November Revolution of 1917. Literary and historical notes of a young technician. Goals of the October Revolution

Lenin proclaims Soviet power

Great October Socialist Revolution- the process of the revolutionary establishment of Soviet power on the territory of Russia from October 1917 to March 1918, as a result of which the bourgeois was overthrown, and power was transferred.

The Great October Socialist Revolution was the result of internal conflicts that had accumulated in Russian society since at least the middle of the 19th century, the revolutionary process generated by them, which later grew into the First World War. Her victory in Russia provided a practical opportunity for a global experiment in building in a single country. The revolution had a global character, in fact, completely changing the history of mankind in the twentieth century, and led to the formation on the political map of the world that exists to this day and daily demonstrates to the whole world the advantages of the socialist system over.

Causes and background

From the middle of 1916, a decline in industrial and agricultural production began in Russia. The representatives of the liberal-bourgeois opposition, who had gained a foothold in the Duma, zemstvos, city dumas, and military-industrial committees, insisted on the creation of a Duma and a government that would enjoy the confidence of the country. Right-wing circles, on the contrary, called for the dissolution of the Duma. The tsar, realizing the detrimental consequences of carrying out radical, political and other reforms in the course of a war that required political stability, was in no hurry, however, to “tighten the screws”. He hoped that the success of the Entente troops' offensive against Germany planned for the spring of 1917 from the east and west would bring peace to minds. However, such hopes were no longer destined to come true.

February bourgeois-democratic revolution and the overthrow of the autocracy

On February 23, 1917, rallies, strikes, and demonstrations of workers began in Petrograd due to food difficulties. On February 26, the authorities tried to suppress popular uprisings by force of arms. This, in turn, caused disobedience in the spare parts of the Petrograd garrison, who did not want to be sent to the front, and an uprising of some of them on the morning of February 27. As a result, the rebellious soldiers united with the striking workers. On the same day, the Provisional Committee of the State Duma was formed in the State Duma, headed by Duma Chairman M. V. Rodzianko. On the night of February 27-28, the Committee announced that it had taken power "into its own hands to restore state and public order." On the same day, the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' Deputies was created, calling on the people to finally overthrow the old government. By the morning of February 28, the uprising in Petrograd had won.

On the night of March 1-2, by agreement of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma with the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet, it was formed headed by the Chairman of the Main Committee of the All-Russian Zemstvo Union, Prince G. E. Lvov. The government included representatives of various bourgeois parties: the leader of the Cadets P. N. Milyukov, the leader of the Octobrists A. I. Guchkov and others, as well as the socialist A. F. Kerensky.

On the night of March 2, the Petrograd Soviet adopted Order No. 1 for the Petrograd garrison, which spoke of the election of soldiers' committees in units and subunits, the subordination of military units in all political speeches to the Council, and the transfer of weapons under the control of soldiers' committees. Similar orders were established outside the Petrograd garrison, which undermined the combat capability of the army.

On the evening of March 2, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the throne. As a result, dual power arose in the country on the part of the bourgeois Provisional Government ("power without power") and the Soviets of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies ("power without power").

Period of dual power

The Union State was formed on the basis of the Ukrainian and Byelorussian SSR. Over time, the number of union republics reached 15.

Third (Communist) International

Almost immediately after the proclamation of Soviet power in Russia, the leadership of the RCP (b) took the initiative to form a new international in order to unite and rally the working class of the planet.

In January 1918, a meeting of representatives of leftist groups from a number of European and American countries was held in Petrograd. And on March 2, 1919, the First Constituent Congress of the Communist International began its work in Moscow.

The Comintern set itself the task of supporting the working-class movement throughout the world in order to carry out a world revolution that would finally replace the world capitalist economy with the world system of communism.

In many ways, it was thanks to the activities of the Communist International that communist parties were formed in many countries of Europe, Asia and America, which ultimately led to their victory in China, Mongolia, Korea and Vietnam and the establishment of a socialist system in them.

Thus, the Great October Revolution, which created the first socialist state, marked the beginning of the collapse of the capitalist system in many countries of the world.

• Williams A. R. About Lenin and the October Revolution. - M.: Gospolitizdat, 1960. - 297 p.
• Reid J. 10 days that shook the world. - M.: Gospolitizdat, 1958. - 352 p.
• Chronicle of the Great October Socialist Revolution / Ed. A. M. Pankratova and G. D. Kostomarov. - M.: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1942. - 152 p.

Research

• Alekseeva G. D. Criticism of the Socialist-Revolutionary Concept of the October Revolution. - M.: Nauka, 1989. - 321 p.
• Igritsky Yu. I. Myths of bourgeois historiography and the reality of history. Modern American and English historiography of the Great October Socialist Revolution. - M.: Thought, 1974. - 274 p.
• Foster W. The October Revolution and the United States of America. - M.: Gospolitizdat, 1958. - 49 p.
• Smirnov A.S. Bolsheviks and the peasantry in the October Revolution. - M.: Politizdat, 1976. - 233 p.
• October socialist revolution in Udmurtia. Collection of documents and materials (1917-1918) / Ed. I. P. Emelyanova. - Izhevsk: Udmurt book publishing house, 1957. - 394 p.
• October Revolution and the Civil War in North Ossetia. - Ordzhonikidze: Ir Publishing House, 1973. - 302 p.
• Foreign Literature on the October Revolution / Ed. I. I. Mints. - M.: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1961. - 310 p.
• Seventieth Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Joint ceremonial meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR November 2–3, 1987: Verbatim report. - M.: Politizdat, 1988. - 518 p.
• Kunina A.E. Debunked myths: Against the bourgeois falsification of the Great October Socialist Revolution. - M.: Knowledge, 1971. - 50 p. - (Series "New in life, science, technology." History "").
• Salov V. I. German historiography of the Great October Socialist Revolution. - M.: Sotsekgiz, 1960. - 213 p.

According to modern history, there were three revolutions in tsarist Russia.

Revolution of 1905

Date: January 1905 - June 1907. The impetus for the revolutionary actions of the people was the shooting of a peaceful demonstration (January 22, 1905), in which workers, their wives and children took part, led by a priest, whom many historians later called a provocateur who deliberately led the crowd under rifles.

The result of the first Russian revolution was the Manifesto adopted on October 17, 1905, which provided Russian citizens with civil liberties based on the inviolability of the individual. But this manifesto did not solve the main issue - hunger and industrial crisis in the country, so the tension continued to accumulate and was later discharged by the second revolution. But the first answer to the question: "When was the revolution in Russia?" will be - 1905.

February bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1917

Date: February 1917 Hunger, a political crisis, a protracted war, dissatisfaction with the tsar's policies, fermentation of revolutionary sentiments in the large Petrograd garrison - these factors and many others led to the aggravation of the situation in the country. The general strike of workers on February 27, 1917 in Petrograd grew into spontaneous riots. As a result, the main government buildings and the main structures of the city were captured. Most of the troops went over to the side of the strikers. The tsarist government was unable to cope with the revolutionary situation. Troops called in from the front were unable to enter the city. The result of the second revolution was the overthrow of the monarchy, and the establishment of the Provisional Government, which included representatives of the bourgeoisie and large landowners. But along with this, the Petrograd Soviet was formed as another body of power. This led to dual power, which had a bad effect on the establishment of order by the Provisional Government in a country exhausted by a protracted war.

October Revolution of 1917

Date: October 25-26, old style. The protracted First World War continues, Russian troops retreat and suffer defeat. Hunger in the country does not stop. The majority of people live in poverty. Numerous rallies are held at factories, factories and in front of military units stationed in Petrograd. Most of the military, workers and the entire crew of the cruiser "Aurora" took the side of the Bolsheviks. The Military Revolutionary Committee announces an armed uprising. October 25, 1917 There was a Bolshevik coup led by Vladimir Lenin - the Provisional Government was overthrown. The first Soviet government was formed, later in 1918 peace was signed with Germany already tired of the war (Brest peace) and the construction of the USSR began.

Thus, we get that the question "When was the revolution in Russia?" You can briefly answer this way: only three times - once in 1905 and twice in 1917.

Causes of the October Revolution of 1917:

• war weariness;
• industry and agriculture of the country were on the verge of complete collapse;
• catastrophic financial crisis;
• the unresolved agrarian question and the impoverishment of the peasants;
• delaying socio-economic reforms;
• the contradictions of the dual power became a prerequisite for a change of power.

On July 3, 1917, unrest broke out in Petrograd demanding the overthrow of the Provisional Government. Counter-revolutionary units, by government decree, used weapons to suppress the peaceful demonstration. Arrests began, the death penalty was restored.

The dual power ended with the victory of the bourgeoisie. The events of July 3-5 showed that the bourgeois Provisional Government did not intend to fulfill the demands of the working people, and it became clear to the Bolsheviks that it was no longer possible to seize power by peaceful means.

At the VI Congress of the RSDLP (b), which took place from July 26 to August 3, 1917, the party took a guide to the socialist revolution through an armed uprising.

At the August State Conference in Moscow, the bourgeoisie intended to announce L.G. Kornilov as a military dictator and time the dispersal of the Soviets to coincide with this event. But the active revolutionary uprising frustrated the plans of the bourgeoisie. Then Kornilov on August 23 moved troops to Petrograd.

The Bolsheviks, carrying out great agitation work among the working masses and soldiers, explained the meaning of the conspiracy and created revolutionary centers for the struggle against Kornilovism. The rebellion was suppressed, and the people finally understood that the Bolshevik Party is the only party that defends the interests of the working people.

In mid-September, V.I. Lenin worked out a plan for an armed uprising and ways to carry it out. The main goal of the October Revolution was the conquest of power by the Soviets.

On October 12, the Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) was created - a center for preparing an armed uprising. Zinoviev and Kamenev, opponents of the socialist revolution, gave the terms of the uprising to the Provisional Government.

The uprising began on the night of October 24, the day the II Congress of Soviets opened. The government immediately succeeded in isolating it from the armed units loyal to it.

October 25 V.I. Lenin arrived at Smolny and personally led the uprising in Petrograd. During the October Revolution, the most important objects such as bridges, telegraph, government offices were seized.

On the morning of October 25, 1917, the Military Revolutionary Committee announced the overthrow of the Provisional Government and the transfer of power to the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. On October 26, the Winter Palace was captured and members of the Provisional Government were arrested.

The October Revolution in Russia took place with the full support of the masses of the people. The alliance between the working class and the peasantry, the defection of the armed army to the side of the revolution, and the weakness of the bourgeoisie determined the results of the October Revolution of 1917.

On October 25 and 26, 1917, the II All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held, at which the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) was elected and the first Soviet government, the Council of People's Commissars (SNK), was formed. V.I. was elected Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. Lenin. He put forward two Decrees: the "Decree on Peace", which called on the warring countries to stop hostilities, and the "Decree on Land", expressing the interests of the peasants.

The adopted Decrees contributed to the victory of Soviet power in the regions of the country.

On November 3, 1917, with the capture of the Kremlin, Soviet power also won in Moscow. Further, Soviet power was proclaimed in Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, in the Crimea, in the North Caucasus, in Central Asia. The revolutionary struggle in Transcaucasia dragged on until the end of the civil war (1920-1921), which was a consequence of the October Revolution of 1917.

The Great October Socialist Revolution divided the world into two camps - capitalist and socialist.

1917 is the year of upheavals and revolutions in Russia, and its finale came on the night of October 25, when all power passed to the Soviets. What are the causes, course, results of the Great October Socialist Revolution - these and other questions of history are at the center of our attention today.

Causes

Many historians argue that the events that took place in October 1917 were inevitable and at the same time unexpected. Why? Inevitable, because by that time a certain situation had developed in the Russian Empire, which predetermined the further course of history. This was due to a number of reasons:

• Results of the February Revolution : she was greeted with unprecedented enthusiasm and enthusiasm, which soon turned into the opposite - bitter disappointment. Indeed, the performance of the revolutionary-minded "lower classes" - soldiers, workers and peasants, led to a serious shift - the overthrow of the monarchy. But this is where the achievements of the revolution ended. The expected reforms "hung in the air": the longer the Provisional Government put off consideration of pressing problems, the faster discontent in society grew;
• Overthrow of the monarchy : March 2 (15), 1917 Russian Emperor Nicholas II signed the abdication. However, the question of the form of government in Russia - a monarchy or a republic, remained open. The provisional government decided to consider it during the next convocation of the Constituent Assembly. Such uncertainty could lead to only one thing - anarchy, which happened.
• The mediocre policy of the Provisional Government : the slogans under which the February Revolution took place, its aspirations and achievements were actually buried by the actions of the Provisional Government: Russia's participation in the First World War continued; a majority vote in the government blocked the land reform and the reduction of the working day to 8 hours; the autocracy was not annulled;
• Russia's participation in the First World War: any war is an extremely costly undertaking. It literally "sucks" all the juices out of the country: people, production, money - everything goes to its maintenance. The First World War was no exception, and Russia's participation in it undermined the country's economy. After the February Revolution, the Provisional Government did not retreat from its obligations to the allies. But discipline in the army was already undermined, and general desertion began in the army.
• Anarchy: already in the name of the government of that period - the Provisional Government, the spirit of the times can be traced - order and stability were destroyed, and they were replaced by anarchy - anarchy, lawlessness, confusion, spontaneity. This manifested itself in all spheres of the country's life: an autonomous government was formed in Siberia, which was not subordinate to the capital; Finland and Poland declared independence; in the villages, the peasants were engaged in unauthorized redistribution of land, burned the landowners' estates; the government was mainly engaged in the struggle with the Soviets for power; the disintegration of the army and many other events;
• The rapid growth of the influence of the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies : During the February Revolution, the Bolshevik Party was not among the most popular. But over time, this organization becomes the main political player. Their populist slogans for an immediate end to the war and for reforms found great support among the embittered workers, peasants, soldiers and police. Not the last was the role of Lenin as the founder and leader of the Bolshevik Party, which carried out the October Revolution of 1917.

Rice. 1. Mass strikes in 1917

Stages of the uprising

Before speaking briefly about the revolution of 1917 in Russia, it is necessary to answer the question of the suddenness of the uprising itself. The fact is that the actually established dual power in the country - the Provisional Government and the Bolsheviks, should have ended in some kind of explosion and in the future with the victory of one of the parties. Therefore, the Soviets began preparations for the seizure of power in August, and the government at that time was preparing and taking measures to prevent it. But the events that happened on the night of October 25, 1917 came as a complete surprise to the latter. The consequences of the establishment of Soviet power also became unpredictable.

As early as October 16, 1917, the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party made a fateful decision - to prepare for an armed uprising.

On October 18, the Petrograd garrison refused to submit to the Provisional Government, and already on October 21, representatives of the garrison declared their submission to the Petrograd Soviet, as the only representative of the legitimate authority in the country. Starting on October 24, the key points of Petrograd - bridges, railway stations, telegraphs, banks, power plants and printing houses - were captured by the Military Revolutionary Committee. On the morning of October 25, the Provisional Government held only one object - the Winter Palace. Despite this, at 10 o'clock in the morning of the same day, an appeal was issued, which announced that henceforth the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was the only body of state power in Russia.

In the evening at 9 o'clock, a blank shot from the Aurora cruiser signaled the beginning of the assault on the Winter Palace, and on the night of October 26, members of the Provisional Government were arrested.

Rice. 2. The streets of Petrograd on the eve of the uprising

Results

As you know, history does not like the subjunctive mood. It is impossible to say what would have happened if this or that event had not happened and vice versa. Everything that happens happens due to not a single reason, but a multitude that at one moment intersected at one point and showed the world an event with all its positive and negative aspects: a civil war, a huge number of deaths, millions who left the country forever, terror, the construction of an industrial power , the elimination of illiteracy, free education, medical care, building the world's first socialist state, and much more. But, but speaking about the main significance of the October Revolution of 1917, one thing should be said - it was a profound revolution in the ideology, economy and structure of the state as a whole, which influenced not only the course of the history of Russia, but of the whole world.

On February 23, 1917, the February Revolution of 1917 began, otherwise called the February Bourgeois-Democratic Revolution, or the February Revolution - mass anti-government protests by the workers of the city of Petrograd and the soldiers of the Petrograd garrison, which caused the overthrow of the Russian autocracy and led to the creation of the Provisional Government, which concentrated in its hands all legislative and executive power in Russia.

The February revolution began with spontaneous demonstrations by the masses, but its success was also facilitated by an acute political crisis at the top, a sharp dissatisfaction in the liberal-bourgeois circles with the one-man policy of the tsar. Bread riots, anti-war rallies, demonstrations, strikes at industrial enterprises of the city were superimposed on discontent and ferment among the many thousands of the capital's garrison, which joined the revolutionary masses that took to the streets. On February 27 (March 12), 1917, the general strike turned into an armed uprising; the troops that went over to the side of the rebels occupied the most important points of the city, government buildings. In the current situation, the tsarist government showed an inability to take quick and decisive action. The scattered and few forces that remained loyal to him were unable to independently cope with the anarchy that engulfed the capital, and several units withdrawn from the front to suppress the uprising were unable to break through to the city.

The immediate result of the February Revolution was the abdication of Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty and the formation of the Provisional Government under the chairmanship of Prince Georgy Lvov. This government was closely connected with the bourgeois public organizations that arose during the war years (the All-Russian Zemstvo Union, the City Union, the Central Military Industrial Committee). The provisional government united legislative and executive power in its person, replacing the tsar, the State Council, the Duma and the Council of Ministers and subordinating the highest institutions (the Senate and Synod) to itself. In its Declaration, the Provisional Government announced an amnesty for political prisoners, civil liberties, the replacement of the police by the "people's militia", and the reform of local self-government.

Almost simultaneously, the revolutionary democratic forces formed a parallel body of power - the Petrograd Soviet - which led to a situation known as dual power.

On March 1 (14), 1917, a new government was established in Moscow, during March - throughout the country.

However, the end of the February Revolution and the abdication of the tsar did not end the tragic events in Russia. On the contrary, the period of unrest, war and blood was just beginning.

The main events of 1917 in Russia