Explain why the opponents of the Tsars from 1855 to 1917 were more successful than those who opposed the communist regime from 1917 to 1964.

One can also point out that opponents of the Tsars were more successful than those who opposed the communist regime because there was a much higher degree of control over people’s lives post  1917. Controls were in place under the Tsars, in particular the land captains and the Mir which had dominated peasant life, however once Nicholas II relaxed these controls opposition had enjoyed more success. By contrast, the communists heavily intensified this and even when relaxations were granted, as under Khrushchev, the regime still had a vast degree of control over the Russian people.

The secret police were continually used throughout the period, and the lack of success opposition enjoyed under Alexander III in particular is in direct relation to the intensity of repression seen under the Okhrana - in contrast to the other Tsars of the period who were more relaxed. Whereas the Tsars had only identified existing threats, the communists targeted potential threats. The KGB continued many aspects of Tsarist repression which had been heavily intensified by the Cheka, which allowed Stalin to remove all traces of opposition including Zinoviev, Kamenev and the exiled Trotsky.

Under the communists, new elements of control which were not present in Tsarist Russia sprang up. Millions of informants helped identify potential threats which reduced the effectiveness of opposition, and the workers were under much closer scrutiny. Discipline in the workplace had increased severely under Lenin and in addition to continuing this, the 5 year plans brought with them GOSPLAN and communal housing which allowed the regime to further control the workers, whose role was key to the success of the 1917 revolution. This meant that opponents to the Tsars were more successful than opponents to the communist regime.

Use of terror was another continual theme of the period, however there is considerable change in how the regimes went about using it. Opponents to the Tsars enjoyed more success because the Tsarist regime only sought to eliminate known threats, which allowed opponents driven underground by Alexander III’s repression to plan their next move. This was not the case under the communists where millions of potential threats were eliminated too, which vastly reduced the threat posed by opposition. The sheer scale of terror inflicted under Stalin and Lenin was far greater than anything seen in Tsarist Russia, whereas Stolypin’s necktie had resulted in few executions and was ineffective by comparison to communist Governments, where he constant threat of death, exile to Siberia or the Gulag remained. Leading political figures  had been exiled under both regimes. Lenin had been exiled from Tsarist Russia, however he was allowed to return which allowed him to eventually seize power in the October Revolution. In contrast to this, Trotsky was exiled by Stalin and was eventually murdered. The heavy increase in terror under the communist regime is another reason why opponents to the Tsars enjoyed a far greater degree of success.

Throughout the period, opponents to Russian Governments lacked a shared ideology or common goal to seriously threaten the regimes. By contrast, when opponents did enjoy success, as in the February Revolution and the October Manifesto, it was because they had united behind one common cause. The peasantry were consistent opponents to the regimes, however the lack of unity they possessed meant that a full scale peasant revolt was never likely to occur. This lack of unity is displayed more prominently under the communists, where opposition failed to unite as they had done in 1917. In contrast to the February Revolution where opponents had united and succeeded, the white armies during the Civil War were divided to such an extent that Lenin was able to defend his revolution.  Stalin’s Kulak purges were not met with high resistance because not all peasants shared the same vision as the Kulaks, and in a similar fashion Lenin was able to crush the Kronstadt rebellion. The lack of unity in mainstream politics is another reason why opponents to the communists were less successful than opponents to the tsars. In contrast to Nicholas II who was forced to abdicate as there was widespread opposition to him, Stalin was able to eliminate opponents in the Politburo one by one and maintain power.

In conclusion, opponents to the Tsars from 1855 to 1917 were more successful than those who opposed the communist regime post 1917. The Tsarist regime only sought to eliminate existing threats which allowed some opponents to remain undetected, this was not the case under the communists. Similarly, the increase in repression seen under the communists had eliminated any trace of opposition, whereas Tsarist repression had merely aggravated opposition, resulting in the February Revolution which removed them from power.