The Bolshevik Revolution

I chose this topic because I have always fascinated with Russian history. I think that the mystery of the missing Princess Anastasia and the whole Romanov family is something that I’ve wanted to learn more about. Looking into the Bolshevik Revolution will help to give insight into not only what cause the Russian citizens to revolt, but also why the Romanov’s were ousted from their country. This topic is also something that you normally wouldn’t cover in world history ,because it is prominent topic in the eastern world. With all of the issues and secrecy involving Russia in today’s news, it is interesting to see what events have helped to shape and impact Russia as a country.

Prior to the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia was run in two different styles. They were the Old Style and the New Style. The Old Style began with the nobility of Russia searching for a new royal blood line. The search ended with Michael Romanov, who was a young noble man. In 1613, he was elected Tsar of Russia. The New Style of Russian Monarchy began on November 2, 1721. The Senate elected Peter I or Peter the Great. He ruled Russia in early stages with his brother Ivan V until Ivan’s death in 1669. In 1669, Peter I became the Tsar or all Russia. From then until the beginning of the revolution and World War I, there were many other tsars and tsarinas. At the time of World War I, Tsar Nicholas Romanov II was ruling. He ruled from October 20, 1894, until he abdicated in 1917.

During his reign, the “Great War” or World War I was going on. This war had a large impact on Russia. He was hoping that the thought of having a war between the nations would help to bring his people together in times of the country’s needs. Unfortunately, World War I didn’t have the effect on Russia that Tsar Nicholas was hoping for. The war stalled the economic growth of the country and also contributed to the fall of the old order in the country. Russia at the time, was not at it’s strongest. There were major social and cultural changes occurring as well as political uprisings. With poorly trained and armed Russian soldiers, peasants were forced to be enlisted into the Russian army. This enlistment caused some food to become scarce and the rest of the food prices to sky rocket. Workers in large Russian cities such as St. Petersburg, became uneasy and restless with their working schedule and minuscule payments. In the aftermath of world War I, the citizens of Russia held their Tsar accountable.

These workers began to host protests in the square. The riots and protests began to escalate. In March of 1917, troops shot into a crowd or protestors, killing a few of them. On March 15, 1917, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated his throne due to the issues that were occurring in the country. When he stepped down in March, the Duma took over and created a temporary government to help bring the country out of its hard times. The Duma was a legislative body, similar to a parliament or a congress, that was in the ruling assembly of Russia and other part of the Soviet Union. When the Duma took over, two separate parties formed. These parties were similar to our Democratic and Repubican parties in the United States. On one side were the radicalists and the people who wanted t reform the country. They were called the Social Revolutionaries and they followed what used to be the ousted radical organization called Narodanya Volya. One the other side were the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP). This party followed Marxism. They supported the temporary government in trying to continue with aiding in World War I, while also pleading with them to implement social and economic reforms to help the citizens of Russia. When no improvements seemed to be happening,