In 1917, the world’s first successful socialist revolution took place in Russia during the First World War. The birth of the Soviet Union had a decisive influence on the politics and ideas of the 20th century.
Basic Knowledge
During the war, Russian society became unstable because of worsening military conditions and food shortages. In March 1917 (February according to the Russian calendar), the February Revolution (March Revolution) began in the capital Petrograd (present-day Saint Petersburg) with food riots. Nicholas II abdicated, ending the Romanov dynasty. A situation of dual power emerged between the Provisional Government (centered on liberals) and the soviets (councils of workers and soldiers). Lenin, who opposed the Provisional Government’s policy of continuing the war and returned from exile in Switzerland on a “sealed train,” called for “All power to the soviets” in his April Theses. In November 1917 (October according to the Russian calendar), he led the successful October Revolution (November Revolution) and established the world’s first socialist government.
1905 Bloody Sunday→First Russian Revolution
March 1917 February Revolution→collapse of the Romanov dynasty
November 1917 October Revolution (Lenin・Bolsheviks)
March 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (separate peace with Germany)
1918-22 Civil War・interventionist war (Siberian Intervention)
1922 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union) established
1924 Lenin died→Stalinist system
1928 First Five-Year Plan began
Further Study (Background and Effects)
Immediately after the revolution, Lenin issued the “Decree on Peace” (no annexations・no indemnities・national self-determination) and the “Decree on Land” (nationalization of land・distribution to peasants). In March 1918, he withdrew from the war by signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, a separate peace with Germany, but Russia lost vast territories including Ukraine. A civil war broke out between the White Army, which opposed the revolution, and the Red Army. Britain・France・the United States・Japan intervened through the Siberian Intervention (1918-22). In the end, the Red Army led by Lenin won, and the Soviet Union was established on December 30, 1922. After Lenin’s death in 1924, Stalin seized power, adopted the theory of socialism in one country, and forcibly pursued heavy industrialization and agricultural collectivization through the First Five-Year Plan of 1928 (collective farms・state farms). Although industrial power grew rapidly without being affected by the Great Depression, the regime also had a dark side: millions of people became victims of the Great Purge in the 1930s.
- February Revolution＝March 1917, collapse of the Romanov dynasty
- October Revolution＝November 1917, Lenin・Bolsheviks
- “All power to the soviets”＝Lenin’s April Theses
- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk＝March 1918, separate peace with Germany
- Siberian Intervention＝1918-22, intervention against the Soviet government
- Establishment of the Soviet Union＝December 30, 1922
- Stalin’s Five-Year Plan＝from 1928, heavy industrialization・agricultural collectivization
- Comintern＝1919, international communist organization
Points of Caution (Easily Confused)
① The February Revolution (March in the Western calendar) and the October Revolution (November in the Western calendar) are named according to the months in the old Russian calendar (Julian calendar), which was 13 days behind the new calendar. ② Distinguish Lenin (revolutionary leader, Bolshevik), Trotsky (founder of the Red Army, later expelled and assassinated by Stalin), and Stalin (dictator, Five-Year Plans). ③ Organize Marx’s Das Kapital (1867), Lenin’s Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (1916), and Stalin’s theory of Socialism in One Country. ④ In the Siberian Intervention (1918-22), Japan also sent 70,000 troops to Siberia and suffered heavy losses.
Practice
- Which revolutionary led the October Revolution in November 1917?
- In what year was the Soviet Union, the world’s first socialist state, established?
- Who built a dictatorial system as Lenin’s successor?