Question

State the reasons for the collapse of tsarist autocracy in 1917

Answer 1

Answer:

The Tsarist autocracy collapsed in 1917 due to the following reasons— (a) Miserable Condition of the Workers (i) The industrial workers in Russia got very low wages. (ii) They had very long working hours, sometimes upto 15 hours. (iii) A large number of workers were unemployed, (iv) The workers demanded higher wages and reduction in working hours but their demands were not met and they became dissatisfied. (b) Miserable Condition of Peasants (i) Most of the peasants were landless and very poor. (ii) They also had to do free labour for the landlords. (iii) The small farmers who possessed land had to pay high land revenue, leaving very less for them to survive on. (iv) The landless farmers demanded that the land of the nobles should be given to them. (v) They wanted reduction of land revenue. (vi) However, their demands were not fulfilled and they too became dissatisfied. (c) Russia's Defeat in the First World War (i) Initially, the people rallied around Tsar Nicholas II; however Russian armies suffered defeats and a large number of soldiers were killed in the war. (ii) The Russian population wanted to withdraw from the war, but the Tsar was not willing to do so. This turned the Russian people against him and encouraged them to revolt. (d) Role of Philosophers like Karl Marx Karl Marx put forward the idea that the capitalists were responsible for the misery of the workers and that the condition of workers could only improve if the land and the industries were controlled by the society. He inspired the workers to oppose the landlords and the capitalists. (e) Rasputin's Role The people were also against the policies of the monk named Rasputin.

Answer 2

The Tsar's autocracy collapsed on 1917 due to the interplay of many factors- social, economic and political.

The Russian state under Tsar Nicholas II was completely unsuited to the needs of modern times. The Tsar still believed in the autocratic absolute rights of the king.

The bureaucracy that the Tsar recruited was top heavy, inefficient and inflexible. Members were recruited on the basis of privileges and patronage, not on merit.

The hopes and efforts at gradual changes and democratic constitutional government after the Revolution of 1905 ended in disappointments and failure.

The peasants and workers who formed large section of the population were miserable, deprived and frustrated. The Tsar was totally ignorant, indifferent to their conditions and needs.

The Tsar had built a vast empire and imposed Russian language and culture on diverse nationalities.

The only people who supported the Tsar were the nobility and upper layers of the clergy and bureaucracy. The rest of the population was hostile to the Tsar.

Russia's participation in World War I exposed the economic bankruptcy of the government and increased liabilities on the already impoverished population.

The liberal ideas of the west and growth of socialist ideology led to the formation of many socialist groups. These groups infused the workers and peasants with a revolutionary spirit.

The autocratic rule of the Tsar, decadence of royalty, demoralising effect of defeats in wars, governments indifference to loss of human lives, condition of soldiers, war's effect on peasants and industry ultimately led to discredit of the government and brought about the end of Tsarist autocracy.

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