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Chapter-2 History
Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution
THE AGE OF SOCIAL CHANGE: The French Revolution opened up the possibility of creating a
dramatic change in the way in which society was structured
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Some were ‘conservatives’, while others were ‘liberals’ or
‘radicals’
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They argued for an elected
parliamentary government, subject to laws interpreted by a well-trained judiciary that was
independent of rulers and officials
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Radicals: Wanted a nation in which government was based on the majority of a country’s
population
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Conservatives: They resisted change
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Industries and Social Change: This was the time of economic and social change
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Socialism in Europe: Socialists were against private property
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Some believed in cooperatives, some demanded that governments must encourage
cooperatives
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Marx believed that a
socialist society would free the workers from capitalism
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Socialism Given Support: Workers in Germany and England began forming associations to fight
for better living conditions
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THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION: In 1914, Nicholas II ruled the Russian empire
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Industries were
being set up which was mostly private property of industrialists
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Peasants had no respect for
nobility, very unlike the French peasant
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Socialism in Russia: All political parties were illegal in Russia before 1914
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It struggled to give peasants
their rights over land that belonged to nobles
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But
Lenin did not agree with this as he felt that peasants were not one social group
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The 1905 Revolution: Russia was an autocracy
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Liberals wanted to end this state of affairs
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Bloody Sunday: Prices of essential goods rose so quickly by 1904 that the real wages declined by
20%
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Action was
called for
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Petersburg went on strike demanding a reduction in
working hours and increase in wages
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Over 100 workers were killed
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People demanded a constituent
assembly
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The Tsar dismissed
the first Duma within 75 days and announced the election of a second Duma
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Anti-German sentiments ran high
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There were 7 million casualties and 3 million refugees in Russia
The war also affected the industry
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There was shortage of grain and hence of bread
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There was food shortage in the workers’
quarters
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Workers of 50 other factories joined in
sympathy
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This came to be called the
International Women’s Day:
• The government imposed a curfew as the quarters of the fashionable area and official
buildings were surrounded by workers
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• On 25th February, the government suspended the Duma and politicians spoke against this
measure
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• On 27th, the police headquarters were ransacked
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• An officer was shot at the barracks of a regiment and other regiments mutinied, voting to
join the striking workers gathered to form a soviet or council
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• A delegation went to meet the Tsar, military commanders advised him to abdicate
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• A Provincial Government was formed by the Soviet and Duma leaders to run the country
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Effects
• Restrictions on public meetings and associations were removed
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•
•
•
•
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In individual areas factory committees were formed which began questioning the way
industrialists ran their factories
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The provisional government saw its power declining and Bolshevik influence grow
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It resisted attempts by workers to run factories and arrested leaders
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Land
committees were formed and peasants seized land between July and September 1917
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A Military Revolutionary Committee was appointed by the
Soviet to organise seizure
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Prime Minister Kerenskii left the city to summon troops
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Pro-government troops were sent to take over telephone and telegraph offices and
protect the Winter Palace
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• The ‘Aurora’ ship shelled the Winter Palace
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• By night the city had been taken over and ministers had surrendered
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• Heavy fighting in Moscow — by December, the Bolsheviks controlled the Moscow Petrograd area
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Effects
• Most industry and banks were nationalised in November 1917
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• Use of old titles was banned
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• Russia became a one party state
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• A process of centralised planning was introduced
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• Industrial production increased
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• Collectivisation of farms started
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Non-Bolshevik socialists, liberals and supporters of autocracy condemned the
Bolshevik uprising
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All
these fought a war with the Bolsheviks
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A process of centralised planning was introduced
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An extended schooling system developed
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Hence, collectivisation was the need of the hour
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Those farmers who resisted collectivisation were punished,
deported or exiled
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Though its industries and
agriculture had developed and the poor were being fed, the essential freedom to its citizens was
being denied
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But in each country the ideas of socialism were rethought in a variety of different ways

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