In the first two decades of the last century, three revolutions took place in Russia, the last of which ended with the establishment of Soviet power. The reasons for the revolutionary actions of the masses were rooted in political and economic contradictions that had grown in the country with the entry of capitalism into the stage of imperialist development.
The revolution of 1905-1907
In the first few years of the 20th century, the internal political situation in the Russian Empire was extremely aggravated. The survivals of the feudal system hindered the development of relations in the village, where landlord tenure was preserved. The country was almost completely lacking political freedoms. The crisis has also grown in the field of national relations. The rapid development of capitalism intensified the exploitation of workers, who increasingly claimed their rights by organizing strikes and strikes.
One of the reasons for the first Russian revolution was the defeat of tsarist Russia in the war with Japan.
Liberal political circles in 1904 put forward a proposal to introduce a constitution in the country that would limit the power of the autocracy. The king answered this with a categorical refusal. The last straw was the shooting by the tsarist troops of a peaceful procession on January 9, 1905. The demonstrators were going to submit a petition to Nicholas II, which contained demands to implement democratic changes in Russia. However, cruel reprisals were inflicted on the demonstrators, which stirred up the country and became one of the reasons for the revolutionary uprisings.
February 1917: the bourgeois revolution
The revolution of 1905-1907 ended in failure and did not resolve class, economic and political contradictions. The revolutionary movement began to decline, in Russia the time of reaction and political repression came. But the problems remained and required solutions. In 1914, Russia entered the imperialist war, which showed the complete inability of the tsarist regime to carry out military tasks.
By the beginning of 1917, the situation was extremely tense. Enterprises ceased their work throughout the country, as a result of which the tsarist army lacked weapons and food. The transport system collapsed, the railways actually could not cope with transportation. In this situation, the Social Democrats and other leftist forces sought to exploit the discontent of the people, directing them to fight the autocracy.
In the conditions of the fall of the authority of the tsarist government, anti-war sentiments of the masses appeared. To this was added the critical position of the peasantry and the working class, who bore the untold burdens of war on their shoulders. The events of the second Russian revolution took place very rapidly. They began with a series of strikes and a general political strike, which took place under the slogan of overthrowing the autocracy.
The February Revolution resulted in the abdication of Nicholas II from power. The country has entered a period of democratic transformation.
