The course of the revolution of 1917 briefly. Great Russian Revolution

March 2, 1917 in the staff car Station Pskov, Nicholas II signed an act of abdication in favor of his brother Mikhail (having thus abdicated for himself and his only son Alexei). On March 3, Mikhail also abdicated, declaring that the Constituent Assembly should decide the fate of the monarchy (on September 1, 1917, the Provisional Government proclaimed Russia a republic). The revolution that began in the capital won. It was predicted, according to contemporaries, by everyone. And she took everyone by surprise.

The calendar clearly speaks of the rapid development of the revolution: on February 12, the workers of the workshop of the Putilov factory went on strike; On February 23, every third worker in the capital did not go to work; On February 25, the strike became general, and political slogans for the overthrow of the autocracy and the end of the war appeared; On February 27, the soldiers began to go over to the side of the workers, the city was in the power of the rebels, the tsarist ministers were arrested. Official power is paralyzed.

On the same day, the Provisional Committee of the State Duma is formed, headed by its chairman M. V. Rodzianko. He demands that Nicholas II abdicate the throne. The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' Deputies, headed by the Menshevik N. S. Chkheidze, was created, and on March 1, the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. On March 2, the Provisional Government is formed, which the next day announces its composition and program. In the center and in the regions, the tsarist administration was deposed. The autocracy has fallen.

The immediate causes of the revolution were the hardships and contradictions caused by the protracted world war: devastation, the threat of famine, the food and fuel crisis, rising prices, discontent in the army, etc. These contradictions were intertwined with obvious failures of power: corruption, “ministerial leapfrog”, moral degradation ( "Rasputinism"), the inability to establish a dialogue with the opposition State Duma, whose leaders thought about "the abdication of the monarch in order to save the monarchy." Behind the immediate causes were other, deep ones: the difficulties with which the process of modernization is objectively connected, the transition from a traditional society to a modern one; contradictions that tormented the country for several decades (between workers and capitalists, peasants and landlords, the rural poor and kulaks, on national and religious issues, etc.).

Hence the peculiarities of the revolution: it awakened the masses to the political struggle, the interests of various social forces (workers, the poor, peasants, bourgeoisie, national minorities, national regions of the empire, political parties) merged and clashed in it. Under these conditions, it was impossible to unambiguously resolve the issue of power. There was a dual power, crises of power have become almost commonplace.

The Provisional Government declared itself as the highest body of executive and legislative power. Its first composition (chaired by Prince G. E. Lvov) included the Cadets and Octobrists, the only representative of the left parties was A. F. Kerensky. The government's declaration included priority measures (political amnesty, the abolition of estates, the rejection of all forms of national and religious inequality, guarantees of political freedoms). The solution of key issues - agrarian, workers, national - was postponed until the Constituent Assembly

The Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies wielded power that was not inferior in scope and scope to that of the Provisional Government. The leadership of the Petrograd Soviet included representatives of the left parties - the Mensheviks, Social Revolutionaries, Trudoviks, Bolsheviks, etc. The first political act of the Soviets - "Order No. 1" - abolished the insignia, saluting the lower ranks to the highest, established elected soldiers' committees to control the actions of officers. The Soviets recognized the Provisional Government as the sole power in the country, but considered it necessary to put pressure on it. It is believed that the Provisional Government represented the interests of the bourgeoisie, the intelligentsia, liberal-minded officials and officers, and the Soviets relied on the workers, peasants, army and navy.

A special position was taken by the Bolshevik Party headed by V. I. Lenin: refusal to support the Provisional Government, the course towards the development of the revolution into a socialist one and the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat.

From March to October, the authorities experienced four crises. The April crisis was provoked by a note from Foreign Minister P. N. Milyukov about Russia's determination to continue the war. A powerful demonstration under the slogans of Milyukov's resignation and withdrawal from the war led to the formation of the first coalition government (of the bourgeois and socialist parties). The June crisis was a heavy blow not so much to the Provisional Government as to the Soviets: the demonstration, designed to support the policy of the Soviet leadership towards the Provisional Government, was held under the Bolshevik slogans (“All power to the Soviets”, “Down with the war”, etc.). The most acute was the July crisis. An attempt by the government to disarm a revolutionary regiment that did not obey the orders of the command led to an attempted military coup (according to many historians, organized by the Bolsheviks) and clashes in the capital. A second coalition government headed by the socialist A.F. Kerensky was created. The leaders of the Petrograd Soviet announced they were relinquishing control of the government. The activities of the Bolshevik Party were banned, and a warrant was issued for the arrest of V. I. Lenin. The Bolsheviks saw in these events the end of dual power and proclaimed a course for an armed uprising in order to seize power. The “government of saving the revolution” failed to achieve major successes. In August, a new crisis occurred, this time caused by an attempt to establish a general dictatorship and curtail democratic processes (“Kornilovism,” after its leader, General L. G. Kornilov). The Soviets played a decisive role in the defeat of the "Kornilovshchina", whose influence sharply increased in the fall, while the authority of the Provisional Government was inexorably falling.

The crises of power have shown that of the possible alternatives (strengthening democracy, carrying out liberal-democratic reforms; establishing a military dictatorship with a further revival of the monarchy; establishing a dictatorship of extreme revolutionary parties to carry out radical transformations), the last one became the most realistic by autumn.

The pendulum swung to the left: the masses, tired of the Provisional Government and the leaders of the Soviets supporting it (refusal to resolve complex socio-economic and political issues before the convocation of the Constituent Assembly was perceived as weakness and indecision), enthusiastically supported the "simple and clear" slogans proposed by the Bolsheviks : "Land to the peasants.", "Peace to the peoples", "Factories to the workers."

On the night of October 26, 1917, an armed uprising led by the Military Revolutionary Committee of the Petrograd Soviet and launched by decision of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) of October 10 won in Petrograd. The provisional government was overthrown, the II All-Russian Congress of Soviets announced the transfer of all power to the Soviets. The October Revolution is over. The seemingly impossible prospect of the extreme leftist frail coming to power, the victory of the course towards socialism and the dictatorship of the proletariat, triumphed.

The revolution was the result of a crisis that worsened in August-October 1917 literally day by day. Against the backdrop of a rapidly deteriorating economic situation (inflation, supply shortages, food crisis, rising unemployment, attempts to introduce a distribution card system), the number of strikers grew, who moved on to establish workers' control or workers' management in enterprises. In the countryside, a spontaneous "black redistribution" of land began, the landowners' estates were on fire. Soldiers resorted to violence against officers. The paralysis of power became more and more obvious. The directory headed by A.F. Kerensky, established after the failure of the "Kornilovism", was inactive, urgent issues were not resolved. The efforts of the Mensheviks, Socialist-Revolutionaries, Cadets, and other socialist and liberal parties were aimed at working out some increasingly unrealistic compromise (the convocation of the All-Russian Democratic Conference in September and the Provisional Council of the Russian Republic, or Pre-Parliament, in October). The activity of the Bolsheviks, who gave the impression of a decisive and monolithic (in fact, there were many contradictions in the leadership of the party) force, bore fruit. In September, the Bolshevization of the Petrograd Soviet (L.D. Trotsky, a supporter of the course towards an armed uprising, became its chairman) and the Moscow Soviet. In the army and navy, the influence of the Bolsheviks became predominant. The simple solutions proposed by them (transferring power to the Soviets, establishing a dictatorship of the proletariat, withdrawing from the war, nationalizing large-scale industry and banks, distributing land among the peasants, etc.) were perceived by the masses, tired of confusion, prone to aggression and violence, with enthusiasm.

The objective conditions for a new revolutionary explosion were prepared. The subjective readiness of the leadership of the Bolshevik Party, its leader V. I. Lenin, was also high. In July 1917 Lenin put forward the slogan of preparation for an armed uprising. In early August, it was confirmed by the VI Congress of the RSDLP (b). In September, Lenin turned the question of an armed uprising into a practical plane (letters to the Central Committee), but was not supported. On October 10 and 16, the Central Committee of the party rejected the objections of some of its members (Kamenev, Zinoviev) and began to prepare an uprising. On October 24-25, key objects of the capital were captured, and on the night of October 26, the II All-Russian Congress of Soviets announced the victory of the socialist revolution.

II Congress of Soviets in the absence of the right SRs, Mensheviks, representatives of other socialist parties (they left the meeting, protesting against the overthrow of the Provisional Government) adopted the Decree on Peace (Russia's withdrawal from the imperialist war), the Decree on Land (elimination of landownership, transfer of land to peasants on equalizing beginnings), the Decree on Power (the establishment of the power of the Soviets, the formation of the Council of People's Commissars headed by V. I. Lenin, mainly from the Bolsheviks). Bolsheviks and Left SRs were elected to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

Events of 1917 still arouse fierce controversy. The only thing that is accepted by everyone is the recognition that the February and October revolutions radically changed the course of Russian history and had a strong influence on the course of world history.

35. Formation of the Russian multi-party system at the beginning of the 20th century: the political spectrum, the main parties, their leaders and programs.

On February 23-March 3, the February Revolution took place in Russia. Events began to develop spontaneously.

Reasons for the revolution: If we talk about the impact of the First World War on the domestic political life of Russia, then it was a kind of catalyst for radical revolutionary processes in society, and, one might say, was one of the main causes of the February Revolution of 1917. The extreme aggravation of all the contradictions of Russian society, aggravated by the war, economic devastation and food crisis.

Driving force: working class, peasantry, liberal bourgeoisie, democratic strata of the population, intelligentsia, students, employees, representatives of oppressed peoples, the army.

On February 27, the Provisional Committee of the State Duma was created (leaders: M. Rodzianko, P. Milyukov, G. Lvov, etc.) and the Petrograd Council (chairman - N. Chkheidze, deputies - A. Kerensky and M. Skobelev, G. Khrustalev-Nosar .

The Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Committee of the State Duma are equally popular among the people and proclaim themselves the highest authority in the country, which laid the foundation for dual power.

On March 2, Nicholas II signs the abdication of the throne for himself and for his son Alexei in favor of his brother, Mikhail Romanov.

On March 2, the Provisional Government is formed (until the elections to the Constituent Assembly). In Russia, dual power begins - the Provisional Government on the one hand, and the Soviets of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies, which are spontaneously created throughout the country, on the other;

The results of the revolution:

1. the monarchy was overthrown;

2. fundamental human rights and freedoms were proclaimed;

3. dual power began.

The first Provisional Government was headed by the deputy of the State Duma, the Octobrist G. Lvov. The composition of the first government consisted mainly of representatives of the bourgeois parties. Cadet P. Milyukov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, had a special influence in the government.

In mid-April 1917, the first government crisis arose, caused by the "Milyukov note." The provisional government undertook to "bring the war to a victorious end." This caused numerous anti-war protests throughout the country. As a result, the Second Provisional Government was formed, which was again headed by G. Lvov. It was coalition-bourgeois-socialist.

In June, the crisis of the second Provisional Government erupted. Ministers - representatives of the right-wing parties in every possible way prevented the radicalism of the socialist ministers, who were striving to "push through" the laws on the 8-hour working day and the urgent convocation of the Constituent Assembly

37. October Revolution of 1917: causes, course of events, results. The main decisions of the II Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.

On the night of October 25, the Bolsheviks carried out an armed seizure of power. On the evening of October 25, the Second Congress of Soviets began its work. IN AND. Lenin announced the overthrow of the Provisional Government and the transfer of power to the Bolsheviks. II Congress formed a new Provisional Government headed by V.I. Lenin (Council of People's Commissars).

Causes of the October Revolution of 1917:

1) war fatigue;

2) the industry and agriculture of the country were on the verge of complete collapse;

3) catastrophic financial crisis;

4) the unresolved agrarian question and the impoverishment of the peasants;

5) delaying socio-economic reforms;

6) the contradictions of the dual power became a prerequisite for a change of power.

The course of the October Revolution of 1917:

By the autumn of 1917, the political and socio-economic aggravation of the situation reached its peak. Industry, the financial sector, the transportation system and agriculture were all in ruins. Also, national contradictions intensified in the country, food prices rose, while wages only went down, and the situation at the front became simply catastrophic. And with all this, the Provisional Government, recently formed from the bourgeoisie, not only did not fulfill the principles proclaimed by it, but also did not have a plan to bring the country out of the crisis.

All this only led to the strengthening of the extreme left forces in the country. It was at this point that the Bolshevik Party began planning a coup. Among other things, the Bolsheviks promised to carry out an agrarian reform and immediately end the war. The Bolsheviks quickly won the support of the workers, soldiers, and peasants, and by the beginning of September 1917, a majority in the Soviets of Petrograd and Moscow. It is worth noting that some Bolsheviks adhered to the strategy of peacefully coming to power, while others, on the contrary, adhered to the strategy of seizing power by force.

Outcome: Bolshevik victory, Beginning of the Civil War, Creation of the Russian Soviet Republic

The main decisions of the II Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.:

Appeal to "Workers, Soldiers and Peasants!", which stated that the congress takes power into its own hands, and in the localities all power passes to the Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies, which should ensure genuine revolutionary order;

Peace Decree;

Land Decree;

Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia;

Decrees were also adopted: on the transfer of local power to the Soviets; on the release of arrested members of the land committees; on the abolition of the death penalty at the front; about the immediate arrest of the head of the former Provisional Bourgeois Government, A. F. Kerensky; about the fight against counter-revolutionary actions; on the formation of provisional revolutionary committees in the army. Appeals were made to the Cossacks with a call to go over to the side of Soviet power and to the railway workers - to maintain order on the railway.

The beginning of the revolution February 23, 1917 Completed in Petrograd. As a result, the monarchy was overthrown in Russia and the dual power of the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet was established.

Causes: 1) Incomplete modernization; the need to overcome backwardness: continue industrialization, democratization, rebuild the agricultural sector, introduce general education.

2) Russia's specific contradictions: peasant landlords, workers-entrepreneurs, center-outskirts, Russians-others. nationalities, Orthodoxy - other confessions

3) crisis of power \ discredit of the monarchy

4) the first world war

Developments: The beginning of the first unrest was put on strike by the workers of the Putilov factory on February 17, the workers of which demanded a 50% increase in prices and the hiring of laid-off workers. The administration did not meet the stated requirements. In solidarity with the Putilov workers, many enterprises in Petrograd went on strike. They were supported by the workers of the Narva outpost and the Vyborg side. Demonstrations demanding bread that began in Petrograd escalated into clashes with the police, who were taken by surprise by the events. On the evening of February 25, Nicholas II gave the order to stop the unrest in the capital. The State Duma was dissolved. On the night of February 26-27, insurgent soldiers joined the workers, On February 27, the Arsenal and the Winter Palace were captured. The autocracy was overthrown. On the same day, the Executive Committee of the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies of Petrograd was formed, and the members of the Progressive Bloc created Provisional Committee of the Duma, took the initiative to "restore the state and public order."

Results: So, the result of the February Revolution of 1917 was the overthrow of the autocracy, the abdication of the tsar from the throne, the emergence of dual power in the country: the dictatorship of the big bourgeoisie in the person of the Provisional Government and the Council of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies, representing the revolutionary democratic dictatorship of the proletariat and peasantry. The February Revolution of 1917 was the first victorious revolution in Russia and turned Russia, thanks to the overthrow of tsarism, into one of the most democratic countries.

Several political groups have formed in the country, proclaiming themselves the government of Russia:

1) The Provisional Committee of the members of the State Duma formed the Provisional Government, headed by the compromise Prince G. E. Lvov, whose main task was to win the trust of the population. The provisional government declared itself the legislative and executive power

2) Organizations of persons who have declared themselves authorities. The largest of these was the Petrograd Soviet, which consisted of moderate-left politicians and invited the workers and soldiers to delegate their representatives to the Soviet. The Council declared itself a guarantor against a return to the past, from the restoration of the monarchy and the suppression of political freedoms. The Council also supported the steps of the Provisional Government to strengthen democracy in Russia.

3) In addition to the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet, other bodies of de facto power were formed on the ground: factory committees, district councils, national associations, new authorities in the "national outskirts", for example, in Kyiv - the Ukrainian Rada.

March 2 - declaration of the provisional government. It grants all civil liberties, a complete amnesty to all polit. Prisoners, the abolition of police censorship. The fall of the revolution is not the end of the revolution, but the beginning.

The defeats of Russia on the fronts of the First World War and the deterioration of the situation of the people caused by the economic crisis of 1915-1916. led to widespread discontent.

Political instability intensified, which manifested itself in discord among ministers and their frequent change (“ministerial leapfrog”). Nicholas II catastrophically lost authority in society due to "Rasputinism", the intervention of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna in state affairs and his inept actions as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

The revolution was initiated by a political demonstration of the workers of St. Petersburg on February 23, 1917. On February 25, it developed into a general strike in the capital. On February 27, the mass defection of soldiers to the side of the workers, their capture of the Arsenal and the Peter and Paul Fortress marked the victory of the revolution. The arrests of tsarist ministers and the formation of new authorities began: the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies and the Provisional Government headed by Prince G.E. Lvov. On March 2, Nicholas II abdicated the throne.

The Socialist-Revolutionary-Menshevik leadership of the Petrograd Soviet considered the February revolution to be bourgeois, therefore they did not seek to take full power, but supported the Provisional Government. In Russia, a dual power was formed.

The victory of the revolution did not prevent the deepening of the crisis in the country. Economic disruption intensified. The policy of the Provisional Government turned out to be inconsistent and contradictory. The government declared Russia's determination to bring the war to victory. Decisions on agrarian, labor and national issues were postponed until the end of the war. This policy caused government crises in April, June and July 1917. The July crisis led to the establishment of the autocracy of the Provisional Government.

On August 25, General Kornilov launched an attack on Petrograd with the aim of establishing a military dictatorship. All the socialist parties, the Soviets and detachments of workers of the Red Guard came out against Kornilovism. The rebellion was put down. The influence of the Bolsheviks increased. The Bolshevization of the Soviets began.

The revolution has entered a new phase.

On October 10, the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) adopted a resolution on an armed uprising. She was opposed by L.B. Kamenev and G.V. Zinoviev. IN AND. Lenin insisted on the immediate seizure of power through an armed uprising. His point of view won. To prepare for the uprising, the Military Revolutionary Committee (WRC) was organized under the Petrograd Soviet.

On October 24, workers, soldiers and sailors occupied key positions in the capital (bridges, railway stations, telegraph, etc.). On October 26, the Provisional Government was arrested.

On October 25, the Second Congress of Soviets began its work, the majority of the deputies of which were Bolsheviks and Left Social Revolutionaries. The congress proclaimed the establishment of Soviet power and adopted the Decree on Peace and the Decree on Land. The peace decree called on the warring countries to conclude a democratic peace without annexations and indemnities. The Decree on Land proclaimed the abolition of private ownership of land, the confiscation of the land of landowners and large owners, and the nationalization of all land and its subsoil. Equalized land use was introduced.

At the congress, a one-party Bolshevik government was created - the Council of People's Commissars, which was headed by V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin).

The transfer of power to the Bolsheviks on the territory of Russia took place both peacefully and by armed means from October 1917 to March 1918.

The relatively easy victory of the Bolsheviks was due to: 1) the weakness of the bourgeoisie; 2) the fact that the Bolshevik Party has an attractive socio-economic program for the people; 3) the activities of V.I. Lenin, who managed to overcome the differences among the Bolsheviks. The victory of the Bolsheviks and the establishment of Soviet power played a big role in the salvation of Russia.

Previous articles:

The revolutionary marathon from February to October 1917 changed Russia and the whole world. The successive fall of the autocracy and then the Provisional Government led to a change in the socio-political system and the interruption of the democratic perspective of development.

The revolution was not allowed to come to its senses, more and more destroying a strong Russia. Today we will figure out what were the reasons for the revolution of 1917, and whether there really was a need for them.

1. A revolutionary situation arose when the government could not strictly restore order in the economy, and the people could not endure it any longer.
2. Defeats at the front, hunger, poverty.
3. Conspiracy against the king, betrayal of the generals.
4. Contradictions between workers and capitalists, peasants and landowners.

The course of the revolution

February 1917 bourgeois-democratic revolution. The overthrow of the king. Creation of two authorities: the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies (Petrosoviet) and the Provisional Government. arose dual power. The Petrograd Soviet controlled the army and navy. The provisional government directed politics and the economy.

Constant government crises. Change of composition of the government 4 times in six months. Defeats at the front. In August, General Kornilov rebelled to seize power. The head of the government, Kerensky, declared him an "enemy of the Fatherland." The Bolsheviks participate in the creation of people's defense units. The growth of the authority of the Bolshevik Party and the number of its members. In Russia, spy mania, constant demonstrations. September 1, 1917 Kerensky declares Russia a republic. There is a search for Lenin, Trotsky and other revolutionaries. The Bolsheviks are preparing for an armed seizure of power.

At night from 25 to 26 October 1917 there was an armed coup, the Bolsheviks arrested the Provisional Government. At the same time sitting II All-Russian Congress of Soviets. Decrees on land and peace were adopted. Having learned about the trick of the Bolsheviks, other parties leave the congress in protest. The remaining Bolsheviks adopt the Decree on Power and declare the coup legal. They create a one-party government - SNK(Council of People's Commissars). Later, this coup will be called the Great October Socialist Revolution.

From October 1917 to March 1918 there was a triumphal procession of Soviet power. The slogans of the Bolsheviks won in all areas. The democratic development of Russia was interrupted.

REASONS for the victory of the Bolsheviks:

1. Differences among other parties and the weakness of the bourgeoisie.
2. Elaboration of a development program promising a lot for the people.
3. Growth in the number and armament of the Bolshevik Party.
4. Lenin managed to overcome the differences among the Bolsheviks.

The fact is that the Bolsheviks had weapons, were organized and strong. So they took over. But as a result, Russia will be flooded with blood. To be continued.