Unit 7: Revolutionary Russia: Marxist Theory and Agrarian Realities
The Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917 reshaped the country's political institutions and led to a century of conflict with the West. During the 1905 revolution, Russian liberals challenged the absolute authority of the Russian tsar, when a coalition of workers and middle-class Russians used economic and political means to demand democratic concessions. While their gains were temporary, they inspired the future Bolshevik revolutionaries.
In February 1917, during the height of World War I, a coalition of Russian liberals and socialists challenged Russia's autocratic government and organized a series of general strikes and political protests which forced Tsar Nicholas to abdicate. The leaders created a weak provisional national government, while socialist officials organized local soviets (political councils) of Russian's industrial workers. These factions soon came into conflict.
By October 1917, the Bolshevik Party, a communist organization led by Vladimir Lenin, staged a revolution against the provisional government and seized control of the state. The Bolsheviks used military force to consolidate power and establish control over the local soviets. Throughout the 1920s, Lenin and his successor Joseph Stalin used violence and political control to impose communism on Russia's political, economic, and social institutions. Communist leaders also tried to export the revolution by supporting communist political organizations in Europe and the United States.
In this unit, we study the Russian Revolution and examine its initial connection to Marxist theory. We will compare Russia's experiences with the revolutions we studied in earlier units, and examine the global impact of the 20th century communist revolution.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 11 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- provide a concise narrative of the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917;
- critically evaluate documents produced by the Russian revolutionaries;
- compare and contrast the Russian and the French revolutions; and
- explain key arguments of Marxist theory and relate them to the revolutionary events in Russia in 1917.
- provide a concise narrative of the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917;
7.1: Imperial Russia and the Origins of the Russian Revolution
Watch this lecture. As you listen, focus on the following questions: how was Imperial Russia in the nineteenth century different from seventeenth-century England and eighteenth-century France? What were the most important similarities between pre-revolutionary regimes in these three states? How did the close ties between the Russian government and the Orthodox Church affect the evolution of Russian politics before 1917?
Read the following sections: "Economic Developments," "Reforms and Their Limits, 1855-92," and "Witte and Accelerated Industrialization." Note that you will need to scroll almost to the bottom of the page to find the last text. As you read, keep the following questions in mind: How did industrialization affect the Russian population in the latter part of the nineteenth century? Which social groups benefited? Which were subject to exploitation? What were the most important social groups in the late Russian Empire? What were the most important sources of conflict among them?
Read this essay, focusing on the reasons why an over the course of Russian history an unusually close relationship developed between the Orthodox Church and the Russian state.
Read the section titled "Foreign Affairs after the Crimean War." As you read, keep the following questions in mind: How did the Crimean War change Russia's relationship to the European powers? How did Russia's political alliances shift between 1856 and the 1890s?
Read the section titled "Imperialism in Asia and the Russo-Japanese War." As you read, keep the following questions in mind: why did Russia seek influence in Asia? What did the Japanese victory in 1905 signal about Russia's political power in Europe?
This is a comprehensive chronology which shows key nineteenth-century developments in Russia's politics, as well as the revolutionary events of 1905 and 1917. Study it carefully to get an overview of the various phases of the revolution.
7.2: Manifesto of the Communist Party, London, 1848
This is an authoritative English translation of Marx and Engels' "Communist Manifesto." It was originally published in German in London, in 1848, shortly before a wave of revolutions swept through Europe. Marxist theory was fundamentally important for Lenin and other Russian Revolutionaries and reading the Manifesto will give you insights into some of the key claims, problems, and contradictions that characterize Marxist theory. Read both the "Preamble" and "Chapter I: Bourgeois and Proletarians," focusing on the following questions: how do the authors characterize these social classes? What do they claim is the role of the bourgeoisie in world history? What role do the proletarians play? Does individual human will matter in history? Can one predict a socio-political system's future?
7.3: The Revolution of 1905
Read this article to get a more extensive understanding of the Revolution of 1905 and of the ways in which it affected the Tsarist regime in the years leading up to the First World War. Focus especially on the question of authority: who had the authority to govern? Could the Duma carry out reforms?
Read the program of the Bolshevik party carefully; as you read, take notes on their most important claims and demands.
Read this document describing the Menshevik Party, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, the Bolshevik party, and reformism. After you read, write a brief paragraph describing the most important differences between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks.
Read this brief text. This is the Manifesto issued by Tsar Nicholas II in response to the demands put forward by the revolutionary coalition. Compare it with the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen" put forward by the French revolutionaries in 1789. What are the most important similarities and differences between the two documents?
7.4: The Revolution of 1917
This is an interactive chronology which allows you to explore in detail the revolutionary events that took place throughout 1917. Read the instructions at the bottom of the page, and then explore both the events and the activities of the various social groups and revolutionary leaders.
Watch this lecture. Focus on understanding the transitions between the different phases of the revolution and the goals of the competing parties in February 1917.
Read "February Revolution" and "The Period of Dual Power." What were the competing visions of the Russian state which emerged during this time?
Lenin's "April Theses" was a crucially important document that outlined the aspirations of the Bolshevik Party. Read it, and compare it to the Communist Manifesto. What are the most important ways in which Lenin departs from the Communist Manifesto?
Read "The Bolshevik Revolution." Study the text carefully to understand how the Bolsheviks came to power in Saint Petersburg.
This declaration, published in January 1918, outlines the key rights which are to obtain in the new Soviet state. Compare it with the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, the English Bill of Rights, and the American Bill of Rights. What common themes and values do you notice? What is unique about this document when compared to earlier revolutionary declarations?
Read "Civil War and War Communism." Study the text carefully to understand how the outbreak of the Civil War changed the actions and ideological commitments of the revolutionary leaders. What was the effect of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on the Russian Revolution?
Read this document and compare counter-revolutionary measures in 1917 Russia with those in Paris during the Jacobin Republic.
Read this crucial revolutionary text from 1918. What does Lenin mean by the "withering away of the state" and the "dictatorship of the proletariat?"
Watch this lecture from 28:00 to the end. It will provide you with a narrative of the consequences of the Russian Revolution after 1920.
Read this essay and compare its analysis of the emergence of the Soviet Union with the analyses provided earlier.
7.5: Revolutionary Legacies
Read the first part of this lecture (17A), Parts I through III. Focus on the creation of the Soviet Bloc and the ways in which the Soviet Union controlled Eastern European politics and economies.
Read this presentation to better understand the history of the nuclear arms race and the Soviet-American rivalry, which developed after 1945.
Unit 7 Assessment
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.