The Russian Revolution was lead by a man named Vladimir Lenin, many regarded him as someone who was the savior of the Russian people while many others’ regarded him as an unnecessary champion over Russian autocracy.
The first Russian Revolution occurred in February of 1917 when many people took the streets, rioting for food. The shortage of food was due to the Russians Government rationing most of the countries bread to the soldiers fighting in World War I. The food shortage was just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg.
The cry for a revolution actually began much earlier when the country was stricken with disease and their government did little to help the people. At a time when safe, affordable health care was extremely scarce the government did little to appease the citizens of Russia. After the bread shortage, a peaceful demonstration organized in front of the czars imperial palace crying for better working condition turned deadly when the imperial guard opened fire on these peaceful protestors killing about two hundred people.
After mass rioting occurred in the streets of Petrograd, Russia the long line of czars ended when Nicholas II abandoned the throne. A provisional government called the Menshevik party was established. After the establishment of the provisional government Vladimir Lenin, after years of exile, returned to Russia seeking to be the leader of the people. Only two days after arriving Lenin advocated the destruction of the provisional government, the police, and the banks. Many scholars agree that Lenin sought to become the dictator of the Bolsheviks and was very out of touch with reality.
The Bolshevik party seized many supporters after when the provisional government planned to rejoin the war effort on the side of the Allies and attack Germany hoping that this attack would excite patriotism throughout Russia. The attack swung support of the people as well as the military to the Bolshevik Party, due to their antiwar stance. Leaders throughout the Bolshevik party saw this as the perfect opportunity to seize control of the government, but Lenin did not. When Lenin ultimately decided not to use this opportunity as a springboard to attack, his followers surrounded the Menshevik headquarters. When the crowd surrounded the headquarters, the Menshevik party ultimately became aggressively anti-Bolshevik, arresting hundreds of proclaimed Bolshevik party members. As a result of the nonexistent Bolshevik attack, the provisional government released many of the imprisoned Bolshevik party members, seeking to restore friendly relations between the Menshevik and Bolshevik parties.
The elections that took place in October heavily shifted the government to the left-wing Bolshevik part and declared Lenin as their leader. After seizing the government many former members of the provisional government and Petrograd Soviets were arrested and Lenin abolished all ranks and titles and successfully ended Russia’s involvement in World War I; successfully creating a Communist nation.
Many historians agree that a need for change in Russia was inevitable, but they also agree that the measures Lenin took to ensure equality, i.e., censorship and arresting and summarily executing suspected enemies of the government without question, were far too extreme.
I have learned from this research paper that even though the idea of change may be good at the time for some cultures the means by which change occurs and how the change affects the people can ultimately lead to more oppression. Lenin thought that his views were best for the country without really taking in what the people say. I have asked myself what is best for me and my fellow man and if war, or revolution, can ever really be just if lives are being lost? This complicated question can only be answered within my own heart by weighing my values. I do believe a revolution was necessary in post-World War I Russia in order to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, but the lives lost were not in vain but rather in the name of a greater cause of righteousness.
