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Hundred years of the Russian Revolution: A historic event that had a lot more than just 'Lenin', 'Bolsheviks' and the 'Reds'

A century ago, on October 25, 1917, Lenin's Marxist Bolsheviks took control of Russia's imperial capital, launching the October Revolution that led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The revolution, however, has got a lot more to it than the much talked about words and ideology like Communism, people's movement, fall of autocracy, socialism and so on. Here are a few must-know facts about the historic event.
A century ago, on October 25, 1917, Vladmir Lenin's Marxist Bolsheviks took control of Russia's imperial capital, launching the October Revolution that led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The revolution, however, has got a lot more to it than the muc
A century ago, on October 25, 1917, Vladmir Lenin's Marxist Bolsheviks took control of Russia's imperial capital, launching the October Revolution that led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The revolution, however, has got a lot more to it than the muc
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Women draw the first blood: Distressed and tired after standing in long queues for several hours to get bread, citizens of Petrograd started protests. Over 90,000 citizens, mostly women, seized bread and mobilised more workers to conduct a demonstration demanding the abdication of Czar Nicholas II - the Russian autocrat. The women, thus, initiated the first act of rebellion in the historic event. (Photo | AFP)
Women draw the first blood: Distressed and tired after standing in long queues for several hours to get bread, citizens of Petrograd started protests. Over 90,000 citizens, mostly women, seized bread and mobilised more workers to conduct a demonstration demanding the abdication of Czar Nicholas II - the Russian autocrat. The women, thus, initiated the first act of rebellion in the historic event. (Photo | AFP)
The military abandons autocracy to join the revolution: The commander of the military garrison near Petrograd, General Khabalov, ordered his troopers to shoot the agitators on the off chance that they declined to scatter. The disgusted soldiers instead revolted and arrested their officers. Soon, the city of Petrograd (now St Petersburg, and once the capital of Russia) was in a state of insurgency. (Photo | AFP)
The military abandons autocracy to join the revolution: The commander of the military garrison near Petrograd, General Khabalov, ordered his troopers to shoot the agitators on the off chance that they declined to scatter. The disgusted soldiers instead revolted and arrested their officers. Soon, the city of Petrograd (now St Petersburg, and once the capital of Russia) was in a state of insurgency. (Photo | AFP)
Disturbed, politically aware working class - what the socialist movement thrived on: Though illiterate and poor, the peasants and workers of Russia were politically active and daring. They were aware of where their lives were heading with the cities becoming increasingly populated every day as an impact of industrialisation. The wages of ordinary workers fell and Tsarist Russia made it very clear where its allegiance and interests stood - with the rich industrialists. All this created a conducive atmosphere for socialist revolutionaries. (Photo | AFP)
Disturbed, politically aware working class - what the socialist movement thrived on: Though illiterate and poor, the peasants and workers of Russia were politically active and daring. They were aware of where their lives were heading with the cities becoming increasingly populated every day as an impact of industrialisation. The wages of ordinary workers fell and Tsarist Russia made it very clear where its allegiance and interests stood - with the rich industrialists. All this created a conducive atmosphere for socialist revolutionaries. (Photo | AFP)
The 'Bloody Sunday' massacre: On Sunday, 22nd January 1905, thousands of unarmed demonstrators marched to Nicholas II's Winter Palace in St Petersburg to present a petition about their poor living standards and working conditions. The demonstrators were indiscriminately fired upon by the Imperial Guards, killing more than a thousand. This organised massacre in broad daylight, which is often called the 'Bloody Sunday,' infuriated the people, and one of then defining incidents that led to increasing revolt against the Tsar, and ultimately resulted in the October revolution 12 years later. (Photo | Twitter/Past or Prologue)
The 'Bloody Sunday' massacre: On Sunday, 22nd January 1905, thousands of unarmed demonstrators marched to Nicholas II's Winter Palace in St Petersburg to present a petition about their poor living standards and working conditions. The demonstrators were indiscriminately fired upon by the Imperial Guards, killing more than a thousand. This organised massacre in broad daylight, which is often called the 'Bloody Sunday,' infuriated the people, and one of then defining incidents that led to increasing revolt against the Tsar, and ultimately resulted in the October revolution 12 years later. (Photo | Twitter/Past or Prologue)
World War I - The final push: If there was any hesitation left among the people to act against the crown, the outbreak of the Great War took it away. World War I led to an acute aggravation of the economic and political crisis in Russia. Even the soldiers in the trenches were ill-rationed and a crop failure in the countryside worsened the situation. The government printed millions of ruble notes in an attempt to counter the crisis, and by 1917 inflation had increased by several times from what it was in 1914. This pushed the already volatile Russia towards the revolution. (Photo | AFP)
World War I - The final push: If there was any hesitation left among the people to act against the crown, the outbreak of the Great War took it away. World War I led to an acute aggravation of the economic and political crisis in Russia. Even the soldiers in the trenches were ill-rationed and a crop failure in the countryside worsened the situation. The government printed millions of ruble notes in an attempt to counter the crisis, and by 1917 inflation had increased by several times from what it was in 1914. This pushed the already volatile Russia towards the revolution. (Photo | AFP)
Workers of the world Unite!: Inspired by the success of the commoners in Soviet Russia under Bolsheviks and other revolutionaries, similar anti-imperial, and anti-colonial struggles broke out in different parts of the world. The Russian example inspired socialists and Marxists all around the globe to intensify their political activities in their respective countries. Numerous political movements and unrests followed including the German Revolution and the Hungarian Revolution. (Courtesy: www.jacobinmag.com)
Workers of the world Unite!: Inspired by the success of the commoners in Soviet Russia under Bolsheviks and other revolutionaries, similar anti-imperial, and anti-colonial struggles broke out in different parts of the world. The Russian example inspired socialists and Marxists all around the globe to intensify their political activities in their respective countries. Numerous political movements and unrests followed including the German Revolution and the Hungarian Revolution. (Courtesy: www.jacobinmag.com)
The Soviet Union motivates the global socialist bloc: The Soviet victory in the Second World War over fascist Germany and imperial Japan saw a rapid multiplication of Communist states. The country born out of the 1917 revolution remained the nucleus of all Leftist states. The revolutionary wave created during and after the 1917 Russian Revolution is simply referred to as the Revolutions of 1917–23. (Photo | AFP)
The Soviet Union motivates the global socialist bloc: The Soviet victory in the Second World War over fascist Germany and imperial Japan saw a rapid multiplication of Communist states. The country born out of the 1917 revolution remained the nucleus of all Leftist states. The revolutionary wave created during and after the 1917 Russian Revolution is simply referred to as the Revolutions of 1917–23. (Photo | AFP)
Soviet Union
Autocracy
Russian Revolution
October revolution
Vladimar Lenin
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