Describe the attitude of the Tsar that led to the Russian Revolution of 1917.
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Answer:
In January 1917, Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia while Bolshevik Vladimir Lenin lived in exile. By October, the revolution had reversed their roles, leaving the former tsar a prisoner and Lenin holding all the power.
Its events paved the way for the Soviet Union. It dominated the politics of the 20th century, and it has left an indelible mark on the contemporary world. But when Russia’s year of revolution began in the bitterly cold February of 1917, many revolutionaries did not, at first, pay much attention.
Despite initial doubts that the growing February protests would amount to much, many observers at the time—including Lenin’s Bolsheviks, Russian liberals, and foreign diplomats—were nevertheless certain that a revolution was only a matter of time.
The roots of Russia’s turmoil ran deep. During a devastating famine in the early 1890s, the inability of the government to provide sufficient relief had fanned revolutionary fervor in the country. In the cities, the appalling exploitation and squalor suffered by the workers triggered waves of protests and strikes.
The pressures of industrialization were worsened by the actions of Tsar Nicholas II. Reigning from 1894, Nicholas had inherited Russia’s colossal empire and the autocratic ideas of his family, the Romanov dynasty. In 1905 the tsar’s popularity was ebbing due to continuing domestic problems as well as an unpopular war with Japan. During a peaceful demonstration in St. Petersburg in January 1905, protesters were fired on and killed, an event that triggered months of protests.