In the early years of the 20th century, the Russian Empire, ruled by Tsar Nicholas II (reign 1894-1917), faced increasing unrest from within by all sections of society. The peasantry, working classes, middle classes, and nationalist movements sought fundamental change to issues such as land redistribution, workers' rights, and political representation. Although the tsar survived the first Russian Revolution of 1905, his failure to realise his promises of reform led to a second revolution in March 1917 and the obligation to abdicate. A third revolution in November 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution, installed a new Soviet government led by Vladimir Lenin, who, after winning the Russian Civil War, was able to create the world's first communist state. The suffering of tens of millions in these decades of upheaval was a heavy price to pay for a new system of government, which was just as repressive as its predecessor. This turbulent period of revolutions, reforms, and repression is examined in this collection of articles, images, and videos.
Since 1905, the working classes had grown significantly as Russia went through the process of industrialisation. By 1917, there were around 18.5 million workers, some 10% of the population. Workers were concentrated in the larger cities and certain regions. "This concentration of the industrial labour force was critical in facilitating its mobilization in 1917, and gave the working class a political weight out of proportion to its rather small numbers" (Shukman, 19).
