Revolutions in Russia – the Year before …

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2017 marks the hundredth anniversary of the revolutions in Russia. As much as interpretations may differ, there is agreement about the fact that these revolutions decisively shaped the 20th century. Even if the event as such in its details – not least against the background of the collapse of real existing socialism and most parties of a Bolshevik tendency – has lost some of its lustre, to this day, it still imparts the awareness that the world can be changed by those ‘down there.’ If it’s true that the Russian Revolution is ‘the mightiest event of the World War’ (Rosa Luxemburg on the October Revolution), one must say something about its immediate pre-history.

1916 was not a usual one for the war. The Entente planned a large-scale offensive intended to achieve a fundamental turnaround in the war. The Russian army was to play an important role in this. In fact, in the summer of 1916, it had managed to drive back the troops of the Central Powers on the Eastern Front. However, the losses on the part of the Russian troops was enormous - an estimated 800,000 soldiers. That made additional conscriptions necessary. Discontent grew within the country and the army, which certainly helped to contribute to the outbreak of revolution, only a few months later. With regard to domestic policy, the Tsarist regime proved to be quite simply incompetent, a fact also recognised with increasing concern by broad sections of the ruling class. In a letter from Prince Lvov to the Tsar dated 1916, he notes that, ‘the domestic state economy has been plunged into total chaos; this chaotic condition threatens the army; threatens to prevent victory; but for the government, the war doesn’t exist…the isolation of the state authority and the alienation between it and the people is dangerous; fatal’. (1915:19) More than one million workers engaged in strikes during this year and the share of political strikes increased considerably. The number of peasant riots increased from 177 in 1915 to 294; in 91 cases, military force was necessary to suppress them. (1915:19)

The situation was also tense internationally and on the ‘periphery’ of the Russian Empire - the whiff of revolt and revolution was ubiquitous: in faraway Mexico, the revolution persisting there since 1910 had still not drawn to a close; in Ireland and Central Asia, there were revolts under the banner of the anti-colonial and national liberation struggle. In Germany, on 1 May, the largest demonstration of workers since the outbreak of the war took place, as did later demonstrations for peace and against hunger. Not only the Tsarist state machinery but also the imperialist, repressive regime in its various national manifestations was being called into question. It was only a question of time as to when the contradictions behind these developments would discharge, as they already had in the unsuccessful revolution in Russia in 1905-1907. In any case, a ‘carry on’ was hardly possible anymore. To that extent, both the February and October revolutions were, as Rosa Luxemburg emphasised, the ‘product of international developments’. In every respect, it was also a ‘Russian’ revolution, not just in a narrow sense …