Definition of Russian Revolution

When we hear about the revolution Russian, Lenin, Stalin and the communism. But this revolution is something more complicated, of which communism was only one of its faces, of its demonstrations, which ended up politically victorious, but not necessarily the most representative.

The Russian Revolution consists of a whole series of revolutionary processes carried out from March to November 1917, which they would suppose the deposition of the tsar and the change of government and social model in the Russian Empire, and that would precede the civil war later.

Russia and her empire, despite being a power of the time (late 19th-early 20th century), was a country in which most of the population lived in a miserable way and anchored in a tradition that had not exceeded the feudal age, with a peasantry that, although in theory he had been released, in practice he continued to serve as if he were the property of his Mister.

In the cities, living conditions were not necessarily better, and the workers were exploited by the large factory owners. For its part, the noble class was unproductive, and I will not say that the Orthodox Church was a shadow power because, of power, it was, but very clearly and with little dissimulation.

These conditions were the broth of culture ideal so that, especially in large cities -where there was greater access to books and news and ideas circulated faster and more fluidly - leftist and revolutionary ideals left securing.

The entry into the First World War of the Russian Empire was a decisive factor for the outbreak of the conflict.

The participation of the empire of the tsars in this conflict was marked by the use of the popular classes as "cannon fodder", by the uselessness of their commands (which resulted in in ostensible defeats and great massacres), and the hardships that it caused both in the trenches, front.

This aggravated a situation that had already been brewing since the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (from February to September 1905), a defeat that would lead to a first revolutionary attempt.

The attitude of the family Real, with Tsar Nicholas II at the head, did not help to dampen the spirits of the people.

In February 1917, a series of strikes in the factories of Petrograd (Saint Petersburg, then the imperial capital) gradually heated up until they reached a violent outbreak. The Tsar called in the army, but the soldiers began to join the revolutionaries.

The regime began to collapse as a result of popular disgust for poverty and oppression, factors that the execrable management in wartime had aggravated.

Finally, all the Petrograd troops sent to quell the rebellion, ended up changing sides and joining their countrymen; after all, the soldiery was also part of the people they were being asked to attack.

The triumph of the revolution in the capital forced the Tsar to abdicate, not so much because of popular pressure, but because of politics.

The leaders saw a risk that the revolution would spread to more cities and become uncontrollable. In this way, they hoped to apply reforms, but preserving the order that interested them (and their positions, therefore).

The problem is that this smooth, peaceful and, above all, controlled transition plan did not go well.

The common people wanted power, they did not trust the leaders and organized themselves in the so-called soviets, popular committees.

Far from their homologation with communism and subsequent bad reputation, the soviets were nothing more than a form of organization to allow society to function in a normal way, taking charge of tasks that the government could not carry out (such as the provision of food), or that the leaders of certain areas did not want or prevented.

The tsar, after abdicating his brother (who, in turn, had rejected the crown) was succeeded by a provisional government that, from the first moment, was overtaken by events.

The provisional government did not satisfy one of the main demands of the revolutionaries: to get out of the war. This aspiration was capitalized on by the Bolshevik party, led by Lenin.

Lenin knew how to channel the discomfort of many towards the ruling class. His "game" consisted of becoming a standard-bearer for the most radical opinions and currents, such as requesting the expropriation of the lands in the hands of the large landowners.

Meanwhile, on the front lines, the army was disintegrating at times.

The pressure exerted by the Bolsheviks resulted in a persecution that forced Lenin to take refuge in Finland.

The provisional government was thus trying to restore order to the situation and have an army that, least of all, the guy could endure before a Germany that was not going to miss the opportunity to launch itself on the Empire Russian.

But the people were already excessively jaded and upset; the Bolsheviks, initially a minority, were gaining positions thanks to their defense of postulates radicals, with more and more of the people becoming radicalized as the only way to get their purposes.

Although this growth and, therefore, its influence, was notable in Petrograd and Moscow, and much less in the rest of the country, both cities were the center of power.

In October 1917, Lenin saw the moment come to seize power by force. It is the time of the famous October revolution.

On the night of October 24-25, 1917 (our November 6 and 7; in Russia the Julian calendar governs, while we are guided by the Gregorian), the Bolsheviks seized control of Petrograd and launched an assault on the Winter Palace, an action that would become famous.

The next step for Lenin and his followers was to dissolve the provisional government and create his own government, which would immediately begin to negotiate peace with the German Empire, which would be sealed with the treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

This treaty entailed territorial losses, which would lead to different warlike conflicts after the First World War.

The opposition was also organized, bringing together from Tsarists to Democrats. And it was organized militarily.

We left the revolution behind, with a constituted government, and we went on to a new episode, the Russian Civil War. But that's another story.

Photos: Fotolia - dule964 / vinkirill

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