The Russian Revolution 1917

In the third year of the First World War, The Russian Empire experienced a year of revolutionary turmoil that saw the fall of the emperor, Tsar Nicholas II. This was followed by the creation of an interim government which in turn was overthrown by an extreme revolutionary socialist regime in October that year. By the end of 1917 a government that would rule Russia as a dictatorship for most of the rest of the 20th Century was firmly in power and its establishment would have profound implications for the rest of Russian and 20th Century history. However, the revolution was not simply the product of short term events, instead it developed from long term problems and challenges from within Russia, which the government of the tsars was incapable of controlling.

The purpose of this ebook is to focus closely on the revolutionary year of 1917 and explain why not just one but two governments fell in that year. It will also examine how and why the Bolsheviks, a revolutionary socialist party came to power. Firstly, however, we must explore the long term causes of the Russian Revolution, which stretch back deep into Russian history.

This e-book also features advice on source-based questions and a section on historical interpretations of the Russian Revolution.