86 Russian Revolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best russian revolution topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 interesting topics to write about russian revolution, 🔎 good research topics about russian revolution, ❓ russian revolution essay questions.

  • The Russian Revolution by Sheila Fitzpatrick The author of this book defines the following frames: “The timespan of the Russian Revolution runs from February 1917 to the Great Purge of 1937-8. The first theme is the Bolsheviks’ vision of the revolution […]
  • The First World War and the Russian Revolution Scholars argue that Russia’s involvement in the First World War and the economic consequences are the primary causes of the revolution.
  • The Russian Revolution 1917: Causes and Outcomes The Russian Revolution refers to one of the most significant historical events in the world history. This event covered two revolutions rooted in Russia: the February Revolution and the October Revolution of 1917.
  • The French and Russian Revolutions of 1789 and 1917 On the other hand, 1989 marked the end of the Russian Revolution which was responsible for the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
  • History of Russian Revolution in 1917 Subsequent to the resignation of Romanovs, the provisional government was created by members of the parliament that was recognized as a legal government of Russia.
  • Changes Brought by Russian Revolution Today Russia is one of the superpowers in the world with a strong economy. The Bolsheviks took power after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and deposed the imperial government.
  • The History of Russian Revolution Bolsheviks constituted the largest radical group in revolutionary Russia that played the most important role in the initiation and the course of the revolution.
  • The Effects of 1917 Russian Revolution on the 20th Century Music The young composer made his way to the countryside in 1908 in order to earn the would-be title of the folk music examiner.
  • Karl Marx Theory and the Russian Revolution It was the interpretations of Marxism theories by Lenin that were the force behind the Russian Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union.
  • Russian Revolutions Since 1905: Background and Consequences In 1905, when the Imperial forces of Russia were under the affliction of mortifying and degrading vanquishes, the famous revolution of that year broke out.
  • Russian Revolution in “Cement” by Gladkov The novel demonstrates that one of the true insights of Communism is its understanding of the manner in which all human institutions and activities become perverted to the selfish use of particular groups.
  • Russian Revolution and International Reaction The principal causes of the failure of the Allied Powers to help the White Army included the disagreement in goals and the general weakness of the Western involvement forces after World War I.
  • Russian Revolutions, Fascism, and Totalitarianism It was also seeking to apply socialist principles in the political experience in the birth of the Soviet Union and apply it to the worldwide revolution. It was ultimately this aspect that led to the […]
  • Causes of the 1917 Russian Revolution It was caused by three factors: the incapacity of the Tsarist economy to deal with modern industrial war, the organization of the mass army drawn from the peasantry and working class, and a growing hatred […]
  • Bolshevik Propaganda in the Russian Revolution Communists hoped to achieve, and that was why they had more and more concentrated their propaganda efforts on the boys and girls and the young men and women.
  • Russian Revolution in Orwell’s “Animal Farm” Both the long-term and the short-term causes of the revolution contributed to the public outrage and diminished the people’s belief in the monarchy.
  • Russian Revolution: What Went Down? This revolution, therefore, overturned the Provisional Government and established the Soviet Union. While the February revolution overturned Tsar Nicholas II and established a Provisional Government.
  • Mexican and Russian Revolution: Comparative Analysis Additionally, the top-down method involved spreading the benefits of the revolution from the government offices to the community and to the village to help the masses.
  • The Down Fall of the Russian Revolution The powerful individuals, whose aim was to fulfil the interests of the owners of the means production, controlled the revolution. After the revolution, the Communist Party readjusted its objectives to reflect the aims of the […]
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  • Analyze the Impact That the Russian Revolution Had on the Environment of the Country
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  • How Did the Russian Revolution Impact World War I?
  • Who Won the Russian Revolution?
  • What Is Duma in Russian Revolution?
  • What Were the Main Causes of the Russian Revolution?
  • What Was the Impact of Russian Revolution?
  • The Most Interesting Facts About the Russian Revolution?
  • How Did the Russian Revolution End?
  • Who Took Control of Russia After the Revolution?
  • What Are Effects of the Russian Revolution?
  • What Social Factors Caused Russian Revolution?
  • How Many Russians Died in the Revolution?
  • How Did the Russian Revolution Affect Other Countries?
  • When Did the Russian Revolution Start?
  • Who Led the Russian Revolution?
  • How Did the World React to the Russian Revolution?
  • Was the Russian Revolution a Success?
  • What Did the Russian Revolution Fight For?
  • What Leaders Were Involved in the Russian Revolution?
  • What Were the Main Effects of the Russian Revolution?
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  • What Was the Main Conflict of the Russian Revolution?
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Russian Revolution

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 27, 2024 | Original: March 12, 2024

Russian Revolution of 1917: Lenin speaking to the workers of the Putilov factory, in Petrograd, 1917.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was one of the most explosive political events of the 20th century. The violent revolution marked the end of the Romanov dynasty and centuries of Russian Imperial rule. Economic hardship, food shortages and government corruption all contributed to disillusionment with Czar Nicholas II. During the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks, led by leftist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, seized power and destroyed the tradition of czarist rule. The Bolsheviks would later become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

When Was the Russian Revolution?

In 1917, two revolutions swept through Russia, ending centuries of imperial rule and setting into motion political and social changes that would lead to the eventual formation of the Soviet Union .

However, while the two revolutionary events took place within a few short months of 1917, social unrest in Russia had been brewing for many years prior to the events of that year.

In the early 1900s, Russia was one of the most impoverished countries in Europe with an enormous peasantry and a growing minority of poor industrial workers. Much of Western Europe viewed Russia as an undeveloped, backwards society.

The Russian Empire practiced serfdom—a form of feudalism in which landless peasants were forced to serve the land-owning nobility—well into the nineteenth century. In contrast, the practice had disappeared in most of Western Europe by the end of the Middle Ages .

In 1861, the Russian Empire finally abolished serfdom. The emancipation of serfs would influence the events leading up to the Russian Revolution by giving peasants more freedom to organize.

What Caused the Russian Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution gained a foothold in Russia much later than in Western Europe and the United States. When it finally did, around the turn of the 20th century, it brought with it immense social and political changes.

Between 1890 and 1910, for example, the population of major Russian cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow nearly doubled, resulting in overcrowding and destitute living conditions for a new class of Russian industrial workers.

A population boom at the end of the 19th century, a harsh growing season due to Russia’s northern climate, and a series of costly wars—starting with the Crimean War —created frequent food shortages across the vast empire. Moreover, a famine in 1891-1892 is estimated to have killed up to 400,000 Russians.

The devastating Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 further weakened Russia and the position of ruler Czar Nicholas II . Russia suffered heavy losses of soldiers, ships, money and international prestige in the war, which it ultimately lost.

Many educated Russians, looking at social progress and scientific advancement in Western Europe and North America, saw how growth in Russia was being hampered by the monarchical rule of the czars and the czar’s supporters in the aristocratic class.

Russian Revolution of 1905

Soon, large protests by Russian workers against the monarchy led to the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1905 . Hundreds of unarmed protesters were killed or wounded by the czar’s troops.

The Bloody Sunday massacre sparked the Russian Revolution of 1905, during which angry workers responded with a series of crippling strikes throughout the country. Farm laborers and soldiers joined the cause, leading to the creation of worker-dominated councils called “soviets.”

In one famous incident, the crew of the battleship Potemkin staged a successful mutiny against their overbearing officers. Historians would later refer to the 1905 Russian Revolution as ‘the Great Dress Rehearsal,” as it set the stage for the upheavals to come.

Nicholas II and World War I

After the bloodshed of 1905 and Russia’s humiliating loss in the Russo-Japanese War, Nicholas II promised greater freedom of speech and the formation of a representative assembly, or Duma, to work toward reform.

Russia entered into World War I in August 1914 in support of the Serbs and their French and British allies. Their involvement in the war would soon prove disastrous for the Russian Empire.

Militarily, imperial Russia was no match for industrialized Germany, and Russian casualties were greater than those sustained by any nation in any previous war. Food and fuel shortages plagued Russia as inflation mounted. The already weak economy was hopelessly disrupted by the costly war effort.

Czar Nicholas left the Russian capital of Petrograd (St. Petersburg) in 1915 to take command of the Russian Army front. (The Russians had renamed the imperial city in 1914, because “St. Petersburg” sounded too German.)

russian revolution essay questions

Soviet Union Leaders: A Timeline

From Stalin's reign of terror to Gorbachev and glasnost, meet the eight leaders who presided over the USSR.

How World War I Fueled the Russian Revolution

Ineffective leadership and a weak infrastructure during the war led to the demise of the Romanov dynasty.

Rasputin and the Czarina

In her husband’s absence, Czarina Alexandra—an unpopular woman of German ancestry—began firing elected officials. During this time, her controversial advisor, Grigory Rasputin , increased his influence over Russian politics and the royal Romanov family .

Russian nobles eager to end Rasputin’s influence murdered him on December 30, 1916. By then, most Russians had lost faith in the failed leadership of the czar. Government corruption was rampant, the Russian economy remained backward and Nicholas repeatedly dissolved the Duma , the toothless Russian parliament established after the 1905 revolution, when it opposed his will.

Moderates soon joined Russian radical elements in calling for an overthrow of the hapless czar.

February Revolution

The February Revolution (known as such because of Russia’s use of the Julian calendar until February 1918) began on March 8, 1917 (February 23 on the Julian calendar).

Demonstrators clamoring for bread took to the streets of Petrograd. Supported by huge crowds of striking industrial workers, the protesters clashed with police but refused to leave the streets.

On March 11, the troops of the Petrograd army garrison were called out to quell the uprising. In some encounters, the regiments opened fire, killing demonstrators, but the protesters kept to the streets and the troops began to waver.

The Duma formed a provisional government on March 12. A few days later, Czar Nicholas abdicated the throne, ending centuries of Russian Romanov rule.

Alexander Kerensky

The leaders of the provisional government, including young Russian lawyer Alexander Kerensky, established a liberal program of rights such as freedom of speech, equality before the law, and the right of unions to organize and strike. They opposed violent social revolution.

As minister of war, Kerensky continued the Russian war effort, even though Russian involvement in World War I was enormously unpopular. This further exacerbated Russia’s food supply problems. Unrest continued to grow as peasants looted farms and food riots erupted in the cities.

Bolshevik Revolution

On November 6 and 7, 1917 (or October 24 and 25 on the Julian calendar, which is why the event is often referred to as the October Revolution ), leftist revolutionaries led by Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin launched a nearly bloodless coup d’état against the Duma’s provisional government.

The provisional government had been assembled by a group of leaders from Russia’s bourgeois capitalist class. Lenin instead called for a Soviet government that would be ruled directly by councils of soldiers, peasants and workers.

The Bolsheviks and their allies occupied government buildings and other strategic locations in Petrograd, and soon formed a new government with Lenin as its head. Lenin became the dictator of the world’s first communist state.

Russian Civil War

Civil War broke out in Russia in late 1917 after the Bolshevik Revolution. The warring factions included the Red and White Armies.

The Red Army fought for the Lenin’s Bolshevik government. The White Army represented a large group of loosely allied forces, including monarchists, capitalists and supporters of democratic socialism.

On July 16, 1918, the Romanovs were executed by the Bolsheviks. The Russian Civil War ended in 1923 with Lenin’s Red Army claiming victory and establishing the Soviet Union.

After many years of violence and political unrest, the Russian Revolution paved the way for the rise of communism as an influential political belief system around the world. It set the stage for the rise of the Soviet Union as a world power that would go head-to-head with the United States during the Cold War .

The Russian Revolutions of 1917. Anna M. Cienciala, University of Kansas . The Russian Revolution of 1917. Daniel J. Meissner, Marquette University . Russian Revolution of 1917. McGill University . Russian Revolution of 1905. Marxists.org . The Russian Revolution of 1905: What Were the Major Causes? Northeastern University . Timeline of the Russian Revolution. British Library .

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Called treacherous, deluded and insane, Lenin might have been a historical footnote but for the Russian Revolution, which launched him into the headlines of the 20th century.

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russian revolution essay questions

Russian Revolution

Russian revolution topics, the old regime.

Introduction to Russia Reform and reaction in the 1800s Tsarist government Enforcing Russian autocracy Russian society Tsar Nicholas II

Opposition to tsarism

Revolutionary traditions Marxism Bolsheviks and Mensheviks Other reformist political parties Vladimir Lenin Leon Trotsky Alexander Kerensky

Unrest, promise and betrayal

Russian industrialisation Russo-Japanese War ‘Bloody Sunday’ The 1905 Revolution The October Manifesto Stolypin and the tsarist reaction

War and decay

The Lena River massacre World War I Grigori Rasputin The February Revolution

The Dual Power

The Provisional Government The July Days The Kornilov affair October Revolution

The new society

Soviet government Soviet social reforms Bolshevik economic policy The Constituent Assembly The CHEKA

A nation divided

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Left SRs The Red Terror The Russian Civil War The Red Army The White armies

Trouble within the Party

International revolution The Great Famine Alexandra Kollontai Peasant uprisings The Kronstadt rebellion

Consolidating power

The New Economic Policy (NEP) The ‘Scissors Crisis’ The death of Lenin The rise of Stalin

Information and resources on this page are © Alpha History 2018-23. Content on this page may not be copied, republished or redistributed without the express permission of Alpha History. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use .

 
 
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World War I and the decline of the Russian Empire

  • The February Revolution
  • The Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government
  • The end of the Romanov dynasty and the arrest of the Russian royal family
  • The role of the army in the Russian Revolution
  • The Petrograd Soviet joins the government
  • June Offensive
  • The July Days
  • Kerensky and the Kornilov revolt
  • Trotsky and the Second Congress of Soviets
  • The defeat of Krasnov and the collapse of the Provisional Government
  • The Soviet government at work
  • The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
  • The death of the tsar and the Russian Civil War

Vladimir Lenin

What caused the Russian Revolution of 1917?

Why is it called the october revolution if it took place in november, how did the revolution lead to the russian civil war, what happened to the tsar and his family.

  • Who was Leon Trotsky?

Red Army (Soviet) soldiers in the Russian Revolution.

Russian Revolution

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Vladimir Lenin

Corruption and inefficiency were widespread in the imperial government, and ethnic minorities were eager to escape Russian domination. Peasants, workers, and soldiers finally rose up after the enormous and largely pointless slaughter of World War I destroyed Russia’s economy as well as its prestige as a European power.

By the 18th century, most countries in Europe had adopted the Gregorian calendar . In countries like Russia , where Eastern Orthodoxy was the dominant religion, dates were reckoned according to the Julian calendar . In the early 20th century, the difference between these two calendars was 13 days, so the Julian (also called Old Style) dates October 24–25 correspond to the Gregorian dates November 6–7.

The October Revolution saw Vladimir Lenin ’s Bolsheviks seize power at the expense of more moderate social democrats ( Mensheviks ) and conservative “Whites.” Russia’s former allies, who were still fighting in World War I , soon identified the Bolsheviks as a threat equal to that of Germany , and they dispatched troops to Russia . The Allies could not agree on their aims in Russia, however, and Lenin took advantage of their war-weariness. After two years of fighting, the Bolsheviks emerged victorious.

On March 15, 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. Nicholas, his family, and their loyal retainers were detained by the provisional government and were eventually moved to Yekaterinburg . On July 17, 1918, when White army forces approached the area, the tsar and his entire family were slaughtered to prevent their rescue.

Russian Revolution , two revolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style ), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power.

(Read Leon Trotsky’s 1926 Britannica essay on Lenin.)

russian revolution essay questions

Centuries of virtually unchecked Russian expansion in Asia ended with an embarrassing defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). This military reverse shattered Russia’s dreams of establishing hegemony over the whole of Asia, but it also contributed to a wave of domestic unrest. The Revolution of 1905 compelled Nicholas II to issue the October Manifesto , which ostensibly transformed Russia from an unlimited autocracy into a constitutional monarchy . The tsar’s reactionary policies, including the occasional dissolution of the Duma , or Russian parliament, the chief fruit of the 1905 revolution, had spread dissatisfaction even to moderate elements of the nobility. The Russian Empire ’s many ethnic minorities grew increasingly restive under Russian domination.

russian revolution essay questions

Despite some reforms that followed the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian army in 1914 was ill-equipped to fight a major war, and neither the political nor the military leadership was up to the standard required. Nevertheless the army fought bravely in World War I , and both soldiers and junior officers showed remarkable qualities. The Russian invasion of East Prussia in August 1914 was defeated by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff at Tannenberg , but it required the Germans to send reinforcements from the Western Front and so saved France from defeat and made possible the victory on the Marne . The campaigns of 1915 and 1916 on the Eastern Front brought terrible casualties to the Russian forces, which at times did not even have sufficient rifles. As late as July 1916, however, the Russian army was capable of making a successful offensive under Gen. Aleksey Brusilov in Volhynia and Bukovina .

russian revolution essay questions

The Russian people did not respond to the war with real enthusiasm. The government could not overcome its traditional distrust of any public initiative , even in the organization of medical supplies or munitions for the forces at the front. In the Fourth Duma a majority of the centre and moderate right formed a Progressive bloc and proposed the creation of a national coalition government “possessing the confidence of the country” and a program of reforms which could be carried out even in wartime. The emperor rejected the proposal and prorogued the Duma on September 3 (September 16, New Style), 1915. Eleven days earlier Nicholas had decided to assume personal command of the armies in the field. The result was that in Petrograd (as the capital had been renamed at the beginning of the war, in place of the German-sounding St. Petersburg ) the empress Alexandra was in fact in control. She herself was under the influence of the self-styled “holy man” Grigori Rasputin , whose hold over her was because of his ability to arrest the bleeding of the hemophiliac tsarevich, Alexis . Thus to the massive casualties at the front, the retreat of the armies, and the growing economic hardships was added the knowledge, widespread in the capital and among the upper classes, that the government was in the hands of incompetents. Rumours of treason in high places were widely believed, though the historical evidence does not suggest that they were true. On the night of December 16–17 (December 29–30, New Style), 1916, Rasputin was murdered by a group of conservative nobles, but by then the system was beyond salvation. There was no hand at the helm, and the ship was drifting onto the rocks.

Home — Essay Samples — History — Russian Revolution of 1905 — Interpreting the Russian Revolution: Perspectives and Debates

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Interpreting The Russian Revolution: Perspectives and Debates

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Published: Oct 11, 2018

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Works cited.

  • Carr, E.H. (1950). The Bolshevik Revolution, 1917-1923. W.W. Norton & Company.
  • Fitzpatrick, S. (1982). The Russian Revolution. Oxford University Press.
  • Hill, C. (1961). The Russian Revolution. Jonathan Cape.
  • Hosking, G. (2011). The First Socialist Society: A History of the Soviet Union from Within. Harvard University Press.
  • Lenin, V. I. (1917). State and Revolution. Marxist Internet Archive.
  • Pipes, R. (1997). Russia under the Bolshevik regime. Vintage Books.
  • Service, R. (2000). Lenin: A Biography. Harvard University Press.
  • Trotsky, L. (1930). The History of the Russian Revolution. Marxist Internet Archive.
  • V.I. Lenin Institute (1963). Lenin on the State. Lawrence and Wishart Publishers.
  • Woods, A. (2017). Russia’s Revolution: Essays 1989-2017. Wellred Books.

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russian revolution essay questions

Interesting Topics to Write About Russian Revolution

  • Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Fall of the Tsarist Regime
  • The Failure and Success of the Russian Revolution
  • The Events and Steps Towards the Russian Revolution
  • Marxist Tenets That Influenced the Russian Revolution
  • Ending the Russian Revolution: Reflections on Soviet History and Its Interpreters
  • The Russian Revolution and the New Soviet State 1917-1929
  • Has the Russian Revolution of 1991 Been a Success
  • Bolshevism and Its Effect on the Russian Revolution
  • Russian Revolution: the Lowest Point in the Country’s History
  • Compare and Contrast French and Russian Revolution
  • Domestic and Global Causes of the Russian Revolution
  • Russian Revolution and the Creation of the Communist Party
  • Lenin and His Coming of Power After the Russian Revolution
  • Development Economics and the Russian Revolution: the Soviet Industrialisation Debate
  • Czar Peter and His Impact on the Russian Revolution
  • How and Why Did the Russian Revolution of 1917
  • 1917 Russian Revolution and Its Success
  • Russian Revolution and the Influence of Vladimir Lenin
  • Does Marxism Adequately Explain the 1917 Russian Revolution
  • Bolsheviks!: the Russian Revolution and Stalin’s Rise to Power

Good Research Topics About Russian Revolution

  • Impact of the Russian Revolution on Russian Intellectuals
  • History of Jewish Population During the Russian Revolution of 1917
  • The Russian Revolution: How Did the Bolsheviks Gain Power
  • Modern Art and the Impact of the Russian Revolution
  • Russian Revolution and the Influence of Marxism
  • The Fundamental Causes of the Russian Revolution
  • Factors and Forces That Led to the Russian Revolution
  • Long and Short-Term Causes That Contributed to the 1917 Russian Revolution
  • The Causes of the Civil War Lie in Bolshevik Russian Revolution
  • Women’s Rights for Women in the Russian Revolution
  • The Russian Revolution, from Leninism to Stalinism
  • Political and Social Changes and Russian Revolution
  • The Russian Revolution: What Economic Lessons Does It Reveal?
  • Russian Revolution and Bolshevik Role of Leon Trotsky
  • The Different Social Causes of the Russian Revolution
  • Communism During the Russian Revolution of 1917
  • Understanding the Real Causes of the Russian Revolution
  • Causes and Effects Associated with the Russian Revolution
  • Analyse the Impact That the Russian Revolution Had on the Environment of the Country
  • The Impacts of the Russian Revolution of 1917

20 Ways to Teach Students Not to ...

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Browse Course Material

Course info.

  • Prof. Elizabeth A. Wood

Departments

  • Global Studies and Languages

As Taught In

  • Asian History
  • European History

Learning Resource Types

Imperial and revolutionary russia: culture and politics, 1700-1917, discussion questions.

Select lectures have accompanying discussion questions which can be seen in the table below.

SESS # TOPICS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

5

Peter the Great and the Petrine Reforms

What can you say about Peter’s reforms? Is there a pattern to his reforms that you can see? What do you think of the Table of Ranks in particular? Pushkin’s is considered one of the great pieces of Russian literature of all time. What does it tell you about views of both Peter and his imperial city Petersburg?

6

From Peter the Great to Catherine the Great

Why did royal succession become a thorny problem in the 18th century? What was the relationship between the tsar and nobility? One historian refers to the 18th century the “empire of the nobility.” Why might this have been the case? Why was the Constitutional Crisis of 1730 such a key event? Why do you think Peter III chose to “emancipate” the nobles in 1762? What effect do you think this might have had on the social structure of the country? What can we learn about the economy and culture of the nobility from Shcherbatov’s lament “on the corruption of morals”?

7

Catherine the Great as Woman and Ruler

Catherine II staged a coup against her husband Peter III in 1762 with the help of her guardsmen, especially the Orlov brothers. What can we learn about imperial power from this coup and how it was carried out? Catherine prided herself on having a number of “enlightened” ideas about how Russia should be run as shown in her “Instruction” to the Legislative Commission and her Charter to the Nobility. How did she instruct the Legislative Commission? What was her vision and what were her key ideas? What difference do you think it made (or failed to make) that she was a woman and a foreigner?

14

Alexander II and the Great Reforms

What were some of the dilemmas of reform in Russia? Why do you think the reforms took the form they did? What patterns can you see in the ways they were implemented? What can you tell about the language Alexander II uses in announcing the serfs’ emancipation? How have geopolitical questions played out in different ways at different times in Russian history?

15

Alexander III and the CounterReforms

How did peasant life change and not change following the Great Reforms? What seem to have been their chief complaints? What were the complaints of other estates? What does Saltykov-Shchedrin seem to think of generals and peasants? What did the revolutionaries want? Why do you think the radicals ultimately resorted to violence?

16

Late 19th Century Tensions

What were some of the consequences of the government’s failure to modernize the law? What can you say about conservative sentiment in late Tsarist Russia? Why do you think it was so pervasive? Did the revolutionaries do themselves a favor when they assassinated the tsar? Why did Constantine Pobedonostsev abhor democracy? How are his views relevant today?

17

Anti-Semitism and Pogroms

Why do you think anti-Semitism was so virulent? How does Urusov explain the pogroms? Who does he find most culpable? What do his comments tell us about the way the Empire was run? Make a list of the causes he saw as contributing to the pogrom.

18

Nicholas II, Industrialization, and Radicalization

What were Sergei Witte’s prescriptions for industrializing Russia? What were some of the pros and cons of his position? How well do you think Witte’s and Nicholas II’s ideals worked together?

Discussion questions for Von Laue, Theodore H. “First Crisis, 1900-1905.” Chapter 3 in . 2nd ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1971. ISBN: 9780397472000.

was the problem?

19

The 1905 Revolution

Why did the spark of revolution catch fire in 1905 when it had not in previous decades? How did the tsar and his ministers respond? How do you think Russia was changed after this revolution?

20

The Constitutional Monarchy and World War I

How well do you think the constitutional monarchy worked? What were some of its strengths and weaknesses? What were some of the causes and consequences of WWI for Russia? Why was Durnovo so afraid of the war? Why was he desperately concerned that it would lead to revolution for both Germany and Russia? What does the Council of Ministers meeting tell you about how the Russian government at this point in time? The same question can be asked about the army headquarters and the correspondence between Nicholas and Alexandra.

21

The February Revolution of 1917

How did the February 1917 revolution compare to the 1905 revolution? What were the principal issues? What do you think about Trotsky’s comment that the old regime “fell like rotten fruit”?

22

The October Revolution

The October Revolution brought about the definitive end of tsarist Russia. Why? Could autocratic Russia have continued in tsarist form?

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COMMENTS

  1. Russian Revolution essay questions

    1. According to some historians, in any revolution, the revolutionaries always resort to the same ideas and methods as the old regime. To what extent is this true of the Russian Revolution>. 2. Discuss three reasons why a democratic government failed to take root in Russia between 1905 and 1918. 3.

  2. 86 Russian Revolution Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    The Russian Revolution 1917: Causes and Outcomes. The Russian Revolution refers to one of the most significant historical events in the world history. This event covered two revolutions rooted in Russia: the February Revolution and the October Revolution of 1917. The French and Russian Revolutions of 1789 and 1917.

  3. PDF Essay Questions: Russia 1917-91: from Lenin to Yeltsin

    Essay Questions: Russia 1917-91: from Lenin to Yeltsin www.historychappy.com No te : T h e S e ct i o n A & B q u e st i o n s h a ve b e e n o rg a n i se d i n t o t h e f o u r ke y t h e me s o f t h e co u rse co n t e n t , 1 9 1 7 -1 9 8 5 .

  4. Russian Revolution Essay Topics

    The Russian Revolution was an important and powerful historical event with implications lasting at least throughout the 20th century. This lesson offers essays that will increase your students ...

  5. Russian Revolution: Causes, Timeline & Bolsheviks

    The Bloody Sunday massacre sparked the Russian Revolution of 1905, during which angry workers responded with a series of crippling strikes throughout the country. Farm laborers and soldiers joined ...

  6. Russian Revolution topics

    Enforcing Russian autocracy Russian society Tsar Nicholas II. Opposition to tsarism. Revolutionary traditions Marxism Bolsheviks and Mensheviks Other reformist political parties Vladimir Lenin Leon Trotsky Alexander Kerensky. Unrest, promise and betrayal. Russian industrialisation Russo-Japanese War 'Bloody Sunday' The 1905 Revolution The ...

  7. Russian Revolution Essay Questions #2

    Russian Revolution Essay Questions #2. Answer each of the following questions using complete sentences. 1. Why was Russia the birthplace of a communist revolution, rather than a more industrialized country? 2. How was the USSR (Soviet Union) industrialized? 3.

  8. Russian Revolution

    Russian Revolution, two revolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power, leading to the creation of the Soviet Union. Learn more about the Russian Revolution in this article.

  9. PDF Unit Y318 Russia and its Rulers 1855 1964 Sample Question Paper ...

    Passage B. When Alexander II became Tsar in 1855, the Russian state was in desperate need of fundamental reform. The programme of reforms introduced by him was radical in comparison with previous Russian experience, but it did not go far enough. The government's commitment to modernise Russia through a process of westernisation was moderated ...

  10. Interpreting the Russian Revolution: Perspectives and Debates: [Essay

    In Pipes' book The Concise History of the Russian Revolution, his overarching argument is that the October revolution was a "classic coup d'etat, the capture of governmental authority by a small band, carried out, in deference to the democratic professions of the age, with a show of mass participation but with hardly any mass involvement."

  11. The Russian Revolution Questions and Answers

    Explore insightful questions and answers on The Russian Revolution at eNotes. Enhance your understanding today! ... Ask a question Start an essay What were the key reasons for the 1917 peasant ...

  12. Interesting Russian Revolution Essay Topics

    0. Spread the love. Interesting Topics to Write About Russian Revolution. Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Fall of the Tsarist Regime. The Failure and Success of the Russian Revolution. The Events and Steps Towards the Russian Revolution. Marxist Tenets That Influenced the Russian Revolution.

  13. Discussion Questions

    What does the Council of Ministers meeting tell you about how the Russian government at this point in time? The same question can be asked about the army headquarters and the correspondence between Nicholas and Alexandra. 21. The February Revolution of 1917. How did the February 1917 revolution compare to the 1905 revolution?

  14. Russian Revolution Essay Question

    In this video, we're going to look at an exam question for the AQA A level History module 2N Revolution and Dictatorship, Russia 1917-1952. We're going to be...

  15. Russian Revolution

    10 ar 1: a r 1896 t r 1917 r r a 11 causes of revolution: timeline of key events area of study 1: causes of revolution 1896 to october 1917 timeline of key events december 1916

  16. The 1917 Russian Revolution History Essay

    The October revolution took part in November 1917 which is often referred to as the November revolution. With Russian's politics still in a state of constant flux, Lenin realized that it was the right time to capitalize on his party's popularity. He planned a coup d'état that would overthrow the increasingly ineffective provisional ...

  17. Animal Farm: The Russian Revolution

    Critical Essays The Russian Revolution. One of Orwell 's goals in writing Animal Farm was to portray the Russian (or Bolshevik) Revolution of 1917 as one that resulted in a government more oppressive, totalitarian, and deadly than the one it overthrew. Many of the characters and events of Orwell's novel parallel those of the Russian Revolution ...

  18. The Russian Revolution, c. 1910

    Order custom essay The Russian Revolution, c. 1910 - 1924, Sources Question with free plagiarism report. From source A we can learn that the situation in Russia before 1914 was very alarming. Strikes went up from 2000 in 1912 to 4000 in 1914. Some strikers demanded trade union rights and more and more people were becoming involved with fights ...