The Impact of Revolution in Russia (1905-1945)

The Impact of Revolution in Russia (1905-1945)

The Impact of the 1905 Revolution and the Transition to Communism

  • The 1905 Revolution originated from widespread discontent with Tsar Nicholas II’s autocratic rule, economic hardship, and Russia’s humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).

  • Despite being quelled by 1907, the revolution instigated significant political changes, such as the establishment of the Duma (parliament), which granted limited legislative power to elected representatives.

  • The failure of the 1905 Revolution and the limited reforms that followed sowed seeds of deeper resentment against the Tsardom and eventually led to the rise of the Bolshevik Party under Lenin.

Russian Revolution and the Birth of Soviet Union (1917-1922)

  • Disillusionment with the Tsar’s handling of World War I led to the February Revolution in 1917, which resulted in the abdication of Nicholas II and the provisional government’s rise, which continued the war.

  • Lenin’s April Theses and the slogan “Peace, Land, Bread” tapped into popular discontent. The Bolsheviks seized power from the provisional government in the October Revolution.

  • The Russian Civil War (1918-1922) ensued between the Red Army (Bolsheviks) and the White Army (monarchists, republicans, and others) with the victory of the Reds, leading to the establishment of the USSR in 1922.

Stalin’s Russia and Industrialisation (1928-1941)

  • Following Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin emerged as the dominant leader. He abandoned NEP (New Economic Policy) and instigated a series of Five-Year Plans for rapid industrialisation.

  • The collectivisation of agriculture under Stalin led to the Holodomor in Ukraine (1932-1933) and resulted in mass famine, causing millions of deaths.

  • The 1930s marked the height of the Great Purge or Stalin’s Purge, during which political opponents, intellectuals, and perceived enemies were eliminated or sent to Gulag labour camps.

The USSR in World War II (1941-1945)

  • The USSR faced invasion by Nazi Germany in 1941, despite signing the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in 1939. The invasion began what is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.

  • Despite enormous human and material losses, the Red Army’s resilience and military strategies led to key victories in the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943) and the Battle of Kursk (1943).

  • The outcome of World War II significantly bolstered Soviet Union’s geopolitical status and set the stage for its emergence as a global superpower, marking the beginning of the Cold War era.