Describe changes in Russian government beginning with Czar Nicholas II to the Bolsheviks under Lenin and then Stalin.

For hundreds of years, Russia was controlled by rulers known as Czars. In the early 1900’s, circumstances spurred the people to overthrow their czar and establish a new government. The government that eventually ensued, however, was a communism. Communism, the fabrication of Karl Marx years earlier, was thought by many to be the answer to all political conflicts. However, this form of government did not have the predicted favorable effects on the Russian people.

In 1894, Nicholas II inherited the title of czar over Russia. During his reign, he was a strong believer in sovereign right and cared nothing for the will of his subjects. In 1904, the Russian-Japanese War broke out. The people showed their discontent for the war with a rebellion in 1905 and 1907, both of which were subdued. In 1916, Russia entered World War I. The Russians suffered many losses and much devastation during the war. A shortage of food made life miserable for the people of Russia. Czar Nicholas held firm to the continuation of the war despite the feelings of the people. Soon, a large portion of the people acted against the Czar. Czar Nicholas was unable to subdue the rebellion because a large portion of the military sympathized with the people’s feelings as well.

In February of 1917, a large group of angry revolutionaries stormed the czar’s winter palace. Czar Nicholas was forced to abdicate and was sent into exile. He and his family were eventually executed on July 14, 1918.

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In place of the vacant throne, a provisional government was established, consisting of prominent Russian businessmen. However, much to the dismay of the common people, the provisional government failed to keep its promise to withdraw Russia from the war. At this time, Vladimir Lenin, a lifelong revolutionary, rose in power as the head of a proletariat political party known as the Bolsheviks. Lenin promised the people not only withdrawal from the war, but also future prosperity under his new communist rule. He guaranteed that ordinary peasants would be granted land for their own. The Provisional government attempted to have Lenin arrested, but he fled to Finland. Meanwhile, the Bolshevik party continued to grow more and more popular and influential among the common people.

In November of 1917, supporters of the Bolshevik party revolted against the Provisional government. By fall of that year, the provisional government had lost power and the Bolsheviks gained control of Russia, forming the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. However, the supporters of the provisional government continued to fight and a civil war broke out. The communist supporters were known as the Red Army. The provisional government supporters became known as Whites. The Red Army soon overwhelmed the Whites and Lenin became the new leader of Russia.

His first move was to withdraw Russia from the war. In what became known as the Brest-Litovsk treaty, Lenin signed over a tremendous amount of land to Germany in return for peace. He then proceeded to install a communist government over the people.

The government was based upon the idea of unity of the people. Everyone would work together on government projects. No single person could own more than others. Under this government, Russia managed to construct many architectural wonders. The people soon learned, however, that a communist government did not supply them with all their wants. Instead of granting land to the peasants and soldiers like he had promised, Lenin took much of the land away from them to be farmed as a community. In addition, communism is an atheistic form of government. Christianity, teachings of which were common prior to the revolution, was denounced by Vladimir Lenin.

Those who opposed the new government were imprisoned and sent to Siberia to work in coalmines, a harsh life from which many perished. After V.I. Lenin’s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin took control over Russia. The condition of Russia only worsened under Stalin’s rule. Millions of people lived in bondage, and suffered. Under Stalin, Russia entered World War II, which extremely devastated the country. For many years, Russia remained a communist nation.

Russian government underwent drastic changes during the early 1900’s. The people’s discontentment of Czar Nicholas II drove them to revolt. Instead of being liberated, however, the people were only placed into the bondages of communism. There is no doubt that communism had devastating effects on the Russian people.

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