Russian Revolution

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Russian Revolution of 1917 summary

Russian Revolution

Q: What caused the Russian Revolution of 1917?

Corruption and inefficiency were widespread in the imperial government, and ethnic minorities were eager to escape Russian domination. Peasants, workers, and soldiers finally rose up after the enormous and largely pointless slaughter of World War I destroyed Russia’s economy as well as its prestige as a European power.

Q: Why is it called the October Revolution if it took place in November?

By the 18th century, most countries in Europe had adopted the Gregorian calendar . In countries like Russia , where Eastern Orthodoxy was the dominant religion, dates were reckoned according to the Julian calendar . In the early 20th century, the difference between these two calendars was 13 days, so the Julian (also called Old Style) dates October 24–25 correspond to the Gregorian dates November 6–7.

Q: How did the revolution lead to the Russian Civil War?

The October Revolution saw Vladimir Lenin ’s Bolsheviks seize power at the expense of more moderate social democrats ( Mensheviks ) and conservative “Whites.” Russia’s former allies, who were still fighting in World War I , soon identified the Bolsheviks as a threat equal to that of Germany , and they dispatched troops to Russia . The Allies could not agree on their aims in Russia, however, and Lenin took advantage of their war-weariness. After two years of fighting, the Bolsheviks emerged victorious.

Q: What happened to the tsar and his family?

On March 15, 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. Nicholas, his family, and their loyal retainers were detained by the provisional government and were eventually moved to Yekaterinburg . On July 17, 1918, when White army forces approached the area, the tsar and his entire family were slaughtered to prevent their rescue.

Russian history [1917]

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 5, 2024 • Article History

Vladimir Lenin

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Category: History & Society

Also called:: Russian Revolution of 1917

Date:: October 24, 1917 - October 25, 1917; November 6, 1917 - November 7, 1917

Location:: St. Petersburg; Russian Empire

Participants:: Bolshevik; Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies

Context:: Soviet Union

Major Events:: July Days; Russian Provisional Government

On the Web:: Marx Memorial Library - A Brief History of the Russian Revolution (Mar. 05, 2024)

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What caused the Russian Revolution of 1917?

Why is it called the October Revolution if it took place in November?

How did the revolution lead to the Russian Civil War?

What happened to the tsar and his family?

Russian Revolution, two revolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power. (Read Leon Trotsky’s 1926 Britannica essay on Lenin.) Centuries of virtually unchecked Russian expansion in Asia ended with an embarrassing defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). This military reverse shattered Russia’s dreams of establishing hegemony over the whole of Asia, but it also contributed to a wave of domestic unrest. The Revolution of 1905 compelled Nicholas II to issue the October Manifesto, which ostensibly transformed Russia from an ...(100 of 9577 words)

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