Tsar Nicholas II in Russia

703 Words2 Pages

Russia was a rural country that once had regime. The majority of Russia was profoundly poor and the few that were rich were extremely wealthy. Their last ruler had been Tsar Nicholas II who was not a natural leader; in fact most people could describe him as a reluctant and feeble monarch. Russia suffered numerous revolutions and defeats in wars under the regime. As a result their country was damaged, economically and socially. Russia was poverty stricken particularly in the countryside where the peasants lived. There were food shortages and a demand for land from the peasants. By 1900 industrialisation took its toll and many peasants moved from the country side to work in factories. Still there was unhappiness: workers demanded better working conditions and increased wages.
The Tsar knew their grievances but did not act. On January 9th 1905 the workers and servants marched to the palace where the Tsar and his family lived to protest. They were met with guns, mercilessness and pure brutality. The people of Russia were simply disillusioned from all the casualties and injuries. This event marked Bloody Sunday, the day the Tsar and his people became even more distant. Workers set up work councils that were mostly influenced by revolutionary ideas. When Germany declared war on Russia it only made conditions worse for the people. Industries that supplied the war thrived and those that didn’t failed, people wanted the war to end. There was a national sentiment that the Tsar was unfit to rule Russia. He made attempts, like going to Petrograd to encourage his soldiers, to make his people think otherwise but one could say it only made things worse. Revolutions continued and the Tsar’s favour continued to fall.
In March 1917 a spontaneous ...

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...se to power and implemented War Communism. Communism on its own is a salacious subject. It is the manner in which he won victory in comparison to Tsar Nicholas II who was repeatedly defeated and yet with both rulers the people of Russia still suffered, this is what drew my attention. However Lenin is humble enough to realise the problem and corrects it with the New Economic Policy, this shows good leadership indeed. I chose this topic to explore the thoughts that possibly went through Lenin’s mind, why there was a need to adjust from War Communism to the New Economic Policy and whether this change beneficial to Russia. I aim to show the conditions of Russia during both policies, and highlight what the people and the government wanted in comparison to what was needed. I shall also discuss why War Communism failed and why the New Economic Policy was more successful.

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