Russia was already in a food shortage leading up to 1917. World war one had left a major portion of the country hungry and poor. Russia’s grain harvest had left a large surplus in previous years, so there is no surprise that Russian officials estimated there would be plenty of grain to go around in […]
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Week 3 Posts
Soviet State “Security”
by zmartin •
“Dzherzhinskii asks: “Comrade Lenin, when should we execute people, before or after lunch?” Lenin: “Before lunch, absolutely, and then you can give their lunches to the children of workers. Workers’ children are starving”. The state security of the Soviets was officially established December 7, 1917. They are the precursor to all other state security […]
Week 3 Posts
War Means No Food, No Food Means War
by phillip5 •
Russia was already in a food shortage leading up to 1917. World war one had left a major portion of the country hungry and poor. Russia’s grain harvest had left a large surplus in previous years, so there is no surprise that Russian officials estimated there would be plenty of grain to go around in […]
Motherblog Central Directives
1905: Revolution and Constitutional Experiment
by A Nelson •
Choosing posts for the slider this week was a challenge as there were many excellent options. This week’s submissions covered topics ranging from the career of Sergei Witte and the increasing social tensions that emerged in the wake of the state’s modernization campaign, to Lenin’s ideology, the Russo-Japanese War, Bloody Sunday, Father Gapon,The October Manifesto,…
Blogpost Guidelines, Motherblog Central Directives
Third Blogpost Guidelines
by A Nelson •
It’s time for more war and revolution! This week we move into range of a fabulous digital archive that will inspire us for the rest of the term. The topic of your post this week is the end of the autocracy and the two revolutions of 1917. Use the resources in Seventeen Moments of Soviet…
Week 2 Posts
Never Underestimate Your Enemies
by Steven Nagy •
As I went about trying to figure out how I was going to approach the discussion of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 and 1905 I came across the picture above, which I later discovered was part of a collection of Japanese woodblock prints that depicted portions of this war. I was further intrigued by the […]
Uncategorized
Октября Манифестъ
by jmhawkins •
The October Manifesto was created out of the hope for changed, signed out of fear, and not fully used until the “Fundamental Laws” was written almost 6 months later. The year of 1905 proved to hold the biggest trouble for … Continue reading →
Uncategorized
The Duma of the Russian Empire
by oliva2015 •
The Russian Duma was intended to act as a steady transition towards a more democratic Russia, controlled and guided by the Tsar. However, this first meeting of the Duma (seen above) was far from a controlled change. The Duma spiraled … Continue reading →
Uncategorized
Weak Fixes for Growing Problems
by Alex Apollonio •
Last week, I alluded to Nicholas II’s unwillingness to give up absolute power in a time of growing unrest in his country. Of the failed ploys by Russian monarchists to appease revolutionary forces, none were on such a large scale … Continue reading →
Uncategorized
Sticking it to Stolypin: Conflicting Views
by jimmy jewett •
Pyotr Stolypin was a major political player during the last decade of the Russian Empire. He rose to power on the back of the Russian Revolution of 1905, and tended to side with the Octoberists, a slightly more conservative group … Continue reading →