Socialism in Europe & the Russian Revolution |

Social Change and February Revolution

Gunjan Gupta
 Chapter Flow
Socialism in Europe & the
Russian Revolution |
October Revolution and
Aftermath

Socialism in Europe & the

Russian Revolution | Social
Change and February
Revolution

Socialism in Europe
& the Russian
Revolution | Social
Ideologies
Topics to be Covered
 Introduction

Industrialisation emerged in the 18th century in Russia and

that led to the major change in the society.

Emergence of
Capitalism
 What is Capitalism?

Capitalism is an economic system in which private actors

own and control property in accord with their interests

Rich people exploiting the

poor.
 How does this Exploitation takes place in Society?

Rich people making

money

Worker working for long hours

and less salary
 Demand of Marx

Marx believed that workers had to overthrow capitalism to

free themselves from capitalist exploitation.

Worker created a socialist society

(Society where properties are socially
controlled)
Learning Difficulty - Capitalism Vs Socialism
 Support for Socialism
By the 1870s, socialist ideas spread through Europe.To
coordinate their efforts, socialists formed an international
body – namely, the Second International.
 Socialism in Europe and Germany

Workers in England and Germany began forming

associations like Social Democratic Party (SPD) to fight for
better living and working conditions.
 Socialism in Britain and France

By 1905, socialists and trade unionists formed a Labour Party in

Britain and a Socialist Party in France. However, till 1914,
socialists never succeeded in forming a government in Europe.
THE RUSSIAN
REVOLUTION
 The Russian Revolution

The fall of monarchy in February 1917 and the events of

October are normally called the Russian Revolution.
The Russian Empire in 1914

Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia

 Extent of Russian Empire
Besides the territory around Moscow, the Russian empire
included current-day Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia,
parts of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus.
 Religious Belief In Russia
The majority religion was Russian Orthodox Christianity
but also included Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and
Buddhists.
ECONOMY &
SOCIETY
 Economy & Society
About 85% of Russians percentage were agriculturists and
were major exporter of grain as compared to 40% and
50% in France and Germany respectively.
 More Industries set up in Russia......
Many factories were set up in the 1890s......

Iron & Steel

industries
quadrupled

Coal industries doubled

 Industries in Russia - Private Ownership
Government supervised large factories to ensure minimum
wages and limited hours of work. But factory inspectors
break the rules......

31% of labour force

Long working hours
 Workers of Russia
Working population in Russia was different from other
countries in Europe before 1917.....

Peasants (small-scale farmers) wanted the land to be

distributed and even they refused to pay rent and even
murdered landlords
 Formation of Commune
Russian workers pooled their land together periodically and
their commune (mir) divided it according to the needs of
individual families.
 Socialism in Russia
Before 1914, all political parties were illegal still many
political parties were formed in Russia.......

Russian Socialist Socialist Revolutionary

Democratic (1898) Party (1900)
Bolshevik Vs Mensheviks
 A Turbulent Time: The 1905 Revolution
Russia was an autocracy. The Tsar was not subject to
parliament. Liberals in Russia campaigned to end this state
of affairs.But.....

Jaddists (demanded Social Democrats & Social

modernised Islam) Revolutionaries
 Bloody Sunday, 1905
The year 1904 was a particularly bad one for Russian
workers. Prices of essential goods rose so quickly that
real wages declined by 20 per cent.
Reduction of working
hours; increase in wages
& improvement in working
conditions
Formation of Duma

Father Gapon

Formation of Duma
 Practice Time

1. Differentiate
between the idea of
Menshevik and
Bolshevik.
2. Differentiate
between the
ideology of
Capitalism and
Socialism.
3. Explain the incidence
of Bloody Sunday.
Let’s Recapitulate
Home Work Reminder
Topic to be covered in the next Session

History | Socialism in Europe

& the Russian Revolution |
October Revolution and
Aftermath