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 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 powers in Russia.

The February Revolution began with spontaneous demonstrations of the masses, but its success was also facilitated by an acute political crisis at the top and sharp dissatisfaction among liberal-bourgeois circles with the tsar’s one-man policies. Bread riots, anti-war rallies, demonstrations, strikes at the city’s industrial enterprises superimposed on discontent and unrest among the capital’s garrison of thousands, who joined the revolutionary masses who took to the streets. On February 27 (March 12), 1917, the general strike developed into an armed uprising; The troops who went over to the side of the rebels occupied the most important points of the city and government buildings. In the current situation, the tsarist government showed its 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 removed from the front to suppress the uprising were unable to break through to the city.

The immediate result February Revolution was the abdication of the throne of Nicholas II, the end of the reign of the Romanov dynasty and the formation of the Provisional Government chaired by Prince Georgy Lvov. This government was closely associated with the bourgeois public organizations that arose during the war (All-Russian Zemstvo Union, City Union, Central Military-Industrial Committee). The Provisional Government united in itself the legislative and executive powers, replacing the Tsar, the State Council, the Duma and the Council of Ministers and subordinating higher institutions(Senate and Synod). In its Declaration, the Provisional Government announced amnesty for political prisoners, civil liberties, replacement of the police with a “people's militia”, and reform of local self-government.

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

March 1 (14), 1917 new government was installed in Moscow, and throughout March - throughout the country.

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

Main events of 1917 in Russia

Date (old style)	Event
February 23	The beginning of revolutionary demonstrations in Petrograd.
February 26	Dissolution of the State Duma
February 27	Armed uprising in Petrograd. Creation of the Petrograd Soviet.
March 1	Formation of the Provisional Government. Establishment of dual power. Order No. 1 for the Petrograd garrison
March 2
April 16	Arrival of the Bolsheviks and Lenin in Petrograd
April 18
June 18 - July 15
June 18	June crisis of the Provisional Government.
July 2	July crisis of the Provisional Government
July 3-4
July 22 - 23	Successful offensive of Romanian-Russian troops on the Romanian front
July 22-23

1917 was a year of upheaval and revolution 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 in the center of our attention today.

Reasons

Many historians argue that the events that occurred in October 1917 were inevitable and at the same time unexpected. Why? Inevitable, because by this 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 delight 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 were “hanging in the air”: the longer the Provisional Government postponed 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 of the throne. 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 only lead to one thing - anarchy, which is what 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 land reform and the reduction of the working day to 8 hours; autocracy was not abolished;
• Russian participation in the First World War: any war is an extremely costly undertaking. It literally “sucks” all the juice out of the country: people, production, money - everything goes to support it. 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 had already been undermined, and widespread 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 was manifested 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, peasants were engaged in unauthorized redistribution of land, burning 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 influence of the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies : During the February Revolution, the Bolshevik party was not one of the most popular. But over time, this organization becomes the main political player. Their populist slogans about an immediate end to the war and reforms found great support among embittered workers, peasants, soldiers and police. Not the least was the role of Lenin as the creator 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 1917 revolution in Russia, it is necessary to answer the question about the suddenness of the uprising itself. The fact is that the actual dual power in the country - the Provisional Government and the Bolsheviks - should have ended with some kind of explosion and subsequent victory for one of the parties. Therefore, the Soviets began preparing for the seizure of power back in August, and at that time the government 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.

Back on 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 subordination to the Petrograd Soviet, as the only representative of legitimate power in the country. Starting from October 24, key points in Petrograd - bridges, train 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 from now on the Petrograd Council 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 cruiser Aurora signaled the start 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 occurred and vice versa. Everything that happens happens as a result of not one reason, but many, which at one moment intersected at one point and showed the world an event with all its positive and negative aspects: civil war, a huge number of dead, millions who left the country forever, terror, the construction of an industrial power , eradication of illiteracy, free education, medical care, building the world's first socialist state and much more. 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 history of Russia, but of the whole world.

• January
• February
• April
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

January Strikes in Petrograd, rescue of Riga and suffragettes at the White House

Revolution On January 22 (January 9, old style), on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the largest strike during the war began in Petrograd, more than 145 thousand workers of the Vyborg, Narva and Moscow regions took part in it. The demonstrations were dispersed by the Cossacks. Strikes also took place in Moscow, Kazan, Kharkov and others major cities Russian Empire; in total, more than 200 thousand people went on strike in January 1917.

War On January 5 (December 23, 1916, old style), the Russian army launched an offensive on the Northern Front in the Mitava region (modern Jelgava in Latvia). An unexpected blow made it possible to break through the line of fortifications of the German army and move the front away from Riga. The initial success of the Mitau operation could not be consolidated: the soldiers of the 2nd and 6th Siberian Corps rebelled and refused to take part in the hostilities. In addition, the command of the Northern Front refused to provide reinforcements. The operation was terminated on January 11 (December 29).

Picket at the gates of the White House. Washington, January 26, 1917 Library of Congress

On January 10, a picket of the suffrage movement known as the “Silent Watchmen” begins at the White House in Washington. Over the next two and a half years, women picketed the residence of the American president six days a week, demanding equal voting rights with men. During this time, they were repeatedly beaten, detained for “obstructing traffic,” and tortured during arrests. The picketing ended on June 4, 1919, when both houses of Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.”

February Submarine warfare, Duma opposition and the Mexican constitution

Revolution On February 27 (14), the first meeting of the State Duma in 1917 opened. It was supposed to take place in January, but at the beginning of the year, by decree of the emperor, it was postponed to a later date. A demonstration took place near the Tauride Palace; many deputies at the meeting demanded the resignation of the government. The leader of the Trudovik faction, Alexander Kerensky, called for fighting the authorities not only by legal means, but also with the help of “physical elimination.”

War

German submarine U-14. 1910s Library of Congress

On February 1, Germany began unrestricted submarine warfare. German submarines easily overcame obstacles and attacked both military convoys and civil ships. During the first week of February, 35 steamships were sunk in the English Channel and on its western approaches. For the entire month, the German fleet lost only 4 submarines out of 34, and British troops were cut off from supplies due to constant attacks on merchant ships in the strait and in the Atlantic.

World On February 5, Mexico published the text of the Constitution adopted in January by the Constituent Assembly. The new fundamental law transferred all lands to the state, reduced the powers of the church to a minimum, separated the branches of government and established an eight-hour working day. Thus, the revolutionaries achieved the fulfillment of all their demands. However, the armed struggle between the government and the rebel leaders continued even after this. The revolution began in 1910 with the struggle against the dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz. Then peasants joined the movement, and land reform became the main goal.

March Abdication in Pskov, capture of Baghdad and the first jazz record

Revolution On March 8 (February 23), International Women's Day, another strike began, which developed into a general strike. Workers from the Vyborg side broke through to Nevsky Prospekt, the strike turned into a political action. On March 11 (February 26), demonstrators died as a result of clashes, guards regiments They began to go over to the side of the rebels, but it was not possible to extinguish the unrest. On March 15 (2) in Pskov, Nicholas II signed an act of abdication, and a Provisional Government was formed in Petrograd, headed by the leader of the Zemstvo Union, Prince Georgy Lvov.

War

British troops enter Baghdad. March 11, 1917 Wikimedia Commons

On March 11, British troops took Baghdad, forcing the Ottoman army to retreat. Great Britain took revenge for its defeat at Kut in early 1916, when the defenders of the fortress were forced to capitulate after a lengthy siege. In January 1917, British troops first recaptured Kut and then advanced north, surprising the Ottoman army and entering Baghdad. This allowed the British to gain a foothold in Mesopotamia, and Ottoman Empire lost control over yet another territory.

"Livery Stable Blues" performed by the Original Dixieland Jass Band. 1917

On March 7, the first commercial jazz recording goes on sale - the single “Livery Stable Blues” by the white orchestra Original Dixieland Jass Band. The release of this record is associated with an explosion in the popularity of jazz. 1917 also saw the birth of future jazz musicians Ella Fitzgerald (April 25), Thelonious Monk (October 10), and Dizzy Gillespie (October 21).

April Lenin's Theses, Wilson's War and Gandhi's Nonviolent Protest

Revolution

A sketch of the April Theses. Manuscript of Vladimir Lenin. 1917 RIA Novosti

On April 9 (March 27), the Provisional Government sent a note to France and Great Britain, in which it assured the allies that Russia would not leave the war and would not conclude a separate peace. In response, the Petrograd Soviet, consisting of Bolsheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries, led soldiers and workers to an anti-war demonstration. The April crisis led to a split between the Provisional Government and the Soviets. At the same time, Lenin published his “April Theses” - a program of action for the Bolsheviks: ending the war; refusal to support the Provisional Government; a new, proletarian revolution.

War On April 6, the United States entered the First world war. Until this point, the United States had maintained neutrality, but American ships were increasingly becoming victims of the submarine war that Germany had been waging since February. The reason for the war was also a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann, in which he asked German Ambassador in the United States to achieve an alliance with Mexico. The British intercepted the telegram, deciphered it and presented it to US President Woodrow Wilson, who made it public. Shortly thereafter, with more American ships sunk in the Atlantic, Congress declared war on Germany.

World On April 10, 47-year-old lawyer and social activist Mohandas Gandhi launched India's first civil disobedience campaign. Gandhi called this form of protest satyagraha (from Sanskrit “satya” means “truth” and “agraha” means “firmness”). In the Champaran district, he began to fight the colonial authorities who forced peasants to grow indigo and other commercial crops instead of cereals that could be eaten. The main goal was the independence of India from British Empire. The first stage of peaceful resistance ended with Gandhi's arrest. Thousands of people demanded his release, calling him Mahatma - Great Soul, and the police had to release Gandhi a few days later.

May Coalition Government, Commander-in-Chief Pétain and the Birth of Surrealism

Revolution The April crisis, primarily the statement by Foreign Minister Miliukov about “war to a victorious end,” led to a change of government. The new coalition included six socialists: the Socialist Revolutionary Kerensky became the Minister of War and Navy, the leader of the Socialist Revolutionary Party Viktor Chernov became the Minister of Agriculture, the Mensheviks Irakli Tsereteli and Matvei Skobelev, the Trudovik Pavel Pereverzev and the People's Socialist Alexei Peshekhonov also joined the coalition.

War On May 15, General Henri Philippe Pétain became commander-in-chief of the French army. After the Battle of Verdun, which lasted almost the entire 1916, Pétain became one of the most revered generals by soldiers. In the spring of 1917, Commander-in-Chief Robert Nivelle sent troops to break through the German front; the losses of the French army reached 100 thousand people killed and wounded. A crisis began in the army - the soldiers rebelled. Pétain calmed the troops, promised to abandon suicidal attacks, and shot the instigators of the rebellion. Later, in 1940, he would head the government of the Vichy regime, which collaborated with the Nazis.

Leonid Myasin as a Chinese magician. Costume based on Picasso's sketch for the ballet "Parade". Photo by Harry Lachman. Paris, 1917

Horse. Costume based on Picasso's sketch for the ballet "Parade". Photo by Harry Lachman. Paris, 1917© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

American manager. Costume based on Picasso's sketch for the ballet "Parade". Photo by Harry Lachman. Paris, 1917 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Acrobat. Costume based on Picasso's sketch for the ballet "Parade". Photo by Harry Lachman. Paris, 1917© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

American baby. Costume based on Picasso's sketch for the ballet "Parade". Photo by Harry Lachman. Paris, 1917© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

French manager. Costume based on Picasso's sketch for the ballet "Parade". Photo by Harry Lachman. Paris, 1917© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

On May 18, the term “surrealism” appeared. The poet Guillaume Apollinaire applied this definition to the ballet “Parade”. The performance, with music by Erik Satie, script by Jean Cocteau, costumes by Pablo Picasso and choreography by Leonid Massine, which was based on a parade of farce circus performers, caused a real scandal. The audience whistled, critics after the premiere called the production a stain on the reputation of Sergei Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet and a blow to French society. Apollinaire passionately defended ballet in his manifesto "Pa-rad and the New Spirit," explaining that this unity of scenery, costumes and choreography "led to a kind of sur-réalisme" in which the New Spirit could take off.

June All-Russian Central Executive Committee, abdication of Constantine I and the Espionage Act

Revolution On June 16 (3) the Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies opened in Petrograd. The majority there were Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks. Lenin’s “April Theses” on ending the war and transferring power to the Soviets were rejected. As a result of the congress, the deputies elected their leadership - the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK), the head of which was the Menshevik Nikolai Chkheidze.

War On June 11, King Constantine I of Greece abdicated the throne under pressure from the Entente. Since the beginning of the war, the monarch maintained neutrality, despite government opposition. Constantine I was married to the sister of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, which gave rise to reproaches for the pro-German position of the king. The head of government, Eleftherios Venizelos, approved the British landing in Thessaloniki, was dismissed, but then formed the opposition Provisional Government of National Defense. Dual power arose in the country, and as a result, Constantine I abdicated the throne and went to Switzerland, passing the throne to his son Alexander, who had no real power as king.

Winsor Mackay. Cartoon of the Espionage Act from the New York American. May 1917 Library of Congress

On June 15, the US passed the “Espionage Act” - federal law, which was intended to strengthen the national security of a country just entering the First World War, but was immediately perceived as an attack on freedom of speech. In particular, it prohibits the dissemination of information that could harm the US military or contribute to the success of its enemies. The Espionage Act is still used today - in particular, its violation is charged with Edward Snowden, who made public data about how American intelligence agencies spy on people around the world.

July Government crisis, failed offensive and execution of Mata Hari

Revolution On July 17-18 (4-5) in Petrograd, demonstrations of anarchists and Bolsheviks lead to clashes with government troops. The armed uprising failed, the Bolshevik leaders Lenin and Zinoviev had to flee the capital. At the same time, a crisis is occurring in the Provisional Government: the Cadets first leave it in protest against the provision of broad powers to the Ukrainian Central Rada, and then the chairman of the government, Prince Georgy Lvov, also resigns.

War At the end of June, the Russian army began preparations for a large-scale strategic offensive. On July 1 (June 18), the offensive began on the Southwestern Front in the direction of Lvov. In the first two days, the troops advanced significantly, which allowed the military and to the Minister of the Navy Kerensky declare the “great triumph of the revolution.” On July 6 (June 23), the 8th Army of General Lavr Kornilov attacked the positions of the Austro-Hungarian troops. But a week later the impulse dried up: ferment began in the army, military committees decided to abandon hostilities. Meanwhile, the Austro-German command transferred additional forces to this section of the front. The counter-offensive turned into Russian army a catastrophe: entire divisions fled from the front.

Mata Hari in stage costume. Postcard. 1906Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand

Mata Hari on the day of her arrest. 1917 Wikimedia Commons

On July 24, the trial of the Dutch dancer Margaret Gertrude Zelle, better known by her stage name Mata Hari, began in France. She was accused of spying for Germany and transmitting information to the Germans that caused the death of several divisions of soldiers. The very next day the court sentenced Mata Hari to death. She was shot on October 15, 1917, she was 41 years old.

August Mustard, the Bolshevik Congress and the miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary

Revolution On August 6 (July 24), the second coalition government was formed, already headed by. After the July Days, the provisional government returned the death penalty and announced its intentions to liquidate the Soviets. In Moscow, on the initiative of the government, a State Conference was convened with the participation of all political forces, except the Bolsheviks, which demanded the gradual liquidation of military committees, a ban on rallies and meetings, and the return of the death penalty. The Bolsheviks, in turn, held a party congress in Petrograd, at which they declared the need for an armed uprising.

War In August, the most difficult stage of the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium (the Third Battle of Ypres), which had been going on since July 11, began. British troops decided to break through the German front, the main target being the German submarine base. On the third day of the battle german army used a new poisonous gas - mustard gas: it affected the skin and eyes, the losses from it were greater than from any other chemical weapon during the war. In August, due to rains, the area turned into an impassable swamp, in which the armies fought. The tanks got stuck in the mud. The British were unable to overcome the German fortifications, and only in October were they able to advance.

Lucia Santos, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto. Fatima, Portugal, 1917 Wikimedia Commons

From May to October 1917, every 13th, three children from the Portuguese city of Fatima - Lucia Santos and her cousins ​​Francisco and Jacinta Marta - were said to have seen the Virgin Mary. The exception was on August 13, when the children were arrested by a local official and journalist, Arthur Santos, a well-known anti-clerical and anti-monarchist in the area. He tried to get them to admit that they had not actually seen any miracles, but in vain. Having been released from arrest, the children witnessed the next apparition of the Virgin Mary on August 19. The field where this happened became a place of mass pilgrimage back in 1917.

September Kornilov mutiny, surrender of Riga and bacterial viruses

Revolution On September 8 (August 26), the Supreme Commander-in-Chief presented an ultimatum to the Provisional Government. He demanded that full power be transferred to him before the convening of the Constituent Assembly. In response, Kornilov was called a rebel. The troops loyal to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief moved towards Petrograd, but under the influence of agitators they stopped at the approaches to the capital. After the failure of the rebellion, the government collapsed: it was abandoned by the Cadets who supported Kornilov’s speech. IN transition period The highest authority was formed - the Directory, headed by Kerensky.

War

German infantry in Riga. September 1917© IWM (Q 86949)

Kaiser Wilhelm II and Leopold of Bavaria on the banks of the Western Dvina (Daugava). Riga, September 1917© IWM (Q 70272)

Russian prisoners of war. Riga, September 1917© IWM (Q 86680)

September 1 German troops began shelling the positions of the Russian army near Riga. This was followed by a massive offensive aimed at encircling the 12th Army. In two days Russian troops They lost 25 thousand people killed and left Riga on September 3. However, the 12th Army emerged from encirclement. The city was one of the main targets of the German army on the Eastern Front. After the capture of Riga, fears arose that the Germans would be able to occupy Petrograd. Panic arose in the Russian capital and preparations for evacuation began.

World On September 3, French-Canadian microbiologist Felix d'Herelle, working at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, published an article describing bacteriophages - viruses that infect bacteria. This is one of the most ancient and numerous groups of viruses, which is now used in medicine as an alternative to antibiotics, and in biology as a tool for genetic engineering. Initially, bacteriophages were described in 1915 by the Englishman Frederic Twort (calling them bacteriolytic agents), but his research went unnoticed, and d’Herelle made his discovery on his own.

October Attack on Petrograd, capture of the Moonsund Islands and Cleopatra's navel

Revolution On October 8 (September 25), the composition of the third coalition government was announced, of which Kerensky remained chairman. At this time, in Petrograd, the Bolsheviks began preparing an armed uprising. They received a majority in the Petrograd Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, and on October 29 (16) the proposal of the head of the Petrograd Soviet, Leon Trotsky, was approved to create a Military Revolutionary Committee, formally - to protect against the Kornilovites and the German troops approaching the capital. After this, the Petrograd garrison came under the control of the Petrograd Soviet.

War On October 12, German troops began an operation to capture the Russian-owned Moonsund Islands in the Baltic Sea. The operation was a combi-ni-ro-bath: it involved both ground forces, and fleet, and aviation (airplanes and airships). The German Navy unexpectedly encountered fierce resistance from the Russian fleet. Only by October 17 did the German dreadnoughts manage to reach the archipelago and gain control over it.

Theda Bara in the film Cleopatra (1917)

On October 14, “Cleopatra” is released, the most expensive film of its time, the budget of which was 500 thousand dollars (almost 10 million dollars in today’s money). The title role stars Theda Bara, one of the main sex symbols of the 1910s. The film was subject to significant censorship - for example, during screenings in Chicago, the scene in which Cleopatra stands in front of Caesar with an “uncovered navel” and “ambiguously leans” towards the Roman ruler was cut from the first part. The last two complete copies of the film were burned in a fire at Fox studios in 1937, in present moment it is considered lost; only minor fragments have survived.

November Bolshevik coup, battle from “A Farewell to Arms!” and Jews in Palestine

Revolution On November 7 (October 25), Petrograd was almost completely in the hands of the Military Revolutionary Committee, which issued an appeal “To the citizens of Russia!”, announcing that power had transferred to the Petrograd Soviet. On the night of November 7–8 (October 25–26), the Bolsheviks and their political allies took the Winter Palace and arrested the ministers of the Provisional Government. The next day, the Second Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies formed government bodies and adopted decrees on peace and land.

War

Retreat of the Italian army during the Battle of Caporetto. November 1917 Italian Army Photographers / Wikimedia Commons

On November 9, the active phase of the Battle of Caporetto in northeastern Italy ended. It began on October 24, when the 14th Army under the command of General Otto von Below, consisting of German and Austro-Hungarian divisions, broke through the Italian front. The Italian army, demoralized by the chemical attack, began to retreat. The Entente allies transferred additional forces to this area, but German-Austrian troops continued to advance forward. By November 9, the Italian army was forced to retreat across the Piave River. Ernest Hemingway described this retreat in his novel A Farewell to Arms! The defeat at Caporetto led to the resignation of the Italian government and commander-in-chief Luigi Cadorna; the army of the kingdom lost more than 70 thousand people killed and wounded.

World On November 2, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour sent an official letter to Lord Walter Rothschild, a representative of the British Jewish community, for subsequent transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. The purpose of the letter was to enlist the support of not only British, but also American representatives of the diaspora, so that they would contribute to a more active US participation in the First World War. Minister Balfour stated that the Government was "considering with approval the question of establishing a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine." This document was called the Balfour Declaration and became the basis for the post-war settlement in Palestine and the receipt by Great Britain of a mandate over the territories, and in the future - for the creation of the State of Israel.

December Peace negotiations, Cheka and NHL

Revolution By mid-December, the new government, the Council of People's Commissars, and supreme body authorities, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Left Socialist Revolutionaries entered. On December 20 (7), the Council of People's Commissars created the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission to Combat Counter-Revolution and Sabotage (VChK). And on December 26 (13), Lenin’s “Theses on the Constituent Assembly” appeared in Pravda, which stated that the composition of the assembly (where the right Socialist Revolutionaries had the majority) did not correspond to the will of the people.

War

Meeting of the RSFSR delegation at the Brest-Litovsk station. Early 1918 Wikimedia Commons

On December 3 (November 20) negotiations begin in Brest-Litovsk between Germany and Soviet Russia about the truce. Having adopted, on the one hand, the Decree on Peace at the Second Congress of Soviets and hoping for an early revolution in the countries of Central Europe, on the other, the Bolsheviks initiated these negotiations, but tried their best to delay them. Three months later, on March 3, despite the desperate intra-party struggle of the Bolsheviks, peace was concluded, but even its main supporter, Vladimir Lenin, called it “obscene”: Russia agreed to pay colossal reparations and the loss of Western territories with a total area of ​​780 thousand square kilometers with a population more than 50 million people. The Entente called the Brest-Litovsk Treaty a “political crime.” However, Russia, in fact, did not have to fulfill its conditions: in November 1918, Germany was defeated in the First World War. Some of the seized territories became part of the USSR as a result of Civil War, part was occupied Soviet Union at the beginning of World War II.

World On December 19, the first match in the history of the National Hockey League took place, which arose as a result of disagreements within the National Hockey Association, which had existed since 1909. The NHL's opening match featured Toronto Arenas and the Montreal Wanderers. Two more Canadian teams took part in the first championship - the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, which, unlike the first two clubs, still exist. Toronto became the champion of the first season. The NHL was predicted to collapse quickly: in the third year of the war, many hockey players went to the front. However, the league turned out to be a successful project and soon attracted clubs not only from Canada, but also from the United States. 

The October Revolution of 1917 is an important historical event. During the revolution, there was an armed uprising against the Provisional Government and the Bolshevik Party coming to power.

October Revolution of 1917:

• Laid the beginning of Soviet power;
• Began the liquidation of capitalism;
• It became the start of the transition to socialism.

Now it is difficult to judge whether the country could have taken a different path, or whether the revolution was inevitable, but the event itself turned the course of national history.

Causes of the October Revolution

Historians have different assessments of the causes of the October Revolution of 1917. People were dissatisfied with the large gap in the living standards of the government and the people, they wanted to eliminate social injustice, equalize people's rights and responsibilities, and eradicate world wars. Objective reasons for the dissatisfaction of a certain segment of the population include:

• Economic instability and crisis that resulted from participation in the First World War;
• Human losses, which also affected the psychological state of the population;
• The complexities of the peasant question;
• Difficult living conditions and low level education among people.

A charismatic leader (V.I. Lenin) and a clear organization of the Bolshevik Party played a significant role.

Goals of the October Revolution

Goals October Revolution were put forward as noble and fair. Unfortunately, the results of the revolution indicate that people took the wrong path and in many ways became victims of manipulation.

• Stop wars;
• Achieve economic and social equality;
• To bring to life the slogans “land to peasants”, “factories to workers”.

Of course this is not full list, but the ideologists of the revolution promised people a new standard of living, the opportunity to get an education and eliminate the economic gap.

Events of the October Revolution

The events of the October Revolution of 1917 developed rapidly:

• On October 24 (November 6), 1917, a planned armed uprising against the Provisional Government began.
• On the afternoon of October 24 (November 6), the cadets tried to open bridges across the Neva, this would help cut off other areas from the center. But the Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) sent Red Guard detachments and soldiers to the bridges to guard the bridges. Soldiers blocked the cadet schools.
• On the evening of October 24, Lenin personally arrived in Smolny and led an armed uprising.
• On the night of October 24–25, Red Guards of the Vyborg region, soldiers of the Kexholm regiment and revolutionary sailors occupied the Main Post Office.
• The sapper battalion, meanwhile, captured the Nikolaevsky station.
• A Red Guard detachment occupied the Central Power Plant.
• On October 25 (November 7) at about 6 o'clock in the morning, sailors of the Guards naval crew took possession of the State Bank.
• Early in the morning, soldiers of the Kexholm Regiment occupied the Central Telephone Station. At 8, the Red Guards of the Moscow and Narva regions captured the Warsaw station.
• After an emergency meeting of the Petrograd Council, a statement appeared that the Provisional Government had been overthrown and state power passed into the hands of the organ of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.
• On the afternoon of October 25 (November 7), revolutionary forces occupied the Mariinsky Palace, where the Pre-Parliament was located, and dissolved it; sailors occupied the Military Port and the Main Admiralty, where the Naval Headquarters was arrested.
• By evening, revolutionary detachments began to move towards the Winter Palace.
• On October 25 (November 7) at 21:45, after a shot from the cruiser Aurora, the assault on the Winter Palace began.
• On the night of October 26 (November 8), revolutionary forces occupied the Winter Palace and arrested the Provisional Government.
• On October 25 (November 7), following the victory of the uprising in Petrograd, the struggle began in Moscow, where armed resistance became more brutal and “bloody.”
• On the evening of October 25 (November 7), 1917, the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies opened. The congress heard and adopted the appeal written by Lenin “To Workers, Soldiers and Peasants,” which announced the transfer of power to the Second Congress of Soviets, and locally to the Councils of Workers, Soldiers and Peasants’ Deputies.
• On October 26 (November 8), 1917, the Decree on Peace and the Decree on Land were adopted. The Congress formed the first Soviet government - Council people's commissars composed of: Chairman Lenin; people's commissars: by foreign affairs Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin and others for national affairs. Lev Kamenev was elected Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and after his resignation Yakov Sverdlov.
• The Bolsheviks established control over the main industrial centers of Russia. The leaders of the Cadet Party were arrested, and the opposition press was banned. In January 1918, the Constituent Assembly was dispersed, by March of the same year Soviet power was installed over a large territory of Russia. All banks and enterprises were nationalized, and a separate truce was concluded with Germany. In July 1918, the first Soviet Constitution was adopted.

Results of the October Revolution

The results of the October Revolution showed that the goals were not achieved, and the armed uprising only led to new tragedies.

• In the semi-basement of Ipatiev's house in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918, in pursuance of the resolution of the executive committee of the Ural Regional Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies, headed by the Bolsheviks, the Royal Family was shot, and with it the new martyrs, members of the Royal House.

• The time of fighting against God was established, since the leaders of the revolution chose the line of militant atheism as their instrument. Clergymen, members of their families and ordinary believers were arrested and shot.
• In Russia, the ruling elite changed, and the ideology of Orthodoxy was replaced by communist ideology, which fought Orthodoxy with bloody methods.

Event that happened October 25, 1917 in the capital of the then Russian Empire, Petrograd, was simply an uprising of the armed people, which shook up almost the entire civilized world.

A hundred years have passed, but the results and achievements, the impact on world history October events remain the subject of discussions and disputes among numerous historians, philosophers, political scientists, and specialists in various fields of law, both in our time and in the bygone twentieth century.

Briefly about the date October 25, 1917

Officially in the Soviet Union, this controversially assessed event was called today - the day of the October Revolution of 1917, it was a holiday for the entire huge country and the peoples inhabiting it. It brought a fundamental change in the socio-political situation, transformation of political and social views on the position of peoples and each individual individually.

Today, many young people do not even know what year the revolution took place in Russia, but it is necessary to know about it. The situation was quite predictable and had been brewing for several years, then significant main events of the October Revolution of 1917 took place, table briefly:

What is the October Revolution in the historical concept? The main armed uprising, led by V. I. Ulyanov - Lenin, L. D. Trotsky, Ya. M. Sverdlov and other leaders of the Russian communist movement.

The Revolution of 1917 was an armed uprising.

Attention! The uprising was carried out by the Military Revolutionary Committee of the Petrograd Soviet, where, oddly enough, the majority was represented by the Left Socialist Revolutionary faction.

The successful implementation of the coup was ensured by the following factors:

1. Significant level of popular support.
2. The provisional government was inactive and did not solve the problems of Russia's participation in the First World War.
3. The most significant political aspect compared to previously proposed extremist movements.

The Menshevik and Right Socialist Revolutionary factions were unable to organize more or less real option alternative movement in relation to the Bolsheviks.

A little about the reasons for the October events of 1917

Today, no one refutes the idea that this fateful event practically turned not only the whole world upside down, but also radically changed the course of history for many decades to come. Far from being feudal, the bourgeois country striving for progress was practically turned upside down during certain events on the fronts of the First World War.

The historical significance of the October Revolution, which occurred in 1917, is largely determined by the cessation. However, as modern historians see it, there were several reasons:

1. The influence of the peasant revolution as a socio-political phenomenon as an aggravation of the confrontation between the peasant masses and the remaining landowners at that time. The reason is the “black redistribution” known in history, that is, distribution of land to the number of people in need. Also in this aspect there was a negative impact of the procedure for redistribution of land plots on the number of dependents.
2. The working sections of society experienced significant pressure from city authorities on residents of rural areas, state power has become the main lever of pressure on the productive forces.
3. The deepest decomposition of the army and other security forces, where the majority of peasants went to serve, who could not comprehend certain nuances of the protracted military actions.
4. Revolutionary fermentation of all layers of the working class. The proletariat at that time was a politically active minority, constituting no more than 3.5% of the active population. The working class was largely concentrated in industrial cities.
5. The national movements of the popular formations of imperial Russia developed and reached their culmination. Then they sought to achieve autonomy; a promising option for them was not just autonomy, but a promising autonomy and independence from the central authorities.

To the greatest extent national movement became a provoking factor revolutionary movement on a vast territory Russian Empire, which literally fell apart into its component parts.

Attention! The combination of all causes and conditions, as well as the interests of all segments of the population, determined the goals of the October Revolution of 1917, which became driving force future uprising as a turning point in history.

Popular unrest before the start of the October Revolution of 1917.

Ambiguous about the events of October 17

The first stage, which became the basis and beginning of worldwide change historical events, which became a turning point not only domestically, but also on a global scale. For example, the assessment of the October Revolution, interesting facts which consist in simultaneous positive and negative impact on the socio-political world situation.

As usual, every significant event has reasons of an objective and subjective nature. The vast majority of the population had a hard time experiencing wartime conditions, hunger and deprivation, the conclusion of peace became necessary. What conditions prevailed in the second half of 1917:

1. Formed between February 27 and March 3, 1917, the Provisional Government headed by Kerensky did not have sufficient tools to solve all problems and questions without exception. The transfer of ownership of land and enterprises to workers and peasants, as well as the elimination of hunger and the conclusion of peace became an urgent problem, the solution of which was inaccessible to the so-called “temporary workers.”
2. Prevalence of socialist ideas among the general population, a noticeable increase in the popularity of Marxist theory, the implementation by the Soviets of the slogans of universal equality, the prospects of what the people expected.
3. The emergence of a strong force in the country opposition movement led by a charismatic leader, such as Ulyanov - Lenin. At the beginning of the last century, this party line became the most promising movement for achieving world communism as a concept for further development.
4. In this situation, they have become extremely in demand radical ideas and requiring a radical solution to the problem of society - the inability to lead the empire from a completely rotten tsarist administrative apparatus.

The slogan of the October Revolution - “peace to the peoples, land to the peasants, factories to the workers” was supported by the population, which made it possible to radically change political system in Russia.

Briefly about the course of events on October 25

Why did the October Revolution happen in November? The autumn of 1917 brought an even greater increase in social tension, political and socio-economic destruction was rapidly approaching its peak.

In the field of industry, financial sector, transport and communication systems, agriculture complete collapse was brewing.

Russian multinational empire collapsed into separate nation states, contradictions between representatives of different nations and intra-tribal disagreements grew.

The acceleration of the overthrow of the Provisional Government was significantly influenced by hyperinflation, rising food prices Against the backdrop of lower wages, increased unemployment, and the catastrophic situation on the battlefields, the war was artificially prolonged. Government of A. Kerensky did not present an anti-crisis plan, and the initial February promises were practically abandoned altogether.

These processes, in conditions of their rapid growth, only increased influence left political movements all over the country. These were the reasons for the unprecedented victory of the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution. The Bolshevik idea and its support by peasants, workers and soldiers led to parliamentary majority in the new state system- Soviets in the First Capital and Petrograd. The plans for the Bolsheviks to come to power included two directions:

1. Peaceful, diplomatically stipulated and legally confirmed the act of transferring power to the majority.
2. The extremist trend in the Soviets demanded armed strategic measures; in their opinion, the plan could only be realized power grip.

The government created in October 1917 was called the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. Shot legendary cruiser"Aurora" on the night of October 25 gave signal to start the assault Winter Palace, which led to the fall of the Provisional Government.

October Revolution

October Revolution

Consequences of the October Revolution

The consequences of the October Revolution are ambiguous. This is the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the adoption by the Second Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies of the Decrees on Peace, Land, and the Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of the Country. Was created Russian Soviet Republic , later the controversial Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed. Pro-Bolshevik governments began to come to power in various countries around the world.

The negative aspect of the event is also important - it began protracted, which brought even greater destruction, crisis, famine, millions of victims. The collapse and chaos in a huge country led to economic destruction of the world financial system, a crisis that lasted more than a decade and a half. Its consequences fell heavily on the shoulders of the poorest sections of the population. This situation has become the basis for a decline in demographic indicators, a lack of productive forces in the future, human casualties, and unplanned migration.