Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Russia is Ripe for Revolution (844-851)

What I've realized so far, is that no matter HOW you try and reform or rule your country, SOME ONE will always be unhappy and try and change the way you are ruling. For example (well, there are a LOT of examples in history, but let's just look at Russia right now), in the 19th century, Russia was doing a lot of industrialization which was creating a very tense, unbalanced, uneasy, and overall BAD situation- the "western industrialization challenged Russia's military might" and the "western political doctrines- liberalism, democracy, socialism- threatened its internal political stability" (844). Also, this rapid industrialization heightened social tensions since the transition from farm life to city life  was harsh for the workers; PLUS, social changes strained Russia's legal system because the system did not  "recognize trade unions or employers' associations" (844). Finally, the "outdated banking and financial laws failed to serve the needs of a modern economy"(844). So basically, Russia was in need of some change- but instead of going left, tsar Alexander II went RIGHT with a whole lot of censorship and restrictions. Now, I'm sure some people thought this was a great idea, but others did not and this tsar was assassinated most likely with the hopes of a promising future, but Alexander III stayed on this same path: repression, more secret police, villages were subjected to the governmental authority of the nobles, etc... Nicholas II continued this as well- just out of curiosity, why didn't one of these tsars break this chain of repression and conservatism! WHY NO LIBERALISM? I think that if one of these guys had broken the chain than this revolution might not have happened- or at least happened so suddenly. Although I don't really know; however, I am certain that the result of this "russification"with coercion, expropriation, and physical oppression resulted in the creation of many opposing groups: populists (russia needs to modernize on its own terms, not the West's), Social Revolutionary Party (political power of the peasants), Russian Marxists organized into the Social Democratic party- which broke into the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. Overall, Russia was "RIPE FOR REVOLUTION" with all the different social and political groups opposing the government and its oppression (846). After all the revolt and revolution- Russia basically ended up stuck in the middle of an "emerging capitalist system and the traditional peasant commune;" Russia was modern but still stuck in the past- which would put a lot of pressure on Russia during World War I (848). 

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