what were the reasons for the russian revolution
Answers
Autocratic rule of Tsars: In 1914, the Russian emperor was Tsar Nicholas II. He fought a number of wars to expand his empire in the north and west in Europe. He had borne the expenditure of war by taxing the common people of Russia.
Conditions of peasants: Majority of the Russians were agriculturalists. Major part of the land was owned by nobles and clergy and these peasants worked as farmers on daily wages. They were paid less and worked more and sometimes under debt, they were not even paid wages.
Status of industries: Industry was found in pockets. Prominent industrial areas were St. Petersburg and Moscow. Craftsmen undertook much of the production, but large factories existed alongside crafts workshops. Foreign investment in industries increased with the extension of Russia’s railway network.
Conditions of workers in the industries: Most industries were owned by private
industrialists. Though the government supervised factories’ working hours and wages of the workers, but still rules were broken. Women workers were also paid less than men. Some workers formed associations to help members in times of unemployment and financial hardships. ,
Formation of socialist parties: All political parties were illegal in Russia before 1914. The Russian Social Democratic Workers Party was founded in 1898 by socialists, who respected Marxist ideas. But because of government policies, it had to operate secretly as an illegal organisation. It set up a newspaper, mobilised workers and organised strikes.
As of 1916, three-quarters of the Russian population had been freed from serfdom in 1861 but were deep in debt to the government. This subsistence peasant class grew increasingly resentful of rich landowners who tried to control them, and many relocated to cities in order to find work in the newly developed manufacturing industry. What they found were overcrowded urban areas with dismal living conditions, poor wages and brutal working conditions.
The ineffective tsar not only failed to understand his country's impoverished conditions, but he also ignored the need for reform and created more resentment by eliminating any type of freedom of expression. Lacking an organized government that could address the problems, educated members of the growing middle class became increasingly politicized and began organizing and protesting in solidarity with the peasants, workers and disenfranchised soldiers. The advent of World War I served to further underscore the tsar's failures, as limited Russian resources were diverted to aid the war effort, resulting in an open revolt against the aristocracy.