Your mom once told you that she loved it when news anchors had to break into children's programming to report on breaking news because then the anchors are forced to break down the news into information that is a bit more easily comprehensible. Speaking to kids forced the anchors to get to the point of the matter in ways that illuminated the subject in a more clear and succinct way. As usual, your mom was right. While in-depth, exhaustive analyses is essential for a deep understanding of a subject, sometimes the best way to be introduced to that same subject is through a simple explanation, maybe even one tailored for children.
You've always heard of the Russian Revolution. You've read lots of books about the Russian experience during WWII and the Cold War. You know who Lenin was and who Stalin was, and you've watched Dr. Zhivago. But you've never really understood what happened in Russia during the Revolution of 1917... or how... or why. So you read a 45 page book for children about it and now you do!
The Russian Revolution, like most events in history, was far more complicated than you thought. This book helped explain to you both how complicated it was and how you could make more sense of that complexity. Like many kid's books, it is filled with informative inserts and timelines that helped clarify the complicated and dizzying circumstances of one of the most influential events of the 20th Century.
By 1917, the Revolution had been on a sort of slow boil for over a decade. Wealth disparity, war, and oppression all played their parts in stirring up the population of the vast Russian nation. The Czar, Nicholas II, had bent to the will of the people and allowed the creation of a governing elected counsel called the Duma in 1905. He promptly continued as an absolute monarch and ignored the Duma as if it didn't even exist. Russia was becoming an industrialized nation and as the people moved to cities and within closer proximity with one another, radical anti-Czarist ideas were spreading easier throughout the Russian population.
The First World War was a catalyst for revolution in Russia, as it almost was in most other European nations as well. The poor leadership of the Russian military command resulted in millions of casualties and a deep humiliation for the Russian people. Demonstrations in the nation's cities were becoming more and more problematic and disruptive. Strikes and marches and protests were slowing down the production of the nation and interfering with the Czar's ability to make war. When the troops sent in to quell these rebellious demonstrations were order to fire on the civilian demonstrators they began to refuse their orders. More and more, the Russian Army was fighting for the people and against the government. On March 15, 1917, the last Csar of Russia abdicated his throne.
The Revolution had begun and a Provisional government was soon established. The Provisional Government vied for power with local elected governmental bodies called Soviets. Different factions within the government also vied for control. Right wing leaders wanted things left much as they had been, while left wing leaders wanted radical change. Chief among those changes was an end to the war. Germany leaped on this chance to close off their Eastern Front and sent the radical leftist Vladimir Lenin on an armored train from his exile in Switzerland into the heart of Russia. Lenin claimed control of the ultra left wing Bolshevik faction and set about working to overthrow the new Provisional Government.
Through his magnetic personality, his politically strategic genius, and his ruthless ability to use men for quick gain and then throw them away to prevent any challenges to his hold on power, Lenin soon had achieved his goal. The cast of characters is long and the names are familiar, but Lenin rode over them all. By November the Bolsheviks were in charge of most of Russia. Elections were held for a new representative government, but when they met in January of 1918, it was clear the Bolsheviks would be in the minority. Lenin closed the meeting and disbanded the Constituent Assembly. Never again would the Communists allow popular elections to decide the government of Russia.
In March, peace with Germany was declared, but almost immediately a civil war erupted. Years of conflict and starvation followed, with Lenin and his Red Army clinging to power while the people suffered the consequences of war and famine and instability. The Russian Civil War was characterized by factionalism as well as invasion from outside forces. Poland, Great Britain, France, and the United Stated all sent soldiers to try and overthrow Lenin's rule. But the Red Army, led by the brilliant General Trotsky, was able to eventually defeat the White (anti-Communist) Russian armies.
No sooner had the Communists won the Civil War than more social uprisings began again. Betraying their revolutionary roots, the Bolshevik government of the newly named Soviet Union began brutal crackdowns on dissent. Lenin's death in '24 opened the doors for more internal struggles for control. Joseph Stalin eventually won those struggles, becoming the leader of the nation. He immediately began eliminating his rivals and creating the modern USSR. The Russian Revolution had finally come to and end.
The hardships of the Revolution were tempered by the building of a nation that was soon rivaling even Nazi Germany for primacy in Europe. The Revolution was supposed to spread into the capitalist nations of the West, but Stalin's focus on controlling his people kept Communism contained inside his own nation. World War II changed all that. Communism soon was gaining footholds in the under developed nations of the world and establishing the Cold War that dominated international politics for half a century.
If you have any more questions about the Revolution, you feel confident now that you can dive into more substantial books on the topic. Or you could always go back to the kid's section of your library and check this book out again. It was perfect for you.
On to the next book!
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