How to Understand the Russian Revolution

When Bolshevik revolutionaries, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in Russia in the late fall of 1917, it seemed to many observers that this Communist takeover occurred virtually overnight. As with all things Russian, though, the truth is considerably more complex. The October revolution wasn’t a bolt from the blue, but the last stage in a messy series of events stretching back over a dozen years. Here’s how to put the Russian Revolution in its proper context.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Understand that Russia—until quite recently—had been an autocratic state. Until the lesser-known revolution of 1905, in which Tsar Nicholas II agreed to cede some of his authority to democratically elected representatives, Russia was the most absolute of absolute monarchies. Technically, the Tsar owned every piece of land in Russia, and every one of his subjects—from the most powerful lord to the most abject peasant—was at his disposal.

2. The 1905 reforms weren’t given much of a chance to work. Since they were granted under duress, the civil liberties allowed by Tsar Nicholas didn’t have his full support, and he did everything he could to subvert them. At the same time, the nascent Russian democracy was at the mercy of revolutionaries of all stripes, who regularly assassinated public figures with whom they disagreed.

3. World War I shook Russia to its core. No country had a positive experience in World War I, but Russia fared worse than most, with millions of soldiers killed, rock-bottom morale, and a backward economy unequipped to deal with the demands of total warfare. This was why, after the Communists seized power, they reached a separate deal with Germany in the humiliating treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

4. The October Revolution in 1917 was preceded by one in February. A scant half-year before the Communists seized power, rioting in the streets (and a subsequent military uprising) prompted Nicholas II to abdicate in favor of an elected “Duma” (national parliament). The next six months saw a hugely confusing series of political maneuverings by Socialists, Democrats and Communists as they struggled to establish a power base.

5. The Bolsheviks didn’t have much popular support. Most historians agree that Lenin and the Bolsheviks were able to seize power simply because they had the most nerve—not because a groundswell of citizens demanded Communist rule. One of the first acts of the Soviet government was to assume custody of the royal family (which had already been imprisoned by the provisional government) and later execute them.

6. It took a few years for the Communists to consolidate their power. Despite what the newspaper headlines said, Lenin did not wield the full reins of power from the moment he took office. Before the Communists could establish their supremacy, they had to wage a series of bloody battles against “White” armies seeking to restore the old regime. It was only in 1922 that the Communists had gained uncontested control over the whole of Russia, and proclaimed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.