A Beginner's Guide to the Russian Revolution: Part One

Autocracy, Radicalism, and the Revolution of 1905

In A Beginner's Guide to the Russian Revolution, you will get a survey of one of the most important events of the twentieth century. Not only was a staunchly autocratic state turned over to radical control, the world saw for the first time the entrance of a radical communist state into the arena of international affairs. The first part of A Beginner's Guide to the Russian Revolution will focus on the social, political, and economic situation of Russia in the nineteenth century. These factors would be responsible for the formation of the radical tendencies among Russia's middle and lower classes that would spur the country into open revolution.

Russia was a state unlike most others in Europe during the nineteenth century. Whereas many other states were turning to liberal ideas with legislatures and limited monarchies, Russia continued to be ruled by an autocratic czar. There was no assembly and no checks on his power. This was starting to become a liability in a country whose intelligentsia was increasingly influenced by the ideas of the French Revolution in the early nineteenth century. A failed revolution called the Decembrist Revolt was actually launched against the czar, but ended in failure in the 1820s. This revolution had the disastrous effect of causing the czar to enact harsh censorship and other repressive measures in order to dissuade further rebellion. However, the failure of the Decembrists served only to embolden young, radical minds in Russia who wanted an end to the autocracy.