World War I provided the test that the long-standing administration was unable to meet. The Russian militaries that were Ill-equipped and poorly led suffered terrible fatalities in the fight against German soldiers. The war showed that Russia was not a military match for the central and western European countries. It also interrupted the economy hence making the revolution inevitable. The main reason why people revolt is because they feel that the existing government does not have interest in addressing their complaints and unhappiness. The unhappiness is mostly from the poor social and economic status of the community. The scarcity of money to provide for the basic human needs makes people try and find better solutions which involve revolting ag...