The February Revolution in Petrograd

In Petrograd, on the right bank of River Neva, the workers’ quarters and factories were located and on the left bank, fashionable areas like Winter Palace and the official buildings were located. Food shortages affected the workers’ quarters deeply and on the right bank, the factory was shut down on February 22. Women also led the strikes and it is known as International Women’s Day. There was an imposition of curfew as the official buildings came to be surrounded by workers and Duma was suspended on 25th February. Streets were covered with demonstrators demanding bread, wages, better hours as well as democracy.

The government called for cavalry but they refused to fire on the demonstrators. Soviet or council came to formed by the soldiers and striking workers in the same building where Duma met and is termed as Petrograd Soviet. The provincial government was formed by Soviet leaders and Duma leaders for running the country. The future of Russia would be decided by the constituent assembly, elected by universal adult suffrage. Petrograd came to lead the February Revolution which brought down the monarchy in 1917 in February.

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After February

Under the Provisional Government, army officials, landowners, and also the industrialist came to be influential. The liberals and the socialists worked for an elected government. There were restrictions imposed on public meetings and associations were removed. In April 1917, Vladimir Lenin who was a Bolshevik leader returned to Russia from his exile and demanded three things termed to be April Theses. He emphasized on renaming of Bolshevik Party to the Communist Party and wanted the war to end, land to be transferred to peasants, and also the nationalization of banks.

Workers’ movement spread over the summers. The factory committees formed and also trade unions grew in numbers the provisional government saw its power reduced and that of the Bolsheviks increase, and decided for stern action against the spread of the Bolshevik movement. Peasants and their Socialist Revolutionary leaders pressed for a redistribution of land and encouraged by revolutionaries, peasants seized land between July and September 1917.

The Revolution of October 1917

The conflict which took place between Provisional Government and Bolsheviks grew and by 16 October 1917, Lenin was persuaded by the Petrograd Soviet and also Bolshevik Party to agree to the socialist seizure of power and organized for the seizure. The Military Revolutionary Committee ordered its supporters to seize government offices and also arrest the ministers. By the end of the day, the city was under Committee’s control and ministers had to surrender. In the All Russian Congress of Soviets in Petrograd, the majority came to be approved by Bolshevik action.

What Changed After October?

By November 1917, banks and industries came to be nationalized and the land was declared to be a social property which allowed for the seizure of land of nobility the Bolshevik Party came to rename the Russian Communist Party and elections were conducted on 1917 November, to the Constituent Assembly but failed in the majority. The Assembly rejected Bolshevik measures and Lenin was dismissed from office in 1918. Despite the opposition, in March 1918, Bolsheviks made peace with Germany and participated in elections to the All Russian Congress of Soviets and Russia became a one-party state after October 1917, which led to experiments in arts and architecture.

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The Civil War

The Russian Army came to be broken up and their leaders moved to south Russia and also organized troops for fighting the Bolsheviks. During 1918-1919, the Russian empire came to be controlled by the “greens” and “whites” who were backed by French, American, British, and Japanese troops. The Bolsheviks and these troops fought a civil war and by January 1920, Bolsheviks came to control most of the former Russian empire, and Bolsheviks colonists in the name of defending socialism, massacred the local nationalists. Most of the non-Russian nationalities were given political autonomy in the Soviet Union.

Making a Socialist Society

During the civil war, industries and banks were kept nationalized. Peasants were also permitted for cultivating the land and a centralized planning process came to be introduced. The officials worked on how the economy was working and also set targets for five years and during the first two “Plans”, the government had fixed all the prices for the promotion of industrial growth and economic growth. There was rapid construction which led to poor working conditions. Schooling systems came to be developed and arranged and women workers, creches were established and cheap public health care systems came to be provided as well as model living quarters for the workers were set up.

Stalinism and Collectivisation

The disaster of collectivization of agriculture occurred in the early Planned Economy. By 1927-28, the towns of soviet Russia had faced a shortage of grains and Stalin introduced some firm emergency actions by 1928, the party members began touring the grain-producing area and raiding the “kulaks”- who were the well-to-do peasants. After 1917, the land was given over to peasants. By 1929, Party forced all the peasants to cultivate in collective farms, which was known as kolkhoz peasants working but the kolkhoz profit was shared. The number of cattle fell by one-third and the government of Stalin allowed for independent cultivation. Inspite of collectivization, production did not increase, and the bad harvests of 1930-33 were where many people died.

Chapter 2 of History- Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution deals with the emergence of socialism in Europe and how the Russian Revolution came to change society differently and raise certain questions of economic equality and the well-being of the workers as well as the peasants. The other topics which are included in the chapter are the changes that were initiated by the new Soviet government, industrialization, and also mechanization of agriculture and rights of citizens, etc. CBSE Class 9 Chapter 2: Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution is one of the best ways to prepare for the exam.