What started the Russian Revolution?
1 Answer
There were two Russian Revolutions, one in 1905, and another in February 1917.
Explanation:
The first one (1905) was sparked off by the so-called Bloody Sunday, when the Tzar's troops fired upon a peaceful demonstration. Furthermore, a lot of people in Russia desired a transition towards a more democratic rule.
The second (in February 1917) was driven by the hardships the people was undergoing in the drawn-out war (WWI). One contributing factor was that the democratically elected Parliament, the State Duma, had been suspended by the Tsar's order, and this negated the positive effects of this democratic mechanism that had been established in the wake of the 1905 revolution.
Demonstrations protesting against things like the scarcity of food etc. and a country-wide strike coalesced to induce the Tsar to abdicate.
There was also the October Coup (1917) carried out by the Bolsheviks, a radical Communist party. This later was rebranded as "October Revolution" by the USSR. The reason behind it was simply a desire to seize control over the country and, if possible, in incite Communist takeovers in other countries.
