Chapter - 2 Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

Introduction (the age of social change)

As studied in first chapter French revolution has created possibilities to bring dramatically change including equality, fraternity & liberty in Europe.

 

However, not everyone was in favor of this change of society. Responses varied from those who want complete change, or wishes for gradual shift or wanted to restructure society. These variations give rise to liberals, radicals and conservatives.

 

Liberals:

They wanted a nation which can respect and tolerate all religions. They opposed uncontrolled power of dynastic rulers. They wanted an elected parliamentary government and safeguard the rights of individuals against government. They were not democrats (?).They were not in favour of universal adult franchise and felt men of property should have right to vote but not for women.

 

Radicals:

They wanted a nation in which government is based on majority of country’s population. They were in favour of existence of private property but don’t want concentration of people in few hands.

 

Conservatives:

They wanted a nation which resists change, but later by 19^th century they opened their mind to need for change. They also wanted to respect past and brought change through slow process.

 

Industrialization and social change

• New cities of industrialized regions developed, railways expanded; men, women and children brought to factories.
• Liberal and radical searched solution for housing, sanitation and unemployment issues.

 

Socialization in Europe:

• Socialists in Europe were against private property [because (a) Propertied owns property that gave employment but only concerned with personal gain and not for welfare of others. (b) Some socialization believed in the idea of cooperatives and others demanded that government must encourage cooperatives.]
• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels added other ideas. Marx argued that industrial society was ‘Capitalist’, who aimed capital invested in factories and profit was produced by workers.
• Marx believed that a socialist society would free the workers from capitalism; it would be a communist society.

 

Russian Revolution:  

Fall of monarchy in February 1917 and events of October normally called the Russian revolution. Tsar Nicholas ruled Russia in 1914.

 

Economy and society of Russian empire:

• Almost 85% of Russian were agriculturists and were major exporter of gain.
• Industry was found in pockets mostly located in ST Petersburg in and
• It was set up in 1890s, when Russian railway extended and investment in industry increased, coal production doubled and iron and steel output quadruped.
• Most industry was private property of industrialist. Government supervise large factories to ensure minimum wages and number of working hours but factory inspectors break the rule increasing working hours from 5 hours to 10-12 hours.
• Workers were divided in small groups on the basis of village they came from, and on the basis of skill also. Women made up 31% of factory labor in 1914 but paid less than men.

 

Working population in Russian was different from other countries in Europe before 1917:

• Russians had no respect for nobility; nobles got their power through their services to Tsar, not by local authority.
• Russian peasants wanted land of noble to be given to them. They refused to pay rent and even murdered landlord.
• They pooled their land periodically and their commune divides it according to their individual families.

 

Socialism in Russia:

• Before 1914, all political parties were illegal. Russian socialist democratic workers party was founded in 1898 by socialists who respected Marx’s idea.
• Socialist, in 1900 formed socialist revolutionary party who struggled for peasant’s right and demanded that land belonging to nobles be given to them.
• Social democrats disagreed with socialist revolutionaries about peasants.
• Vladimir Lenin (who led the Bolshevik group) felt that peasants were not one united group and divided as rich, poor, laborers, capitalist etc.
• Lenin thought that the party should be disciplined and control member and quality of its members. Others (Mensheviks) thought that party should be open to all.

 

The 1950 revolution 

• Russian was an autocracy. Tsar was not subject to parliament. Liberals wanted to end this state of affairs.
• Both, social democrats and socialist revolutionaries demanded a constitution during the revolution of 1950.

 

Bloody Sunday

1. In 1904, prices of essential goods rose so quickly that real wages declined by 20% membership of workers were dismissed at Putilov iron works.
2. Industrial action was called for when 4 members of assembly of Russian workers were dismissed at Putilov iron works.
3. Over 1, 10,000 workers in St. Petersburg went on strike demanded for reduction in working condition.
4. This procession of workers led by father Gabon was attacked by police and Cossacks. Over 100 workers were killed and about 300 wounded. Strikes took places all over the country.
5. People established the union and demanded a constitution assembly.
6. Tsar allowed the creation of elected consultative parliament or duma. Due to political instability, he dismissed 1^st duma within 75 days and re-elected second one.

 

The 1^st world war and Russian empire

• The First World War broke out between 2 European alliances in 1914 which was popular initially but later support grew thin. Anti-German sentiments ran high.
• Russian armies lost badly in Germany and Austria between 1914 and 1916. There were 7 million casualties and 3 refuges in Russian.
• This war adversely affected industries; railway line began to break in 1916. Small workshops producing essentials were shut down due to labor shortage and as a result by winters 1916, bread and flour become scarce.

 

The February revolution in Petrograd  

• Petrograd was given in the winter of 1917. There was heavy food shortage in workers quarters. Parliamentarians wishing to preserve elected government were opposed to Tsar’s desire to dissolve duma.
• On 22 February, a lockout took place at a factory followed by a strike next day. Demonstrating workers crossed from the factory quarters to capital. No political party organized this movement.
• Government imposed curfew and later suspended the duma. Police headquarter were ransacked. People raise slogans about bread, better hours and democracy. Cavalry called out by government to control them.
• Petrograd soviet was formed by soldiers and striking workers on advice of military commanders, Tsar abdicated soviet and duma leaders formed a provisional government to run the country.
• Russian’s future was to be decided by a constitution assembly elected through universal adult suffrage. Petrograd had led the February Revolution that brought down monarchy in 1917.

 

After February (Effects) 

• Provisional government influenced army officials, landowners and industrialists, liberals and socialists worked towards an elected government. Restriction on public meetings was removed soviets were setup everywhere but system of election was not followed in common.
• Vladimir tension (Bolshevik leader) returned to Russian and opposed war according to Lenin’s April theses, he declared war be brought to a close land be transferred to peasants and banks be nationalized.
• Workers’ movement spread and factory committee were formed which began in questioning the way industrialists ran their factories. Trade unions increased. Soldiers’ committees were formed in the army.
• Provisional government saw its power declining and Bolshevik influence grew. It decided to take measure against this discontent. It resisted attempts by workers to run factories and arrested leaders.
• Peasants and the Socialist Revolutionary leaders pressed for redistribution of land. Land committees formed and peasants seized land between July and September 1917.

 

October Revolution (1917):

• Lenin feared the provisional government would set up a dictatorship. He persuaded Petrograd soviet and Bolshevik party to agree on socialist seizure of power.
• The uprising began on 24 October. PM Kerenskii had left the city to summon troops. Military men loyal to government seized the building of two Bolshevik newspapers.
• Military revolutionary committee ordered to seize government offices and arrest the ministers in response. The “Aurora” ship shelled the winter palace. Other vessels took over military points.
• The city was under committee’s control and ministers had surrendered. The majority of All Russian Congress of soviets approved the Bolshevik action. There was heavy fighting in Moscow and finally Bolsheviks controlled the Moscow-Petrograd area.

 

After October (Changes/Effects)  

• Bolsheviks were opposed to private property. Most industries and banks were nationalized by 1917. Land was declared social property. Peasants were allowed to seize the land of the nobility.
• Bolshevik enforced the partition of large houses according to families, banned use of old titles. New uniform were designed for army and officials. They conducted the elections to the constituent assembly but failed to gain majority support.
• In 1918, Assembly rejected Bolshevik measures and Lenin dismissed the assembly. Bolshevik become only party to participate in the election to the all Russian congress of soviet.
• Russian becomes one party state. Trade unions were kept under party control. The secret police punished those who criticized Bolsheviks.
• Many young writers and artists rallied to party because it stood for socialism and change. This led to experiments in arts and architecture but disillusioned because of censorship encourage by party.

 

The Civil War  

• Russian army broke when Bolshevik ordered land redistribution. Non-Bolshevik socialists, liberals and supporters of autocracy condemned the Bolshevik uprising. During 1918-19, the ‘greens’ (socialist Revolutionaries) and ‘whites’ (pro-Tsarists) controlled most of Russian empire backed by French, American, British and Japanese troops.
• Civil war took place between these troops and Bolsheviks. Supporters of private property among ‘whites’ took steps with peasants who seized land.
• Such actions lead to the loss of support for non –Bolshevik and by 1920, Bolsheviks controlled most of the Russian empire. They succeeded due to cooperation with non–Russian nationalism and Muslim jadidists.
• Bolshevik colonists massacred local nationalists in the name of defending socialism in central Asia. Many were confused about Bolshevik government.
• Most non-Russian nationalities were given political autonomy in Soviet Union (USSR) combined with unpopular polices that Bolshevik forced the local government to follow.

 

Making a Socialist Society

• Bolshevik permitted peasants to cultivate the land that is socialized. A process of centralized planning was introduced. Officials assessed working of economy and set targets for 5 years period and hence 5 year plans were made.
• Government fixed all prices to promote industrial growth leading to economic growth. Industrial production increased, new factory cities set up, however rapid construction led to poor working conditions.
• An extended schooling system developed and arrangements were made for factory workers and peasants. Crèches were established in factories, cheap public health care was provided, and model living quarters were set up for workers.

 

Stalinism and Collectivisation    

• Period of planned economy was linked with disasters of collectivisation of agriculture. Grain supplies affected Stalin, who had the party after Lenin introduced from emergency measures.
• Speculation has to be stopped and supplies confiscated. Due to shortage of grain, the decision was taken to collectivise forms. After 1917, land was given to peasants. As they could not be modernised, land was taken away and established state controlled large forms.
• Bulk of land and implements were transferred to ownership of collective farms. Encouraged peasants resisted the authorities and destroyed their livestock. Many were deported and exiled.
• In spite of collectivisation, production did not increase and devastating famine occurred when 4 million people died.
• Many criticised production of planned economy and consequences of collectivisation due to which they were imprisoned being innocent.

 

The Global Influence of Russian Revolution and the USSR 

• In many countries, communist parties were formed. Many non-Russian from outside the USSR participated in the conference of people of the east and Bolshevik founded Comintern (An international union of pro-Bolshevik socialist parties)
• The USSR had given socialism a global face by the time of 2^nd world war. The style of government in the USSR was not in keeping with ideals of Russian revolution.
• Though its industries and agriculture had developed and poor were being fed, the essential freedom to its citizen was being denied. It was recognized that social ideals still enjoyed respect among Russians.