Term Paper on "Russian History 1900-1989"

Term Paper 7 pages (2392 words) Sources: 6 Style: Chicago

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Russia/USSR

There are certain events in the history of the world that had a defining impact on the way in which events developed and in which the world evolved to what is today or society. One such event was the First World War which marked a turning point in the way in which history and international politics would be later conducted. This event had such an array of effects that determined changes all across the world, but in particular in the countries that had been the leading actors of the conflict. These included Russia, Germany, France, Great Britain, and even the United States.

While France, the United States and Great Britain came out victorious and soon embarked on the road to prosperity, from the confrontation, Germany and Russia had to face the consequences of the pressures of a draining war effort that became obvious at the level of their populations. Germany would later come to choose a nationalist government, one that would lead the nation to a Second World War, while Russia decided to part with the Tsarist regime and radically change its political elites.

The fate of the two countries can be seen as similar only up to this point, in terms of regime change. However, the evolution of events in each of these two countries differed. Although the German case is extremely important for the eventual developments of the inter-war period, the most important change the First World War brought included the Russian state, which in at the beginning of the war was a tsarist ruled political entity, and by 1921 it was a union of soviets, with a completely different political system.

In this process of change, the Bolshevik Revolution had an immense importance. However, in order to assess the impact this event had on the evolution of the Russian history, and to consider the elements which made it successful in Russia, it is important to consider additional details. Thus, the historical background proved essential for the revolution. Secondly, the main forces acting inside and outside the country were as well relevant for the event to be successful. Finally, there are certain reasons that transformed the Bolshevik revolution into a turning point not only for the Russian history but for the European and the universal history as well. These reasons are in fact the connections between the historical background and the factors that determined its inception, climax, and success.

The historical background was greatly influenced by the World War, taking into account the fact that the Russian state was one of the most important actors in the conflagration. One of the defining elements which characterized the Russian state during the war was the immense patriotism existing in the country (Jahn, 1995). In this sense, the approval for the Russian intervention in the war that was started in the Balkans was received by applying to the Russian nationalism and its Slavic origins. Thus, people considered that the waging of the war meant the defense of the Slavic culture and identity. This belief was obvious as "Russians, like people elsewhere in Europe, greeted the declaration of war in 1914 with a great outburst of patriotic enthusiasm. Large crowds gathered in the streets to sing the national anthem, waving banners with patriotic slogans and pictures of the tsar" (Jahn, 1995). From this point-of-view, it can be said the nationalist issue was used by the leaders of the time, the Tsarist Family, to ensure the support for the war.

An important element in the way in which the war was perceived by the Russian population is also the national specificity of the people itself. Throughout history, the Russian people were often rallied to support either wars of conquest or wars for defending the national territory or the Slavic culture (Hobsbawm, 1995). Therefore, the pan Slavic sentiment was indeed a powerful force many leaders used to encourage the population to rebel against foreign interventions. Leon Trotsky mentioned this idea in his history of the Russian Revolution, stating that "while the western barbarians settled in the ruins of Roman culture, where many an old stone lay ready as building material, the Slavs in the East found no inheritance upon their desolate plain: their predecessors had been on even a lower level of culture than they" (1957). Therefore, in addition to the high degree of nationalism present in the Russian Empire, there was also a sense of inferiority which determined the Russians to rally behind their leader, regardless of the foreign policy conducted by the tsar.

Along with the nationalistic sentiment that was exploited during the war, there was also a matter of the relationship between the different segments of the society. In this sense, there was a clear fragmentation of the society between the rich and the poor (Basil, 1068). While the tsarist family lived a life of luxury, parties, and in stark contrast with the common people, the peasantry and the small bourgeoisie had difficulties creating for themselves a minimum and decent way of life. This discrepancy proved to be an important point that would later be touched upon by the Bolsheviks.

Russia's international presence was also a crucial element in the way in which the issue of nationalities would be addressed by the revolutionaries of 1917. In this sense, the Russian Empire had a stretching power over the Ottoman Empire and over various peoples such as the Romanians, the Bulgarians, and even the Scandinavian people (Wohlforth, 1987). However, at a time in which the First World War was considered to have started because of the lack of cohesion between the nationalities existing inside the empires, the issue of the right of peoples to self-determination was widely debated. From this point-of-view, it can be said the nationalistic spirit of the Russian Empire was an issue that in time would prove determinant for the integrity of this political construction.

Finally, another issue must be stressed out in terms of the historical context. The 19th century was most of the times labeled as being the "era of the nationalities" due to the fact that the European continent came under the pressures of state building. Relevant examples in this sense are the creation of the German and Italian states which based their endeavor precisely on the desires of their respective leaders to form a national entity out of the various lands and territories that spoke the same language, shared the same cultural background, and experienced the same historical circumstances. Aside from the German and Italian cases, peoples from South East Europe also manifested tendencies of nationality and state building. Thus, pressures were obvious from Romania, Bulgaria, and the Balkan region. The Bolsheviks would follow this line and would eventually appeal to the issue of dispersed nationalism and would convince the Russian population to offer their support.

Aside from the historical background which set the basis for the Bolshevik Revolution, there are certain elements which made the connection between the universal history and the actual situation in the Russian state. In this sense, the First World War represented for the Russians, after the enthusiasm for emancipation and freedom faded an increased financial pressure. The large sum of money the army required in order to achieve Russia's goals demanded immense sacrifices from the population. In this context, "the war they cheered soon turned into a military, economic, and social debacle for the Russian Empire. It contributed to the fall of the Romanov dynasty and helped trigger a revolution that profoundly shaped the history of the twentieth century" (Jahn, 1995). Therefore, it was obvious that by 1917 the state of the population speaking in financial terms became rather unsatisfying especially considering the continuous life of luxury the population saw at the Tsar's palace. Thus, there was an increased state of disapproval and discontent among the lower levels of the society.

Another element that must be taken into account is the leadership that actually initiated the Revolution. Firstly, there is the matter of the doctrinarian approach. By the early 20th century, the industry had become the leading force in the evolution and development of the economic state of the country. The United States was in this sense, one of the most important powers along with the United Kingdom. However, in the Russian state, the main occupation of the population still viewed the agriculture as the most important national occupation. The situation in the war years however was not something new for the Russian society as "in the immediate prewar years Russian urban society had become increasingly destabilized as deep rifts opened up between the working class, the educated and privileged sectors of society, and state authority (...) This destabilization was extensively studied as a phenomenon of social and labor history" (Jahn, 1995). This need of the population to be appreciated and not to be exploited in order to support the war effort became an ever increasing concern and as the climax of the conflict approached the people was more and more reluctant to accept the fact that they were… READ MORE

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