Why Did the Russian Revolution Occur in 1917
Why did the Revolution occur in Russia in 1917?
The Russian Revolution of 1917 occurred for a number of different reasons, all of which are strongly tied up with the Romanov family. For one, the people of the Russian Empire felt exploited due to a series of political, social and economic grievances. Also, it was widely thought that the Tsar, Nicholas Romanov II, was unfit to rule his people. Finally, with the onset of World War 1 (WW1) and the crippling impacts that it had on the lower classes of Russia, the Russian people finally revolted against their ruling authorities, which resulted in the March Revolution and Nicholas’ abdication of the throne. This marked the end of the Romanov Dynasty and the start of Communist Russia.
Russia modernized extremely late, relative to other European countries, and this mid-modernizing period played a large role in the lead up the revolution. Up until then, Russia was still stuck in the social constructs set up in medieval times, such as the hierarchy triangle, in which the Royals were most important, then the Clergy, then the Army, then the Capitalists and finally the working class and peasants. Because of this system, the peasants were the lowest of the low, and although they made up the largest percentage of the population, they had the least rights and had no way of getting out of their social position. They felt the continual onslaught of political, social and economic grievances from the government, for example, up until the early 1880’s, they were not allowed to own land, and even when Tsar Alexander - Nicholas’ father - emancipated them and allowed them to own their own land, they were constantly crippled by taxes of crops and money. These poor living conditions were only magnified when peasants heard stories of the emancipation in other countries in Europe, which eventually resulted in a cry for peasant rights that was not answered fully until the revolution.
A new class had also arisen due to the modernizing of
The Russian Revolution of 1917 occurred for a number of different reasons, all of which are strongly tied up with the Romanov family. For one, the people of the Russian Empire felt exploited due to a series of political, social and economic grievances. Also, it was widely thought that the Tsar, Nicholas Romanov II, was unfit to rule his people. Finally, with the onset of World War 1 (WW1) and the crippling impacts that it had on the lower classes of Russia, the Russian people finally revolted against their ruling authorities, which resulted in the March Revolution and Nicholas’ abdication of the throne. This marked the end of the Romanov Dynasty and the start of Communist Russia.
Russia modernized extremely late, relative to other European countries, and this mid-modernizing period played a large role in the lead up the revolution. Up until then, Russia was still stuck in the social constructs set up in medieval times, such as the hierarchy triangle, in which the Royals were most important, then the Clergy, then the Army, then the Capitalists and finally the working class and peasants. Because of this system, the peasants were the lowest of the low, and although they made up the largest percentage of the population, they had the least rights and had no way of getting out of their social position. They felt the continual onslaught of political, social and economic grievances from the government, for example, up until the early 1880’s, they were not allowed to own land, and even when Tsar Alexander - Nicholas’ father - emancipated them and allowed them to own their own land, they were constantly crippled by taxes of crops and money. These poor living conditions were only magnified when peasants heard stories of the emancipation in other countries in Europe, which eventually resulted in a cry for peasant rights that was not answered fully until the revolution.
A new class had also arisen due to the modernizing of