timschochet
Footballguy
Nope. The Russian Federation may get more powerful, but I'm pretty confident the Soviet Union will never rise again.
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The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union- historical narrative discussion thread (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter timschochet
- Start date
Redwes25
Footballguy
Don't think anyone could have predict the collapse of four empires that WWI caused.
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
MarvinTScamper
Footballguy
it's just written for drama. The history of every country is littered with surprises no one ever saw coming.
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
Catherine was German and none of her three children were fathered by her husband, who was an imbecile. Peter Paul once court-martialed a rat for eating his army men (he used to, as an adult, re-stage grand scale replicas of his enemy/hero Frederick of Prussia's victories in the throne room) and one princess anxious to be the Boleyn of Russia used to pretend she was a army camp-follower and PP would dryhump her, howling bawdy talk the entire time, in front of the entire court, which was as close as he ever got to actual copulation, according to what i've read. Catherine's children were fathered by two brothers of the noble, military Saltykov family, who did have some Romanov blood but not in tailmale.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Many of those stories are from Catherine the Great's memoir, and are a bit dubious. Her memoir has been described as propaganda-ish, in an attempt to justify Peter III's murder. People say that Paul I looked more like Peter III than Saltykov; so, I tend to go by that.
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
Disagree. I have good authority on Peter Paul's imbecility because i made a study of some depth - and by that i mean contemporary letters, history's best source - of correspondences relating to the Seven Years War, including France's complicity in propping up Catherine, for a writing project 20 yrs ago. I know Louis XV sent the gift of a musicmaster (spy) to his ally, whose throwing in with Frederick II would have lost Europe for France, who came back with the stories i cite and i also remember the Saltykov stories coming up again in relation to Louis XVI's difficulty (due to an entrapped foreskin making copulation extremely painful) producing an heir and the possibility of having to bring someone in like in St Pete. We'll never know, of course, but i stand by my assertion.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Fair enough. If you have read source documents, you would have better knowledge than me. The books that I've read are a bit more cagey on that.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
@timschochet - I probably missed it, what's your source material? The ACW thread was sort of cliff notes of Battle Cry of Freedom (which is a fantastic narrative history of the Civil War); what's the comp here?
Chaos Commish
Footballguy
Favorite dubious Russia story.
In school they'll teach Russian history starts in the late 9th century when the warring Slavs told the enemy Vikings (Norsemen whatever) if they could keep the fires lit all winter they could rule. Prince Rurik, from the tribe of Russ, was chosen to be the first to do so, and from his line a family dynasty reigned. But the first hundred years isn't history of a country or kingdom by most standards. Somewhere in the late 10th century Vladimir the Great was baptized so he could add a young Christian hottie to his 40 wives and 800 concubines. She must have been special because he baptized every village in the realm, spreading the gospel and enforcing Christian morality enough to form an organized society that should be considered the original country of Russia -- though it was headquartered in Kiev and known as the Kievan Rus', not Russia. But this isn't about the original bad Vlad, it's about his grandma, Saint Olga.
She was married to Prince Igor from Rurik's line. As he was out collecting the annual tribute from various regions, he decided to make a second pass at the Drevlians for a little extra revenue. They revolted and in the skirmish greedy Igor was killed. Knowing Olga's eldest son was but a toddler and feeling responsible for the death of her husband, they sent their own Prince Mal to marry her and assume the throne. Like us with Hillary, no way was a woman going to rule, so this idea seemed fair enough. Olga met Mal and his contingent of 20 dignitaries with warmth and hospitality. She offered them a private bath house in which to clean up as they prepared a great feast for the visitors. Once she had them all in the building, she had the place locked up and burned the men alive.
So, message sent, and as a perceived reconciliation, Olga invited the Drevlians to Igor's funeral. Thousands of Drevlians attended. This time 20 of their best and brightest were were offered as possible suitors; her choice, nothing forced, choose one, choose a few, or choose none, no need set fire to anyone. Well, the vodka flowed through the night until the poor Drevlians were drunk and defenseless when Olga put her sober soldiers on them, killing around 5000, and of course, the 20 candidates for the throne.
Horrified and repentant the Drevlians begged for forgiveness. They offered anything to appease the vengeful princess. She agreed to end hostilities should every Drevlian home donate a sparrow or dove from the nearest trees. The Drevlians complied with the odd request. Olga gave a bird to each member of her army, having them attach a soaked thread to the bird's foot on one end and small tinder on the other. When all the birds were prepared they were transported to a hillside above the Drevlian village and freed, so they would return to their nests. They burned down the entire village.
Olga of Kiev
In school they'll teach Russian history starts in the late 9th century when the warring Slavs told the enemy Vikings (Norsemen whatever) if they could keep the fires lit all winter they could rule. Prince Rurik, from the tribe of Russ, was chosen to be the first to do so, and from his line a family dynasty reigned. But the first hundred years isn't history of a country or kingdom by most standards. Somewhere in the late 10th century Vladimir the Great was baptized so he could add a young Christian hottie to his 40 wives and 800 concubines. She must have been special because he baptized every village in the realm, spreading the gospel and enforcing Christian morality enough to form an organized society that should be considered the original country of Russia -- though it was headquartered in Kiev and known as the Kievan Rus', not Russia. But this isn't about the original bad Vlad, it's about his grandma, Saint Olga.
She was married to Prince Igor from Rurik's line. As he was out collecting the annual tribute from various regions, he decided to make a second pass at the Drevlians for a little extra revenue. They revolted and in the skirmish greedy Igor was killed. Knowing Olga's eldest son was but a toddler and feeling responsible for the death of her husband, they sent their own Prince Mal to marry her and assume the throne. Like us with Hillary, no way was a woman going to rule, so this idea seemed fair enough. Olga met Mal and his contingent of 20 dignitaries with warmth and hospitality. She offered them a private bath house in which to clean up as they prepared a great feast for the visitors. Once she had them all in the building, she had the place locked up and burned the men alive.
So, message sent, and as a perceived reconciliation, Olga invited the Drevlians to Igor's funeral. Thousands of Drevlians attended. This time 20 of their best and brightest were were offered as possible suitors; her choice, nothing forced, choose one, choose a few, or choose none, no need set fire to anyone. Well, the vodka flowed through the night until the poor Drevlians were drunk and defenseless when Olga put her sober soldiers on them, killing around 5000, and of course, the 20 candidates for the throne.
Horrified and repentant the Drevlians begged for forgiveness. They offered anything to appease the vengeful princess. She agreed to end hostilities should every Drevlian home donate a sparrow or dove from the nearest trees. The Drevlians complied with the odd request. Olga gave a bird to each member of her army, having them attach a soaked thread to the bird's foot on one end and small tinder on the other. When all the birds were prepared they were transported to a hillside above the Drevlian village and freed, so they would return to their nests. They burned down the entire village.
Olga of Kiev
timschochet
Footballguy
Khodynka
The reign of Nicholas II started off rather inauspiciously. It was a tradition that whenever a new Tsar was crowned, there was to be a feast, open to the public, which all the citizens of Moscow could attend. (Although the Tsars lived mostly in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg or in a private smaller palace outside of St. Petersburg known as the Tsarkoye Selo- in the case of Russian palaces, the word "smaller" is extremely relative- the capital was still Moscow, and the Kremlin was where the Tsar was crowned.) But in recent years the population of Moscow, like all Russian cities, had grown rapidly, so a field outside of the city was chosen for the celebration- Khodynka, a military training ground. Servants set up large quantities of food, beer, and souvenir cups displaying the new Tsar. All Moscow was invited to attend.
100,000 Muscovites showed up. There were no police, no crowd control. A rumor was spread that there wasn't enough food and beer for everyone there. The crowd then trampled over each other to get to the food. Men, women, and children were trampled in the dirt. 1,389 Russians were killed, with another 1,300 injured.
As tragic as this sounds, the real problem emerged hours later. The French Ambassador was hosting a gala ball in honor of the new Tsar. Nicholas had been horrified by the news of the chaos, and he wanted to stay in the Kremlin and pray for the souls of the lives that had been lost. However, his counselors (at this time, mostly the powerful brothers of Alexander III, Nicky's uncles) said this would not do; Russia and France were allies now, and if the Tsar did not show up to the ball, it would be considered a grave insult to France.
Thus, the night of the Khodynka tragedy, there was Nicholas II at a French ball, seen dancing with his wife and having a jolly time. This began the shaping of his image as an uncaring ruler, who thought nothing of the masses; a modern day Marie Antoinette. This perception would spread until it became firm in the Russian mind, and helped doom Nicholas' reign.
The reign of Nicholas II started off rather inauspiciously. It was a tradition that whenever a new Tsar was crowned, there was to be a feast, open to the public, which all the citizens of Moscow could attend. (Although the Tsars lived mostly in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg or in a private smaller palace outside of St. Petersburg known as the Tsarkoye Selo- in the case of Russian palaces, the word "smaller" is extremely relative- the capital was still Moscow, and the Kremlin was where the Tsar was crowned.) But in recent years the population of Moscow, like all Russian cities, had grown rapidly, so a field outside of the city was chosen for the celebration- Khodynka, a military training ground. Servants set up large quantities of food, beer, and souvenir cups displaying the new Tsar. All Moscow was invited to attend.
100,000 Muscovites showed up. There were no police, no crowd control. A rumor was spread that there wasn't enough food and beer for everyone there. The crowd then trampled over each other to get to the food. Men, women, and children were trampled in the dirt. 1,389 Russians were killed, with another 1,300 injured.
As tragic as this sounds, the real problem emerged hours later. The French Ambassador was hosting a gala ball in honor of the new Tsar. Nicholas had been horrified by the news of the chaos, and he wanted to stay in the Kremlin and pray for the souls of the lives that had been lost. However, his counselors (at this time, mostly the powerful brothers of Alexander III, Nicky's uncles) said this would not do; Russia and France were allies now, and if the Tsar did not show up to the ball, it would be considered a grave insult to France.
Thus, the night of the Khodynka tragedy, there was Nicholas II at a French ball, seen dancing with his wife and having a jolly time. This began the shaping of his image as an uncaring ruler, who thought nothing of the masses; a modern day Marie Antoinette. This perception would spread until it became firm in the Russian mind, and helped doom Nicholas' reign.
timschochet
Footballguy
I'm using a lot of different sources for this.
For the Romanovs:
Nicholas and Alexandra by Peter K. Massie
and The Romanovs 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore
For the Revolution, post revolution, and Soviet period, Revolutionary Russia 1891-1991 by Orlando Figes (This will probably be my biggest source, when all is said and done.)
For the fall of the Soviet Union, Lenin's Tomb by David Remnick.
I may also use various World War II sources when that subject comes up.
timschochet
Footballguy
The new Tsarevich
I need to jump ahead here in time to explain the Tsar's family situation, before going back to explain in detail the two key events prior to the Russian Revolution of 1905- (the Russian-Japanese War, and the rise of the socialist movement). This is important because as I wrote earlier, the Tsar was perceived as indifferent to the plight of the Russian people, and beyond his personal weakness of character, there was an important reason for this: a continual family tragedy involving his son, the Tsarevich Alexei,
It was of course the duty of the Tsar to produce a son to carry on the Romanov dynasty, and at this duty Nicholas, as with so many other of his duities, was an utter failure. Alix had four children within the first 6 years of their marriage, but all of them were daughters: Olga in 1895, Tatiana in 1897, Marie in 1897, in Anastasia in 1901. (This last daughter would become the subject of much legend and controversy following the Revolution, and would even be featured in her own animated movie!). In desperation Alix sought out Russian mystics to "bless" her next pregnancy- she had to have a boy this time, or the succession was ruined! Finally, in 1904, Alix delivered a son, Alexei, to wide rejoicing throughout the land. But this birth, her 5th, was complicated, and she was told she could have no further children. Thus, all of the future of the Romanov family, and that of Russia, would eventually depend on this one baby, the Tsarevich Alexei.
And almost immediately he started to bleed. Hemophilia was only partly understood in 1904, it is a genetic disease, carried by women who show no symptoms of it, but passed on to males who can suffer and die from it. Because all of the European royalty at the time were close knit family the disease was known as "The Royal Disease"- Queen Victoria was a carrier and passed it to one son (not Edward) and one daughter, Alix's mother, who passed it on to Alix. Alix passed to to Alexei.
Today, hemophilia is easily treated thanks to modern medicine, but none of that was available back then. Hemophilia (actually known as "Haemophilia B") prevents blood from clotting properly, which creates intense pain. Any sudden bump or contact with skin can cause it, and the victim is helpless and in agonizing pain for weeks on end. Death at a young age is likely. Within a month of Alexei's birth it became clear to the doctors that he was inflicted with the dreaded disease. They could do nothing for him. Throughout his infancy, which would extend to his childhood, Alexei would scream in pain for hours on end, unable to move, unable to relieve his agony. No medicines worked. The family could do nothing except watch him suffer and wait for him to die.
But because he was the only son, and because Russia was so fragile and the dynasty was threatened from without and within, NIcholas chose to keep this tragedy a great secret. Almost noone outside of the immediate family, servants and doctors knew of Alexei's plight. The Russian government, led by the brilliant statesman Sergius Witte, did not know of it. The Russian people did not know of it. The world's leaders and diplomats, who had to deal with Russia and who found Nicholas to be both odd and disinterested, did not know of it. This secrecy which would continue for the next 13 years until the dynasty was overthrown, would lead to grave consequences, and Alexei's story will be one of the key elements of this narrative.
Next up: the rise of the socialist movement.
I need to jump ahead here in time to explain the Tsar's family situation, before going back to explain in detail the two key events prior to the Russian Revolution of 1905- (the Russian-Japanese War, and the rise of the socialist movement). This is important because as I wrote earlier, the Tsar was perceived as indifferent to the plight of the Russian people, and beyond his personal weakness of character, there was an important reason for this: a continual family tragedy involving his son, the Tsarevich Alexei,
It was of course the duty of the Tsar to produce a son to carry on the Romanov dynasty, and at this duty Nicholas, as with so many other of his duities, was an utter failure. Alix had four children within the first 6 years of their marriage, but all of them were daughters: Olga in 1895, Tatiana in 1897, Marie in 1897, in Anastasia in 1901. (This last daughter would become the subject of much legend and controversy following the Revolution, and would even be featured in her own animated movie!). In desperation Alix sought out Russian mystics to "bless" her next pregnancy- she had to have a boy this time, or the succession was ruined! Finally, in 1904, Alix delivered a son, Alexei, to wide rejoicing throughout the land. But this birth, her 5th, was complicated, and she was told she could have no further children. Thus, all of the future of the Romanov family, and that of Russia, would eventually depend on this one baby, the Tsarevich Alexei.
And almost immediately he started to bleed. Hemophilia was only partly understood in 1904, it is a genetic disease, carried by women who show no symptoms of it, but passed on to males who can suffer and die from it. Because all of the European royalty at the time were close knit family the disease was known as "The Royal Disease"- Queen Victoria was a carrier and passed it to one son (not Edward) and one daughter, Alix's mother, who passed it on to Alix. Alix passed to to Alexei.
Today, hemophilia is easily treated thanks to modern medicine, but none of that was available back then. Hemophilia (actually known as "Haemophilia B") prevents blood from clotting properly, which creates intense pain. Any sudden bump or contact with skin can cause it, and the victim is helpless and in agonizing pain for weeks on end. Death at a young age is likely. Within a month of Alexei's birth it became clear to the doctors that he was inflicted with the dreaded disease. They could do nothing for him. Throughout his infancy, which would extend to his childhood, Alexei would scream in pain for hours on end, unable to move, unable to relieve his agony. No medicines worked. The family could do nothing except watch him suffer and wait for him to die.
But because he was the only son, and because Russia was so fragile and the dynasty was threatened from without and within, NIcholas chose to keep this tragedy a great secret. Almost noone outside of the immediate family, servants and doctors knew of Alexei's plight. The Russian government, led by the brilliant statesman Sergius Witte, did not know of it. The Russian people did not know of it. The world's leaders and diplomats, who had to deal with Russia and who found Nicholas to be both odd and disinterested, did not know of it. This secrecy which would continue for the next 13 years until the dynasty was overthrown, would lead to grave consequences, and Alexei's story will be one of the key elements of this narrative.
Next up: the rise of the socialist movement.
timschochet
Footballguy
The Socialist movement
When last we left Vladimir Ulyanov in 1895, he had been imprisoned by the Tsar's police for revolutionary activities in St. Petersburg- ironic because at the time he wasn't really a revolutionary, just a rather radical liberal who wanted changes to the existing government rather than an overthrow of that government. But during the next two years in prison, Vladimir changed, and became more like his late brother, yet what separated him from other revolutionaries at the time were certain ideas specific to Russia:
Up to this point in history, the socialists-Communists had for the most part slavishly copied Marx's basic idea of the socialist revolution: capitalism was a doomed economic system that would collapse upon itself without the need for violence from the workers. Out of the ashes of the economic collapse, worker's republics would be formed. Both Marx and Engels believed that this would only happen in industrialized countries- Germany, France and England were the most likely examples. (Interestingly, Marx ignored the United States.) Russia, primarily an agrarian society, was unlikely to have a proletarian revolution , the main reason being that there weren't many proletarians, mostly peasants. Peasants were no part of Marx's idea of workers. (Indeed, Marx seemed to limit his economic ideas to industrialized cities.)
While in prison, Ulyanov, now a Marxist, now in favor of a violent overthrow of the Tsar's regime, began to conceive how Marxism could work in Russia. He believed that Alexander II's industrialization of Russia, which was still continuing, would result in a larger number of proletariats and a new "class consciousness" leading to the Marxist conditions for a revolution. Ulyanov was the first of the Russian thinkers to expound on this (at least put it down on paper.) However, Ulyanov thought it would take decades or more to complete.
Upon being released from prison in 1897, Ulyanov went to work to make his dream happen. At this time he was not a great speaker, but he proved to be a brilliant organizer and writer. He began to publish an illegal newspaper, Iskra, known as "The Spark". Very soon he was competing with Julius Martov for the leadership of the Socialist Democratic movement in Russia. In 1901, Ulyanov changed his name to a revolutionary nom de guerre: Lenin. Around this same time, he met with others who had done the same: Bronstein, who had changed his name to Trotsky, and Dugashvili, who went by the name Koba. (Much more on them later.)
In 1902 Lenin wrote his most important pamphlet to date, "What Is to Be Done?" This document represented a radical departure from orthodox Marxism: Lenin basically argued that the workers could not be trusted to rebel on their own, nor should they wait for capitalism to relax upon itself. Instead, a group of professional revolutionaries would be drawn from the intelligentsia, and they would commit radical violence to force a revolution. In this idea, Lenin was not much different from his brother, nor from our modern Islamist terrorists. But it shocked the mild, tepid, socialist leaders at the time, led by Martov, who were content to form debating societies and wait for the revolution to come 100 years hence. A schism broke out between the two sides at a conference in London, with Lenin's side forming the majority (in Russian, Bolshevik), and Martov forming the minority (Menshevik.) The two groups broke off from each other. Trotsky, at this time more cautious than he would be in the future, stayed with the Mensheviks for now. As for Koba, he was hardly interested in the debate at all; but he stayed with the Bolsheviks because he liked violence and killing, as we shall see, and enjoyed being a terrorist.
In the next two posts I will offer short biographies of Trotsky and Koba up to this point in time, and then I will devote some time to the Russo-Japanese war, which is vital to understand the conditions that led to the Revolution of 1905.
When last we left Vladimir Ulyanov in 1895, he had been imprisoned by the Tsar's police for revolutionary activities in St. Petersburg- ironic because at the time he wasn't really a revolutionary, just a rather radical liberal who wanted changes to the existing government rather than an overthrow of that government. But during the next two years in prison, Vladimir changed, and became more like his late brother, yet what separated him from other revolutionaries at the time were certain ideas specific to Russia:
Up to this point in history, the socialists-Communists had for the most part slavishly copied Marx's basic idea of the socialist revolution: capitalism was a doomed economic system that would collapse upon itself without the need for violence from the workers. Out of the ashes of the economic collapse, worker's republics would be formed. Both Marx and Engels believed that this would only happen in industrialized countries- Germany, France and England were the most likely examples. (Interestingly, Marx ignored the United States.) Russia, primarily an agrarian society, was unlikely to have a proletarian revolution , the main reason being that there weren't many proletarians, mostly peasants. Peasants were no part of Marx's idea of workers. (Indeed, Marx seemed to limit his economic ideas to industrialized cities.)
While in prison, Ulyanov, now a Marxist, now in favor of a violent overthrow of the Tsar's regime, began to conceive how Marxism could work in Russia. He believed that Alexander II's industrialization of Russia, which was still continuing, would result in a larger number of proletariats and a new "class consciousness" leading to the Marxist conditions for a revolution. Ulyanov was the first of the Russian thinkers to expound on this (at least put it down on paper.) However, Ulyanov thought it would take decades or more to complete.
Upon being released from prison in 1897, Ulyanov went to work to make his dream happen. At this time he was not a great speaker, but he proved to be a brilliant organizer and writer. He began to publish an illegal newspaper, Iskra, known as "The Spark". Very soon he was competing with Julius Martov for the leadership of the Socialist Democratic movement in Russia. In 1901, Ulyanov changed his name to a revolutionary nom de guerre: Lenin. Around this same time, he met with others who had done the same: Bronstein, who had changed his name to Trotsky, and Dugashvili, who went by the name Koba. (Much more on them later.)
In 1902 Lenin wrote his most important pamphlet to date, "What Is to Be Done?" This document represented a radical departure from orthodox Marxism: Lenin basically argued that the workers could not be trusted to rebel on their own, nor should they wait for capitalism to relax upon itself. Instead, a group of professional revolutionaries would be drawn from the intelligentsia, and they would commit radical violence to force a revolution. In this idea, Lenin was not much different from his brother, nor from our modern Islamist terrorists. But it shocked the mild, tepid, socialist leaders at the time, led by Martov, who were content to form debating societies and wait for the revolution to come 100 years hence. A schism broke out between the two sides at a conference in London, with Lenin's side forming the majority (in Russian, Bolshevik), and Martov forming the minority (Menshevik.) The two groups broke off from each other. Trotsky, at this time more cautious than he would be in the future, stayed with the Mensheviks for now. As for Koba, he was hardly interested in the debate at all; but he stayed with the Bolsheviks because he liked violence and killing, as we shall see, and enjoyed being a terrorist.
In the next two posts I will offer short biographies of Trotsky and Koba up to this point in time, and then I will devote some time to the Russo-Japanese war, which is vital to understand the conditions that led to the Revolution of 1905.
timschochet
Footballguy
I want to add a point about these noms de guerre: Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, though my point has nothing to do with Russia. It's pretty well known that Adolf Hitler's dad changed his last name from Schickelgruber to Hitler about 10 years before Adolf was born. In The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer makes the argument that this name change was a key historical event, since Adolf Schickelgruber would not have been able to lead the National Socialist movement, would not have been able to become Der Fuehrer. Other Hitler biographers, such as Ian Kershaw, have made this same point.
I've always felt like this was a silly argument because Shirer and Kershaw ignored the example of Lenin and Stalin. If Adolf Hitler had been born Adolf Schickelgruber, and had found his last name to be weak and ineffectual, he simply would have changed it. In Russian, "Stalin" means steel. The German word for steel is stahl. So maybe he would have become Adolf Stahl, who knows? The point is, I don't believe history would have been that affected.
I've always felt like this was a silly argument because Shirer and Kershaw ignored the example of Lenin and Stalin. If Adolf Hitler had been born Adolf Schickelgruber, and had found his last name to be weak and ineffectual, he simply would have changed it. In Russian, "Stalin" means steel. The German word for steel is stahl. So maybe he would have become Adolf Stahl, who knows? The point is, I don't believe history would have been that affected.
timschochet
Footballguy
LEON
Around the same time Ulyanov changed his name to Lenin, Lev Bronstein changed his to Leon Trotsky. Why they did this is a little confusing to me; it wasn't to hide their identities because they became much better known afterwards. In Trotsky's case it wasn't to hide his Jewishness because he never attempted to do so. It may be that, as in the case of Hollywood movie stars, revolutionaries chose names that sounded more Russian- or it could be that they wanted to present themselves as "new men".
Whatever the reason, Leon Trotsky was the greatest speaker among the revolutionaries. Much like Adolf Hitler 25 years later, Trotsky could, through his voice and use of language, move thousands of listeners to his cause. Also like Hitler, this did not carry over to his writing: unlike Lenin who could put complex ideas on paper and make them easy to understand, Trotsky was far too complicated and dialectic for anyone but the most devoted Marxist to comprehend. He also lacked the ability to organize, to make allies in the movement (he had great personal charm but also a high opinion of himself which alienated people) and an inability to understand the motivations of others- all of which, as we shall see, would eventually lead to his doom.
But that was much later. In 1902 he was by far the most valuable speaker the socialist movement had in Eastern Europe, and it was a severe blow to Lenin that when the split came, Trotsky chose to stay with Martov's Mensheviks. Martov, like Trotsky was a Jew. However, events were coming that surprised Trotsky and would serve to change his mind, making him irrevocably a Bolshevik.
Around the same time Ulyanov changed his name to Lenin, Lev Bronstein changed his to Leon Trotsky. Why they did this is a little confusing to me; it wasn't to hide their identities because they became much better known afterwards. In Trotsky's case it wasn't to hide his Jewishness because he never attempted to do so. It may be that, as in the case of Hollywood movie stars, revolutionaries chose names that sounded more Russian- or it could be that they wanted to present themselves as "new men".
Whatever the reason, Leon Trotsky was the greatest speaker among the revolutionaries. Much like Adolf Hitler 25 years later, Trotsky could, through his voice and use of language, move thousands of listeners to his cause. Also like Hitler, this did not carry over to his writing: unlike Lenin who could put complex ideas on paper and make them easy to understand, Trotsky was far too complicated and dialectic for anyone but the most devoted Marxist to comprehend. He also lacked the ability to organize, to make allies in the movement (he had great personal charm but also a high opinion of himself which alienated people) and an inability to understand the motivations of others- all of which, as we shall see, would eventually lead to his doom.
But that was much later. In 1902 he was by far the most valuable speaker the socialist movement had in Eastern Europe, and it was a severe blow to Lenin that when the split came, Trotsky chose to stay with Martov's Mensheviks. Martov, like Trotsky was a Jew. However, events were coming that surprised Trotsky and would serve to change his mind, making him irrevocably a Bolshevik.
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
Bolshevik!
timschochet
Footballguy
It's great that he's got a statue. When is Los Angeles going to put up a statue of Charles Manson?
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
The Russo-Japanese War- prelude
So this whole time I've been discussing Russia's internal problems, and spent very little time on her external affairs. But that has to be rectified now.
Traditionally, Russia has one warm water port in the Pacific: Vladivostok, and it freezes up for half the year becoming unusable. This is why Russia, ever seeking to expand it's empire for the Tsars, has always sought an additional port in Chinese territory. But the Chinese weren't cooperative. Then, in 1899, China had the Boxer Rebellion, and it's Emperor system basically collapsed at that point, leading basically to a number of competing warlords for the next 50 years until Mao Tse Tung finally consolidated the entire country under his control. That's a whole other discussion. For our purposes, it's only important to know that the Russian government used the chaos to force China to lease them a warm water port, known as Port Arthur, a naval base in Liotung Province. The way was clear for Russia to be THE power in Asia, replacing England which was just too far away. The Tsar was confidently advised by his ministers: forget the problems at home! Forget about the tensions in Europe! Russia would be the home of a new Asian empire, with the Pacific Ocean at their feet. The Russians had always been destined to rule the world, and this was the beginning!
Unfortunately for this dream, there was another power in between Russia and her desires in the Pacific. Japan was opened up to the west in the 1850s by Commodore Perry of the USA. What happened next is a fascinating story in itself, but the long and the short of it is that the Japanese somehow avoided either being colonized or accepting the treatment that China received from the western powers, and absorbed both western culture and technology and within an incredibly short few years transformed itself from a medieval kingdom into a fully industrialized state. This transformation was unique in world history, and nobody knew about it at the time. Certainly Russia didn't. So when the Japanese government formally objected to the Russian leasing of Port Arthur, and demanded a quid pro quo with respect to Japanese interests in Korea, the Russians responded with laughter and scorn.
To the Russian government, the Japanese were no different from the Chinese, or Africans, or Indians: an inferior race to be conquered by white Europeans which had proven themselves over centuries to be superior. This was certainly the way Tsar Nicholas felt; after the assassination attempt I mentioned before, he thought the Japanese were savages and welcomed the opportunity to "chastise" them. Not a single Russian in power had any recognition of Japanese technology or the weaknesses of the Russian expansion, nor did they comprehend the weaknesses to the government and Russian military that had been caused by the suppressions and cessation of reform by Nicholas' father, Alexander III. They believed that Russia was just as powerful as it had always been, and that any conflict with Asians would lead to swift victories. They were in for a rude awakening.
So this whole time I've been discussing Russia's internal problems, and spent very little time on her external affairs. But that has to be rectified now.
Traditionally, Russia has one warm water port in the Pacific: Vladivostok, and it freezes up for half the year becoming unusable. This is why Russia, ever seeking to expand it's empire for the Tsars, has always sought an additional port in Chinese territory. But the Chinese weren't cooperative. Then, in 1899, China had the Boxer Rebellion, and it's Emperor system basically collapsed at that point, leading basically to a number of competing warlords for the next 50 years until Mao Tse Tung finally consolidated the entire country under his control. That's a whole other discussion. For our purposes, it's only important to know that the Russian government used the chaos to force China to lease them a warm water port, known as Port Arthur, a naval base in Liotung Province. The way was clear for Russia to be THE power in Asia, replacing England which was just too far away. The Tsar was confidently advised by his ministers: forget the problems at home! Forget about the tensions in Europe! Russia would be the home of a new Asian empire, with the Pacific Ocean at their feet. The Russians had always been destined to rule the world, and this was the beginning!
Unfortunately for this dream, there was another power in between Russia and her desires in the Pacific. Japan was opened up to the west in the 1850s by Commodore Perry of the USA. What happened next is a fascinating story in itself, but the long and the short of it is that the Japanese somehow avoided either being colonized or accepting the treatment that China received from the western powers, and absorbed both western culture and technology and within an incredibly short few years transformed itself from a medieval kingdom into a fully industrialized state. This transformation was unique in world history, and nobody knew about it at the time. Certainly Russia didn't. So when the Japanese government formally objected to the Russian leasing of Port Arthur, and demanded a quid pro quo with respect to Japanese interests in Korea, the Russians responded with laughter and scorn.
To the Russian government, the Japanese were no different from the Chinese, or Africans, or Indians: an inferior race to be conquered by white Europeans which had proven themselves over centuries to be superior. This was certainly the way Tsar Nicholas felt; after the assassination attempt I mentioned before, he thought the Japanese were savages and welcomed the opportunity to "chastise" them. Not a single Russian in power had any recognition of Japanese technology or the weaknesses of the Russian expansion, nor did they comprehend the weaknesses to the government and Russian military that had been caused by the suppressions and cessation of reform by Nicholas' father, Alexander III. They believed that Russia was just as powerful as it had always been, and that any conflict with Asians would lead to swift victories. They were in for a rude awakening.
timschochet
Footballguy
Oh yeah, it was genocide all right, arguably up there with the Holocaust as the worst in history. We'll get to it.
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Eh, it was a big deal to the common Russian, more than the ruling apparatchiks.
Again I don't think many Russians knew he was Georgian. They had not been ruled by a non-Russian, ever, and supposedly he had a lingering hatred for the Russians themselves.
timschochet
Footballguy
I've never read that Stalin hated Russians. My understanding is that he disliked Georgia and disliked being reminded of his birthplace in Georgia.
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
It's well know that he spent some effort assailing various minorities, however he often did that at the expense of Russia's homeland itself. When he took a chunk out of traditional Russia to hand it to Ukraine's republic is an example. This is part of the argument for Putin's New Russia today because many of the slices of former republics were taken out of Russia proper by Stalin himself.
timschochet
Footballguy
The Russian Japanese War, Part 1
In those days, (1904), "civilized" countries did not just go to war. There was a process, a set of rules which everybody obeyed. Diplomats in striped trousers handed letters with demands back and forth. If the demands weren't met, the government in question was informed that a state of war now existed between the two nations. This gave each side the chance to mobilize.
But Japan had only been a "civilized" country for a short time. The Japanese government didn't see the point in giving up surprise by declaring it's purpose beforehand. So, just as it did 37 years later against the United States at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese decided to attack first and explain later. On the morning of February 8, 1904, a Japanese torpedo boat under the command of Admiral Togo (one of the great military leaders in Japanese history) snuck into Port Arthur and sank two large Russian battleships there. Three hours later, the Japanese formerly declared war.
The Russians were stunned. The world was shocked. The Tsar was shocked. How could the Japanese do such a thing? Much like FDR after December 7, the Tsar's government fully expected the sneak Japanese attack to unite the Russian people. However, Russia was not the United States. The Russian people had had their fill of Tsarist oppression and famine and one bad economy after another. They weren't exactly enthusiastic about events taking place in the far away Pacific. A few of the Tsar's farseeing ministers, notably Count Stolypin, urged caution- the Russians were not prepared to fight a war so far away. Further defeats could be demoralizing and calamitous.
But Nicholas would not hear of such nonsense. His wife was pregnant for the fifth time, and he was sure that this time there would be a son, an heir. Now was the chance to unite the Russian people with a great victory. He would send his best admirals to reinforce Port Arthur. The Japanese savages would be smashed!
Meanwhile, the Japanese blockaded Port Arthur and laid siege to it, and awaited the Russian counterattack...
In those days, (1904), "civilized" countries did not just go to war. There was a process, a set of rules which everybody obeyed. Diplomats in striped trousers handed letters with demands back and forth. If the demands weren't met, the government in question was informed that a state of war now existed between the two nations. This gave each side the chance to mobilize.
But Japan had only been a "civilized" country for a short time. The Japanese government didn't see the point in giving up surprise by declaring it's purpose beforehand. So, just as it did 37 years later against the United States at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese decided to attack first and explain later. On the morning of February 8, 1904, a Japanese torpedo boat under the command of Admiral Togo (one of the great military leaders in Japanese history) snuck into Port Arthur and sank two large Russian battleships there. Three hours later, the Japanese formerly declared war.
The Russians were stunned. The world was shocked. The Tsar was shocked. How could the Japanese do such a thing? Much like FDR after December 7, the Tsar's government fully expected the sneak Japanese attack to unite the Russian people. However, Russia was not the United States. The Russian people had had their fill of Tsarist oppression and famine and one bad economy after another. They weren't exactly enthusiastic about events taking place in the far away Pacific. A few of the Tsar's farseeing ministers, notably Count Stolypin, urged caution- the Russians were not prepared to fight a war so far away. Further defeats could be demoralizing and calamitous.
But Nicholas would not hear of such nonsense. His wife was pregnant for the fifth time, and he was sure that this time there would be a son, an heir. Now was the chance to unite the Russian people with a great victory. He would send his best admirals to reinforce Port Arthur. The Japanese savages would be smashed!
Meanwhile, the Japanese blockaded Port Arthur and laid siege to it, and awaited the Russian counterattack...
timschochet
Footballguy
We'll return to Stolypin later in some detail, but it's worth noting that this guy is supposedly Vladimir Putin's favorite Russian, and the guy that he claims he most wants to emulate.
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
One of Russia's greatest rulers - Catherine - was a German.SaintsInDome2006 said:
timschochet
Footballguy
wikkidpissah
Footballguy
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
The Russo-Japanese War Part 2
Because the war was fought at such long distances, there were several breaks in the action. As I wrote, the Tsar was determined to send a fleet of warships to save Fort Arthur and destroy the Japanese. Unfortunately, the only fleet capable of such an action was not in the Pacific but the Baltic. Therefore the Tsar ordered this fleet, under the command of an Admiral named Rohtzenvesky, to sail halfway around the world, via Cape of Good Hope. This turned out to be the longest military voyage in the history of mankind. There were all sorts of mishaps along the way. British ships near Suez were confused for torpedo boats and fired upon. In anger the British closed the Suez Canal, making the trip even longer.
Meanwhile, the commander at Port Arthur, under siege and low on supplies, chose to surrender the fort. There had been attempts to relieve him from the few Russian troops in the region, all had failed. Upon learning of the this surrender, the Tsar was outraged. The commander was later court-martialed and sentenced to death (though pardoned.)
But all of this was prologue. Everyone waited for the arrival of the Russian fleet. Delayed at Madagascar, it took a full 6 months to get there. Nonetheless, it was intact: 8 of the Tsar's newest battleships, as well as cruisers and destroyers for a total of 38 ships. Despite the fact that Port Arthur had already fallen, the Russian Admiral's orders were to engage the Japanese fleet and destroy it. The Japanese fleet in Tsushima Strait consisted of only 4 battleships and a total of 20 ships. The Russians were confident; the Tsar back home was confident. Despite all of the travails of the last year, this would be the great victory that would unify all of Russia! The Russian Navy was far more experienced than the fledgling Japanese; the ships were superior and they outnumbered the Japanese forces 2-1. In addition, Empress Alexandra had finally birthed a son, Alexie, and this was thought to be a great omen. In great confidence the Tsar informed his ministers that this battle would be the beginning of a new Russian empire that would "last 500 years."
What followed was one of the most decisive naval victories in history. Far from being inferior, the Japanese navy, having been built and trained by the British, were far superior to the Russian sailors who had never been tested in battle. In a classic maneuver, the Japanese crossed the Russian "T" and proceeded to annihilate the Baltic Fleet. The battle lasted a day and a half. By the end of that time, the Russians lost all 8 of their battleships, 5,000 men, and most of their auxillery ships as well. The Japanese lost 3 torpedo boats and 116 men. The few Russian survivors fled to Vladivostok.
Following the surprise attack against Port Arthur nearly a year earlier, this complete victory for the Japanese (seldom has there ever been a more complete victory) destroyed Russian military prestige. Among other things, it convinced Kaiser Wilhelm of the rot of the Russian military and made him believe he had little to fear if he meddled in the Balkans. The Tsar was forced to sue for peace, and the two sides used Theodore Roosevelt as a mediator. But the most important effect, as we shall see, was on the Russian people. They were starving, they were subjugated, and now the Tsar was believed to be an utter fool. They had had enough.
Because the war was fought at such long distances, there were several breaks in the action. As I wrote, the Tsar was determined to send a fleet of warships to save Fort Arthur and destroy the Japanese. Unfortunately, the only fleet capable of such an action was not in the Pacific but the Baltic. Therefore the Tsar ordered this fleet, under the command of an Admiral named Rohtzenvesky, to sail halfway around the world, via Cape of Good Hope. This turned out to be the longest military voyage in the history of mankind. There were all sorts of mishaps along the way. British ships near Suez were confused for torpedo boats and fired upon. In anger the British closed the Suez Canal, making the trip even longer.
Meanwhile, the commander at Port Arthur, under siege and low on supplies, chose to surrender the fort. There had been attempts to relieve him from the few Russian troops in the region, all had failed. Upon learning of the this surrender, the Tsar was outraged. The commander was later court-martialed and sentenced to death (though pardoned.)
But all of this was prologue. Everyone waited for the arrival of the Russian fleet. Delayed at Madagascar, it took a full 6 months to get there. Nonetheless, it was intact: 8 of the Tsar's newest battleships, as well as cruisers and destroyers for a total of 38 ships. Despite the fact that Port Arthur had already fallen, the Russian Admiral's orders were to engage the Japanese fleet and destroy it. The Japanese fleet in Tsushima Strait consisted of only 4 battleships and a total of 20 ships. The Russians were confident; the Tsar back home was confident. Despite all of the travails of the last year, this would be the great victory that would unify all of Russia! The Russian Navy was far more experienced than the fledgling Japanese; the ships were superior and they outnumbered the Japanese forces 2-1. In addition, Empress Alexandra had finally birthed a son, Alexie, and this was thought to be a great omen. In great confidence the Tsar informed his ministers that this battle would be the beginning of a new Russian empire that would "last 500 years."
What followed was one of the most decisive naval victories in history. Far from being inferior, the Japanese navy, having been built and trained by the British, were far superior to the Russian sailors who had never been tested in battle. In a classic maneuver, the Japanese crossed the Russian "T" and proceeded to annihilate the Baltic Fleet. The battle lasted a day and a half. By the end of that time, the Russians lost all 8 of their battleships, 5,000 men, and most of their auxillery ships as well. The Japanese lost 3 torpedo boats and 116 men. The few Russian survivors fled to Vladivostok.
Following the surprise attack against Port Arthur nearly a year earlier, this complete victory for the Japanese (seldom has there ever been a more complete victory) destroyed Russian military prestige. Among other things, it convinced Kaiser Wilhelm of the rot of the Russian military and made him believe he had little to fear if he meddled in the Balkans. The Tsar was forced to sue for peace, and the two sides used Theodore Roosevelt as a mediator. But the most important effect, as we shall see, was on the Russian people. They were starving, they were subjugated, and now the Tsar was believed to be an utter fool. They had had enough.
timschochet
Footballguy
I want to add to my above narrative regarding the Kaiser underestimating Russia after the Tsushima Strait debacle: this was repeated early in World War II when Russia struggled in the war with Finland. That caused another German leader named Hitler to underestimate Russia.
timschochet
Footballguy
Bloody Sunday
The crushing defeat of the Russian navy at Tsushima, followed by the embarrassing negotiated peace (which amounted to a complete Russian surrender of it's interests in the Pacific) had a tremendously demoralizing effect on the Tsar's government. This was compounded by the secret illness that immediately struck his son Alexei upon being born (much more on that shortly) and finally on an event which completely shattered the trust of the Russian people- Bloody Sunday, January 22, 1905 in St. Petersburg.
The Tsar's Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is an awesome building, so I'm told, more amazing than Versailles or the Taj Mahal. Perhaps that's why Nicholas found it uncomfortable to stay there for long periods, he preferred the smaller (though still magnificent) palaces at Tsarskoye Selo, outside of the city, which is where he was this Sunday afternoon. The workers who marched this day were unaware of that. Led by an idealistic Orthodox Priest named Father Gapon, a procession of 3,000 striking workers made their way to the Winter Palace. They were protesting the fact that, a month before, one of the large factories in St. Petersburg had fired 4 workers for being a part of Father Gapon's organization, known as the "Assembly". The Assembly wanted an easement in the 15 hour 7 day working week for pittance, better safety regulations, etc. The industrialists naturally refused. Strikes were called, and the Tsar's police attempted to break them. So the workers decided to petition the Tsar himself.
That Sunday morning at dawn they marched, unarmed, holding up large banners with Nicholas's picture and signs that read "God bless the Tsar". Father Gapon himself carried a long petition of the worker's grievances, begging the Tsar as the "father of the Russian people" to intercede with the factory owners on their behalf. 3,000 is the number given by several sources, though later Soviet writers, describing this event as part of the heroic struggle which led to the Russian Revolution of October 1917, put the number at 50,000.
Whatever the actual number, they were met by 10,000 troops of the Tsar's Imperial Guard, his most elite Cossack soldiers on horseback. What happened next is still in dispute over 100 years later. The Cossacks told the crowd to disperse and the crowd refused but pressed forward; that's one story. The Cossacks told the crowd to proceed in an orderly fashion but the crowd refused and rushed the Cossacks; that's another story. Whatever happened, this much is certain- the Cossacks charged headlong into the crowd, some fired their rifles, other people were trampled. There was a great chaos. Nobody knows who gave the order for the charge or if there was even an order given. What happened next is highly disputed as well. According to Soviet histories, over 4,000 workers, women and children were trampled or killed. According to the Tsar's ministers a few days later, 96 people were killed, all workers, no children or family members. According to the British Ambassador who witnessed the event, about 1,000 people were slaughtered and modern historians accept this estimate. Whatever the number, the reaction was immediate and overwhelming.
Father Gapon fled from the scene and from Russia, only to return several months later to be executed by some Social Revolutionaries.
The crushing defeat of the Russian navy at Tsushima, followed by the embarrassing negotiated peace (which amounted to a complete Russian surrender of it's interests in the Pacific) had a tremendously demoralizing effect on the Tsar's government. This was compounded by the secret illness that immediately struck his son Alexei upon being born (much more on that shortly) and finally on an event which completely shattered the trust of the Russian people- Bloody Sunday, January 22, 1905 in St. Petersburg.
The Tsar's Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is an awesome building, so I'm told, more amazing than Versailles or the Taj Mahal. Perhaps that's why Nicholas found it uncomfortable to stay there for long periods, he preferred the smaller (though still magnificent) palaces at Tsarskoye Selo, outside of the city, which is where he was this Sunday afternoon. The workers who marched this day were unaware of that. Led by an idealistic Orthodox Priest named Father Gapon, a procession of 3,000 striking workers made their way to the Winter Palace. They were protesting the fact that, a month before, one of the large factories in St. Petersburg had fired 4 workers for being a part of Father Gapon's organization, known as the "Assembly". The Assembly wanted an easement in the 15 hour 7 day working week for pittance, better safety regulations, etc. The industrialists naturally refused. Strikes were called, and the Tsar's police attempted to break them. So the workers decided to petition the Tsar himself.
That Sunday morning at dawn they marched, unarmed, holding up large banners with Nicholas's picture and signs that read "God bless the Tsar". Father Gapon himself carried a long petition of the worker's grievances, begging the Tsar as the "father of the Russian people" to intercede with the factory owners on their behalf. 3,000 is the number given by several sources, though later Soviet writers, describing this event as part of the heroic struggle which led to the Russian Revolution of October 1917, put the number at 50,000.
Whatever the actual number, they were met by 10,000 troops of the Tsar's Imperial Guard, his most elite Cossack soldiers on horseback. What happened next is still in dispute over 100 years later. The Cossacks told the crowd to disperse and the crowd refused but pressed forward; that's one story. The Cossacks told the crowd to proceed in an orderly fashion but the crowd refused and rushed the Cossacks; that's another story. Whatever happened, this much is certain- the Cossacks charged headlong into the crowd, some fired their rifles, other people were trampled. There was a great chaos. Nobody knows who gave the order for the charge or if there was even an order given. What happened next is highly disputed as well. According to Soviet histories, over 4,000 workers, women and children were trampled or killed. According to the Tsar's ministers a few days later, 96 people were killed, all workers, no children or family members. According to the British Ambassador who witnessed the event, about 1,000 people were slaughtered and modern historians accept this estimate. Whatever the number, the reaction was immediate and overwhelming.
Father Gapon fled from the scene and from Russia, only to return several months later to be executed by some Social Revolutionaries.
timschochet
Footballguy
Three Men
All of Russia was affected by Bloody Sunday, but 3 guys more than anyone else:
Tsar Nicholas II was shocked and horrified, just as he had been shocked and horrified by the massacre when he took the throne, just as he had been shocked and horrified by the Russian defeats against Japan. It's fascinating to speculate what 20th Century Russian history would have been like if the Tsar had been a decisive and strong man like his father and grandfather. Things might have gone quite differently. But Nicholas was weak and uncertain, and had no idea which way to turn. His advisors had pleaded with him for years to reform the government and establish a Duma (parliament.) But the Empress Alexandra believed that would strip her newborn son, Alexei, of his rightful inheritance, and she would not have it. Caught between the reformers (led by the brilliant Stolypin) and his hard-headed wife, Nicky dithered as the nation exploded in strikes and protests. Finally with the economy falling apart, he decided to compromise: he granted the establishment of a Duma, but gave himself sole veto power over all decisions and the right to dissolve it at any time. This was the worst of all possible decisions as it made the Tsar appear weaker without giving the Duma the power to solve any of Russia's problems. Over the next several years the Duma became a debating society where men like Alexander Kerensky made brilliant speeches, but nothing of consequence occurred.
Leon Trotsky was so affected by the Bloody Sunday massacre that he switched his allegience from Menshevik to Bolshevik, believing that violent revolution was the only way to remove the Tsar's tyranny. Although in the split 3 years earlier Lenin carried the majority, it was really the defection of Trotsky and a few others that weakened Juilus Martov's star and made Lenin the leader of the Movement. However, it was hard to lead from abroad. As the socialists' best speaker, it was decided that Trotsky should return to St. Petersburg- and here he became famous, the first of the Bolsheviks to do so. In defiance of the government, Trotsky visited factory after factory and spoke to the striking workers. His speechmaking was legendary and his charisma was infectious as he demanded a complete overthrow of the established order. Trotsky brilliantly combined Marxist rhetoric, simplified and free of dialectic, with basic slogans anyone could understand. He established Soviets (workers and peasants committees) in each factory. Soon his name was spoken all over Russia and he was considered the greatest threat to the Tsar. After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Trotsky fled Russia again, visiting New York City where he continued to spread the message of the workers' liberation.
Joseph Dugashivili, nicknamed Koba, like Trotsky, was impressed enough by Bloody Sunday that he joined the Bolshevik movement in Georgia. But his reasons were far different from Trotsky: there is no evidence that Koba concerned himself with the plight of the workers or peasants; he wanted action, liked violence, and the Bolsheviks were to him a scary gang that he could join and be somebody. If Koba had been born in the United States, he would have likely ended up a gangster. In Russia, he was a revolutionary. A man with simple tastes, he wanted to join a group where he could rise not by intelligence or ability (though he had both of these to a degree that would have surprised those who knew him then, for he kept it hidden), but through killing and fearlessness. From the moment Koba joined the Bolsheviks, he stood out because he was willing to kill. Many of the Bolsheviks were thinkers and dreamers; though they spoke of violence, they shied away from it themselves. Not Koba; one of his first acts was to rob banks in order to gain money for larger actions. During one of these robberies the police surrounded the bank, and Koba rather than surrender took hostages, then proceeded to execute the hostages and the police. Four other Bolsheviks who were with him died, but Koba escaped leaving over 40 dead bodies behind. This event brought Koba to the attention of Lenin, then in exile in London. Lenin had never before heard of Koba, but here, he thought, is a man I can count on, the sort of man the Revolution needs, "a man of steel", as he described him. A flattered Koba changed his name to match the compliment, forever thereafter he would be known as Josef Stalin.
All of Russia was affected by Bloody Sunday, but 3 guys more than anyone else:
Tsar Nicholas II was shocked and horrified, just as he had been shocked and horrified by the massacre when he took the throne, just as he had been shocked and horrified by the Russian defeats against Japan. It's fascinating to speculate what 20th Century Russian history would have been like if the Tsar had been a decisive and strong man like his father and grandfather. Things might have gone quite differently. But Nicholas was weak and uncertain, and had no idea which way to turn. His advisors had pleaded with him for years to reform the government and establish a Duma (parliament.) But the Empress Alexandra believed that would strip her newborn son, Alexei, of his rightful inheritance, and she would not have it. Caught between the reformers (led by the brilliant Stolypin) and his hard-headed wife, Nicky dithered as the nation exploded in strikes and protests. Finally with the economy falling apart, he decided to compromise: he granted the establishment of a Duma, but gave himself sole veto power over all decisions and the right to dissolve it at any time. This was the worst of all possible decisions as it made the Tsar appear weaker without giving the Duma the power to solve any of Russia's problems. Over the next several years the Duma became a debating society where men like Alexander Kerensky made brilliant speeches, but nothing of consequence occurred.
Leon Trotsky was so affected by the Bloody Sunday massacre that he switched his allegience from Menshevik to Bolshevik, believing that violent revolution was the only way to remove the Tsar's tyranny. Although in the split 3 years earlier Lenin carried the majority, it was really the defection of Trotsky and a few others that weakened Juilus Martov's star and made Lenin the leader of the Movement. However, it was hard to lead from abroad. As the socialists' best speaker, it was decided that Trotsky should return to St. Petersburg- and here he became famous, the first of the Bolsheviks to do so. In defiance of the government, Trotsky visited factory after factory and spoke to the striking workers. His speechmaking was legendary and his charisma was infectious as he demanded a complete overthrow of the established order. Trotsky brilliantly combined Marxist rhetoric, simplified and free of dialectic, with basic slogans anyone could understand. He established Soviets (workers and peasants committees) in each factory. Soon his name was spoken all over Russia and he was considered the greatest threat to the Tsar. After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Trotsky fled Russia again, visiting New York City where he continued to spread the message of the workers' liberation.
Joseph Dugashivili, nicknamed Koba, like Trotsky, was impressed enough by Bloody Sunday that he joined the Bolshevik movement in Georgia. But his reasons were far different from Trotsky: there is no evidence that Koba concerned himself with the plight of the workers or peasants; he wanted action, liked violence, and the Bolsheviks were to him a scary gang that he could join and be somebody. If Koba had been born in the United States, he would have likely ended up a gangster. In Russia, he was a revolutionary. A man with simple tastes, he wanted to join a group where he could rise not by intelligence or ability (though he had both of these to a degree that would have surprised those who knew him then, for he kept it hidden), but through killing and fearlessness. From the moment Koba joined the Bolsheviks, he stood out because he was willing to kill. Many of the Bolsheviks were thinkers and dreamers; though they spoke of violence, they shied away from it themselves. Not Koba; one of his first acts was to rob banks in order to gain money for larger actions. During one of these robberies the police surrounded the bank, and Koba rather than surrender took hostages, then proceeded to execute the hostages and the police. Four other Bolsheviks who were with him died, but Koba escaped leaving over 40 dead bodies behind. This event brought Koba to the attention of Lenin, then in exile in London. Lenin had never before heard of Koba, but here, he thought, is a man I can count on, the sort of man the Revolution needs, "a man of steel", as he described him. A flattered Koba changed his name to match the compliment, forever thereafter he would be known as Josef Stalin.
timschochet
Footballguy
Because Koba (Stalin) was engaged in many bloody activities during these years in which he would come out unscathed, yet other Bolsheviks would end up captured or killed, there has always been speculation that he was a paid informant for the Okhrana (the Tsar's secret police.) But there has never been any substantive evidence for this claim, and since it was largely made by Stalin's opponents outside of the Soviet Union during the 1930s, it has been mostly discounted by historians.
What we do know is this: Stalin was thought to be a brute and a thug, but Lenin was attracted to him because he followed orders and could get things done, and did not challenge Lenin with ideological arguments. Thus, when the time would come for Lenin to form a small "central committee" in 1917 at the time of the October Revolution, Stalin would be chosen almost as a personal bodyguard and "yes man" for Lenin. From there he would accumulate power but very quietly. (If there is a historical analogy for Josef Stalin from the beginning of his public life up until the death of Lenin, it would be Hitler's private secretary, Martin Bormann.)
What we do know is this: Stalin was thought to be a brute and a thug, but Lenin was attracted to him because he followed orders and could get things done, and did not challenge Lenin with ideological arguments. Thus, when the time would come for Lenin to form a small "central committee" in 1917 at the time of the October Revolution, Stalin would be chosen almost as a personal bodyguard and "yes man" for Lenin. From there he would accumulate power but very quietly. (If there is a historical analogy for Josef Stalin from the beginning of his public life up until the death of Lenin, it would be Hitler's private secretary, Martin Bormann.)
timschochet
Footballguy
Alexei
The so-called "Russian Revolution" of 1905 petered out quickly after the Tsar announced the formation of the Duma. It had never spread beyond the big cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow (this would be true in 1917 as well) and for now, the workers were eager to end their strikes and bring back a sense of normalcy, even though that normalcy was miserable for them. Nothing was solved. All of the conditions that would eventually cause the Tsarist government to collapse were still in place. Trotsky and the other revolutionaries were forced to flee abroad for now.
The Tsar and Tsarina were preoccupied with the personal tragedy of Alexei. The best doctors in the world were summoned and sworn to secrecy- their verdict was unanimous: hemophilia, no cure, nothing could be done. The symptoms were intermittent. For weeks or months, Alexei was like any other child: eager to play, to run, with a curious nature. Then he would bump into a wall, a toy, any kind of hard surface. It didn't have to be a particularly hard bump; nobody could ever know when it would happen. The telltale signs would appear: purple splotches under the skin. Soon the pain would start, and their was no relief for it. The doctors had morphine of course, (in those days distilled as laudanum) but they couldn't give it to such a young child without risking his life. And so Alexei would lie in his bed for weeks on end, screaming in agony at the top of his lungs, while his parents could do nothing but wait for him to die. Eventually, however, he recovered each time. The Tsarina believed that these recoveries were due to the intercession of God, and she became more and more religious in the Russian Orthodox church.
The secret of Alexei was well kept: The Tsar, his wife, their daughters, a few members of the immediate family, a few close servants, doctors, a few priests, and the prime minister Stolypin. It was Stolypin who believed that it was necessary to keep Alexei's condition a closely guarded secret, and there were several reasons for this. The first is that he recognized, after Bloody Sunday and the strikes, that the Tsarist regime was highly unstable. The news that the Tsar's heir could die at any moment might throw the economy into even greater chaos. Then there was the important fact that this was the Tsar's only heir; Alexandra could have no more children. Might the news not be the spark that could bring the revolution? Stolypin believed that at all costs was what needed was for the Tsar to project a sense of normalcy, and that would reflect itself in the regime. A breathing space was needed after the disastrous war with Japan and Bloody Sunday and all the strikes. Russia was strong, but needed to recover her strength. Nothing must be allowed to interfere;.
Stolypin was a brilliant man and one of Russia's greatest statesmen in history, yet historians ever since have questioned his wisdom in keeping Alexei's condition a secret. Robert K. Massie in particular, author of Nicholas and Alexandra (I highly recommend this book to anybody interested in this subject), believed that if the Russian people had known, they would have responded with a surge of sympathy for the Tsar which was badly needed, and perhaps more importantly, for the Empress Alexandra, whom they continued to distrust as "the German woman" and whose subsequent actions would baffle them.
For Alexandra's religious pursuits now made her superstitious and accept the more fantastic of the Russian beliefs. Within the Orthodoxy, there existed a secretive group of priests/monks named tsarets who it was said could perform miracles. They traveled the land, penniless and mysterious, doling out wisdom and magic. There was one in particular, a strange man of peasant blood, who had become famous throughout the land for curing the sick. In desperation, after one of Alexei's more terrible bouts, Alexandra sent for him to come to St. Petersburg. This was Gregori Rasputin, the man most responsible for bringing down Tsarist Russia.
The so-called "Russian Revolution" of 1905 petered out quickly after the Tsar announced the formation of the Duma. It had never spread beyond the big cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow (this would be true in 1917 as well) and for now, the workers were eager to end their strikes and bring back a sense of normalcy, even though that normalcy was miserable for them. Nothing was solved. All of the conditions that would eventually cause the Tsarist government to collapse were still in place. Trotsky and the other revolutionaries were forced to flee abroad for now.
The Tsar and Tsarina were preoccupied with the personal tragedy of Alexei. The best doctors in the world were summoned and sworn to secrecy- their verdict was unanimous: hemophilia, no cure, nothing could be done. The symptoms were intermittent. For weeks or months, Alexei was like any other child: eager to play, to run, with a curious nature. Then he would bump into a wall, a toy, any kind of hard surface. It didn't have to be a particularly hard bump; nobody could ever know when it would happen. The telltale signs would appear: purple splotches under the skin. Soon the pain would start, and their was no relief for it. The doctors had morphine of course, (in those days distilled as laudanum) but they couldn't give it to such a young child without risking his life. And so Alexei would lie in his bed for weeks on end, screaming in agony at the top of his lungs, while his parents could do nothing but wait for him to die. Eventually, however, he recovered each time. The Tsarina believed that these recoveries were due to the intercession of God, and she became more and more religious in the Russian Orthodox church.
The secret of Alexei was well kept: The Tsar, his wife, their daughters, a few members of the immediate family, a few close servants, doctors, a few priests, and the prime minister Stolypin. It was Stolypin who believed that it was necessary to keep Alexei's condition a closely guarded secret, and there were several reasons for this. The first is that he recognized, after Bloody Sunday and the strikes, that the Tsarist regime was highly unstable. The news that the Tsar's heir could die at any moment might throw the economy into even greater chaos. Then there was the important fact that this was the Tsar's only heir; Alexandra could have no more children. Might the news not be the spark that could bring the revolution? Stolypin believed that at all costs was what needed was for the Tsar to project a sense of normalcy, and that would reflect itself in the regime. A breathing space was needed after the disastrous war with Japan and Bloody Sunday and all the strikes. Russia was strong, but needed to recover her strength. Nothing must be allowed to interfere;.
Stolypin was a brilliant man and one of Russia's greatest statesmen in history, yet historians ever since have questioned his wisdom in keeping Alexei's condition a secret. Robert K. Massie in particular, author of Nicholas and Alexandra (I highly recommend this book to anybody interested in this subject), believed that if the Russian people had known, they would have responded with a surge of sympathy for the Tsar which was badly needed, and perhaps more importantly, for the Empress Alexandra, whom they continued to distrust as "the German woman" and whose subsequent actions would baffle them.
For Alexandra's religious pursuits now made her superstitious and accept the more fantastic of the Russian beliefs. Within the Orthodoxy, there existed a secretive group of priests/monks named tsarets who it was said could perform miracles. They traveled the land, penniless and mysterious, doling out wisdom and magic. There was one in particular, a strange man of peasant blood, who had become famous throughout the land for curing the sick. In desperation, after one of Alexei's more terrible bouts, Alexandra sent for him to come to St. Petersburg. This was Gregori Rasputin, the man most responsible for bringing down Tsarist Russia.
Redwes25
Footballguy
I think it was a mistake to keep the illness a secret but it it is hard to know how Russia would react but it would have gone directly to the biggest compliant against him which was that he was distant and uncaring. I think keeping the fact Alexandra could have no more children was less of an issue.
Also, will just add that saying the Winter Palace (Hermitage) is one place that everyone should see if they are able. Combining a stunning building with one of the world's greatest museums make it an amazing place to visit. I have been to many of great museums of the world and in my mind it surpasses them all. I was there when the "Hidden Treasures Revealed" exhibit was on display and it was amazing to see the art that had been thought lost for years but the Soviets had just stolen from the Nazis and kept it hidden for 50 years.
Last;u, I had understood that Tsars preferred Pushkin since it was remote and more secure and that was true prior to Bloody Sunday. Also, that place is just amazing as well and reminds me a lot of Versailles.
Also, will just add that saying the Winter Palace (Hermitage) is one place that everyone should see if they are able. Combining a stunning building with one of the world's greatest museums make it an amazing place to visit. I have been to many of great museums of the world and in my mind it surpasses them all. I was there when the "Hidden Treasures Revealed" exhibit was on display and it was amazing to see the art that had been thought lost for years but the Soviets had just stolen from the Nazis and kept it hidden for 50 years.
Last;u, I had understood that Tsars preferred Pushkin since it was remote and more secure and that was true prior to Bloody Sunday. Also, that place is just amazing as well and reminds me a lot of Versailles.
timschochet
Footballguy
I'm just excited to see that somebody is reading this thread. I was beginning to wonder.
When you wrote Pushkin, I think you're referring to Tsarskoye Selo, which was about 15 miles south of St. Petersburg. It is true that both before and especially after Bloody Sunday the Tsar preferred to stay there:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsarskoye_Selo
Redwes25
Footballguy
Yup, it is just easier to type Pushkin then Tsarskoye Selo (which is in Pushkin). My point was the Tsar shouldn't get any credit for staying there over the Winter Palace as it is over the top as well. I think it was more about security then being in downtown St. Petersburg.
ETA - also when I was in Russia people just called it Pushkin so was using that.
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SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
Father Grigori
Rasputin was 37 when he first met the Tsarina in 1906. Ironically he had been introduced to her by Stolypin (ironic because the two would soon become mortal enemies.) The priest had "healed" one of the Prime Minister's chidren, and now he (Stolypin) recommended this "man of God" to visit Alexei and see what might be done. Alexei was in one of his bouts of agonizing pain, and the doctors predicted this time with certainty that he would die. But Rasputin, visiting Alexandra, whom he referred to in peasant style as "Mother" (the Tsar and Tsarina were the "parents" of the Russian people) promised her that the boy would not die. And he kept his promise- after visiting with Alexei, the pain and agony ceased, and the little boy was OK again.
Modern historians are in disagreement about what actually took place here. Some believe that Rasputin arrived, conveniently, at the end of the boy's cycle of pain. Others note that Rasputin's contemporaries spoke of his "intense eyes" and have made the assumption that he was a natural hypnotist, and so "cured" Alexei by hypnotizing him. Whether or not a small child can actually be hypnotized into being freed of pain is a question I can't answer and I'm not aware of other famous historical examples.
This much is known: whatever Father Grigori did, it worked, and the Empress believed that God had worked His miracles through Rasputin. Rasputin may or may not have believed this himself. There is a lot we don't know about this strange man. Again, some historians believe he was a con man through and through, looking for the main chance. Others believe he was sincere- to a point. Alexandra took him to be a savior.
Rasputin must have seemed very strange to the Russian nobility. He was a peasant through and through. He smelled awful because he refused to bathe often. His manners at table and elsewhere were rude. He claimed that the two greatest evils in the world were drink and sex, and he committed himself to both as part of his "struggle with Satan" which he shamelessly admitted he was losing. He seemed to enjoy losing.
His approach to sex was particularly interesting. According to all accounts, he would inform the rich and titled women of St. Petersburg that they were sinful because they thought about adultery, and that the only way they could purge their sin was to indulge in it fully and get it out of their system, at which point he would grab them, rip their clothes off and "meet Satan together." Most of the women seemed to love it, and love him. Given his own dacha (small palace), Rasputin threw enormous parties which usually became orgies. No "sin" failed to be practiced. He spent money which the Tsarina had given him lavishly on all. Then he would beg God humbly for forgiveness, a few weeks would go by, and another orgy.
If the Tsarina was aware of Rasputin's indulgences, she said nothing about it. All she knew was that "sainted man" was healing her son. But the Tsar wasn't sure he liked him. And the Tsar's ministers were shocked and outraged. Soon all of St. Petersburg was talking about this odd man- what hold did he have on the German woman? Alexandra was disliked anyhow and Rasputin made it worse. Because Alexei's health was a secret, nobody knew exactly what was going on. And shortly outside events would make everything worse...
Rasputin was 37 when he first met the Tsarina in 1906. Ironically he had been introduced to her by Stolypin (ironic because the two would soon become mortal enemies.) The priest had "healed" one of the Prime Minister's chidren, and now he (Stolypin) recommended this "man of God" to visit Alexei and see what might be done. Alexei was in one of his bouts of agonizing pain, and the doctors predicted this time with certainty that he would die. But Rasputin, visiting Alexandra, whom he referred to in peasant style as "Mother" (the Tsar and Tsarina were the "parents" of the Russian people) promised her that the boy would not die. And he kept his promise- after visiting with Alexei, the pain and agony ceased, and the little boy was OK again.
Modern historians are in disagreement about what actually took place here. Some believe that Rasputin arrived, conveniently, at the end of the boy's cycle of pain. Others note that Rasputin's contemporaries spoke of his "intense eyes" and have made the assumption that he was a natural hypnotist, and so "cured" Alexei by hypnotizing him. Whether or not a small child can actually be hypnotized into being freed of pain is a question I can't answer and I'm not aware of other famous historical examples.
This much is known: whatever Father Grigori did, it worked, and the Empress believed that God had worked His miracles through Rasputin. Rasputin may or may not have believed this himself. There is a lot we don't know about this strange man. Again, some historians believe he was a con man through and through, looking for the main chance. Others believe he was sincere- to a point. Alexandra took him to be a savior.
Rasputin must have seemed very strange to the Russian nobility. He was a peasant through and through. He smelled awful because he refused to bathe often. His manners at table and elsewhere were rude. He claimed that the two greatest evils in the world were drink and sex, and he committed himself to both as part of his "struggle with Satan" which he shamelessly admitted he was losing. He seemed to enjoy losing.
His approach to sex was particularly interesting. According to all accounts, he would inform the rich and titled women of St. Petersburg that they were sinful because they thought about adultery, and that the only way they could purge their sin was to indulge in it fully and get it out of their system, at which point he would grab them, rip their clothes off and "meet Satan together." Most of the women seemed to love it, and love him. Given his own dacha (small palace), Rasputin threw enormous parties which usually became orgies. No "sin" failed to be practiced. He spent money which the Tsarina had given him lavishly on all. Then he would beg God humbly for forgiveness, a few weeks would go by, and another orgy.
If the Tsarina was aware of Rasputin's indulgences, she said nothing about it. All she knew was that "sainted man" was healing her son. But the Tsar wasn't sure he liked him. And the Tsar's ministers were shocked and outraged. Soon all of St. Petersburg was talking about this odd man- what hold did he have on the German woman? Alexandra was disliked anyhow and Rasputin made it worse. Because Alexei's health was a secret, nobody knew exactly what was going on. And shortly outside events would make everything worse...
MrJimiT
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
The last great statesman
Pyotr Stolypin, the Prime Minister of Russia during the years following the 1905 Revolution, detested Rasputin. However, it was his decision to keep Alexei's illness quiet, and this created an atmosphere in which the Russian public could not understand the hold that Rasputin had over the Empress; they believed it to be sexual in nature, and remained suspicious of her due to her German origins. (When I speak of the "Russian public" here I am referring almost exclusively to the nobility and the upper classes that participated in Russian society, perhaps 3% of the total population. The workers and peasants, if they had viewpoints about these issues, went unrecorded.) Because Stolypin disliked Rasputin, Empress Alexandra disliked Stolypin, and constantly urged her husband to fire him. But the Tsar recognized that Stolypin was his most brilliant statesman, and refused to get rid of him. However, under pressure by his wife, he reduced Stolypin's influence over the next few years.
Despite this, Stolypin made a number of moves during these years which paved the way for a prosperous Russia. A believer in the ultimate values of capitalism but not of an established aristocracy, he began to break up the great estates and started a land reform movement which would give the more prosperous peasants the ability to profit from their own production. In what was considered a radical idea at the time, Stolypin reduced taxes on the most productive agricultural areas, reasoning that the more unhindered they were, the more revenue would be forthcoming. Today economists believe that, had these measures continued, Russia would have become a completely different society, and the revolution might never have taken place.
In foreign affairs, Stolypin was careful to maintain a balance between the growing enmity of England and Germany. Both nations knew that a showdown was eventually coming. Both nations wanted Russia to be on their side (though the Kaiser would have been satisfied with simply a neutral Russia.) Stolypin recognized that it was not in Russia's long term interests for Germany to become the dominant power in Europe. Yet he also recognized that the Russian military was nowhere near ready for a war- the Japanese debacle had taught him that much. Therefore he threaded the needle, making it plain to the Kaiser that in any struggle between Germany and England, Russia would favor England, but never going so far as to commit Russia to any actual guarantees. This he hoped would contain Germany while preventing war. Stolypin was successful, and again, had he continued as Prime Minister, perhaps he could have avoided Russia entering into World War I. (or even more impressive, caused the Kaiser to avoid starting it.)
As part of this strategy, Stolypin urged the Tsar not to guarantee Balkan sovereignty. Nicholas balked at this; it was a tradition that the Romanov Tsars were the protectors of Serbia. Well and good, Stolypin argued, but that doesn't mean we need to go to war with Germany over a small country filled with radicals of which we have no control. Unfortunately for Stolypin, at this point he was so estranged from Alexandra that Nicholas didn't pay too much attention to him.
The Russian revolutionaries (at this point I am including Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, Social Revolutionaries, and Anarchists) correctly perceived Pyotr Stolypin as the greatest threat to their hope of eventual overthrow of the Tsarist regime, because he was having so much success. The land reforms, and the Duma, and his foreign policy successes, were stabilizing the Tsarist regime. Even the factory workers had more money to spend, and capitalism was actually starting to work. That couldn't be tolerated. On September 5, 1911, Pyotr Stolypin was in Kiev attending a Rimsky-Korsakov concert, with the Tsar and his two oldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana. A leftist revolutionary named Bogrov entered the box and shot Stolypin. He was arrested and hanged 4 days later, after a quick trial.
But this is not as simple as it sounds. Questions began to be asked: how did Bogrov get into the box, when it was surrounded by Tsarist guards? Rumors were spread that Bogrov was actually a member of the Okhrana (Tsarist secret police) posing as a leftist and informing on them, and that the assassination of Stolypin was plotted by right wing aristocrats who detested the land reforms. Other rumors pointed to Rasputin and his allies. Bogrov, in the days left before his hanging, claimed he was trying to stop anti-Semitic pogroms which Stolypin had ordered, but that makes no sense because Stolypin was notable for his criticism of the Tsar's anti-Semitic measures. Years later, Alexander Solsynitzhen, in his novel August 1914, dramatized the assassination of Stolypin and did in fact blame right wing elements.
Today, Pyotr Stolypin is widely considered by Russians to be the greatest statesman and prime minister in their history. Most Russians who aware of that history (and it is important to note here that Russians as a general rule have a far better knowledge and grasp of historical events than do their American counterparts) firmly believe that had Stolypin continued as Prime Minister, both World War I and the Russian Revolution of 1917 would have been avoided. Even Putin has made this point from time to time. Personally I don't know if it's true, but it's pretty obvious he was the last best hope. After his death, everything went downhill fairly quickly...
Pyotr Stolypin, the Prime Minister of Russia during the years following the 1905 Revolution, detested Rasputin. However, it was his decision to keep Alexei's illness quiet, and this created an atmosphere in which the Russian public could not understand the hold that Rasputin had over the Empress; they believed it to be sexual in nature, and remained suspicious of her due to her German origins. (When I speak of the "Russian public" here I am referring almost exclusively to the nobility and the upper classes that participated in Russian society, perhaps 3% of the total population. The workers and peasants, if they had viewpoints about these issues, went unrecorded.) Because Stolypin disliked Rasputin, Empress Alexandra disliked Stolypin, and constantly urged her husband to fire him. But the Tsar recognized that Stolypin was his most brilliant statesman, and refused to get rid of him. However, under pressure by his wife, he reduced Stolypin's influence over the next few years.
Despite this, Stolypin made a number of moves during these years which paved the way for a prosperous Russia. A believer in the ultimate values of capitalism but not of an established aristocracy, he began to break up the great estates and started a land reform movement which would give the more prosperous peasants the ability to profit from their own production. In what was considered a radical idea at the time, Stolypin reduced taxes on the most productive agricultural areas, reasoning that the more unhindered they were, the more revenue would be forthcoming. Today economists believe that, had these measures continued, Russia would have become a completely different society, and the revolution might never have taken place.
In foreign affairs, Stolypin was careful to maintain a balance between the growing enmity of England and Germany. Both nations knew that a showdown was eventually coming. Both nations wanted Russia to be on their side (though the Kaiser would have been satisfied with simply a neutral Russia.) Stolypin recognized that it was not in Russia's long term interests for Germany to become the dominant power in Europe. Yet he also recognized that the Russian military was nowhere near ready for a war- the Japanese debacle had taught him that much. Therefore he threaded the needle, making it plain to the Kaiser that in any struggle between Germany and England, Russia would favor England, but never going so far as to commit Russia to any actual guarantees. This he hoped would contain Germany while preventing war. Stolypin was successful, and again, had he continued as Prime Minister, perhaps he could have avoided Russia entering into World War I. (or even more impressive, caused the Kaiser to avoid starting it.)
As part of this strategy, Stolypin urged the Tsar not to guarantee Balkan sovereignty. Nicholas balked at this; it was a tradition that the Romanov Tsars were the protectors of Serbia. Well and good, Stolypin argued, but that doesn't mean we need to go to war with Germany over a small country filled with radicals of which we have no control. Unfortunately for Stolypin, at this point he was so estranged from Alexandra that Nicholas didn't pay too much attention to him.
The Russian revolutionaries (at this point I am including Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, Social Revolutionaries, and Anarchists) correctly perceived Pyotr Stolypin as the greatest threat to their hope of eventual overthrow of the Tsarist regime, because he was having so much success. The land reforms, and the Duma, and his foreign policy successes, were stabilizing the Tsarist regime. Even the factory workers had more money to spend, and capitalism was actually starting to work. That couldn't be tolerated. On September 5, 1911, Pyotr Stolypin was in Kiev attending a Rimsky-Korsakov concert, with the Tsar and his two oldest daughters, Olga and Tatiana. A leftist revolutionary named Bogrov entered the box and shot Stolypin. He was arrested and hanged 4 days later, after a quick trial.
But this is not as simple as it sounds. Questions began to be asked: how did Bogrov get into the box, when it was surrounded by Tsarist guards? Rumors were spread that Bogrov was actually a member of the Okhrana (Tsarist secret police) posing as a leftist and informing on them, and that the assassination of Stolypin was plotted by right wing aristocrats who detested the land reforms. Other rumors pointed to Rasputin and his allies. Bogrov, in the days left before his hanging, claimed he was trying to stop anti-Semitic pogroms which Stolypin had ordered, but that makes no sense because Stolypin was notable for his criticism of the Tsar's anti-Semitic measures. Years later, Alexander Solsynitzhen, in his novel August 1914, dramatized the assassination of Stolypin and did in fact blame right wing elements.
Today, Pyotr Stolypin is widely considered by Russians to be the greatest statesman and prime minister in their history. Most Russians who aware of that history (and it is important to note here that Russians as a general rule have a far better knowledge and grasp of historical events than do their American counterparts) firmly believe that had Stolypin continued as Prime Minister, both World War I and the Russian Revolution of 1917 would have been avoided. Even Putin has made this point from time to time. Personally I don't know if it's true, but it's pretty obvious he was the last best hope. After his death, everything went downhill fairly quickly...
timschochet
Footballguy
Regarding the admiration of Stolypin by Vladimir Putin: it seems very odd to me. Putin has claimed time and again that this is his favorite Russian, but Putin is nothing at all like him. In foreign affairs, Stolypin was a reformer who tried to split up the great estates; Putin is the head of the new Russian aristocracy which corruptly controls all business interests in the country. In foreign affairs, Stolypin was cautious, cognizant of Russia's limitations, and tried to develop trade agreements and keep the peace by avoiding direct alliances and military commitments. Putin, on the other hand, is a wild adventurer, desiring Soviet influence back and throwing caution to the wind, especially in his dealings with Crimea and Georgia.
This may be nothing more than Putin praising the last, great non-Soviet Russian in the way that Trump might praise Abraham Lincoln or Andrew Jackson without truly understanding either man. But it still seems strange.
This may be nothing more than Putin praising the last, great non-Soviet Russian in the way that Trump might praise Abraham Lincoln or Andrew Jackson without truly understanding either man. But it still seems strange.
MikeIke
Footballguy
I've been reading it, just have nothing to add since this is mostly new to me.
You did cause me to go read the wiki on the Russo-Japanese war, which in turn led me to the Sino-Japanese war, so I've learned quite a bit.
