Now we move on to the main part of the episode, to our main topic.
Two Revolutions in One Year
The year 1917 was a turning point for Russia — that is, important events happened for the country. Two revolutions occurred in the same year. This is unusual even in world history. Let's understand it step by step.
The February Revolution happened in February. People took to the streets of Petrograd (as the city of St. Petersburg was called then). The people lacked bread, work, and freedom. World War I was ongoing, and the people were tired of the hard life. Revolutionaries prepared different layers of the population for an upheaval in the country — for a revolution. The army stopped obeying the tsar, they didn't want to fight, they fled from battles. And on March 2, 1917, Tsar Nicholas II signed his abdication from the throne. Abdication from the throne is an official declaration of the cessation of his reign — his rule. That is, the tsar ceased to be tsar. This was an important event at that time. Some people did not understand how one could live without a tsar.
Thus ended the 300-year rule of the Romanov dynasty. A dynasty is when power in a country is passed down within one family from father to son (or from elder to younger relative) over many years. Russia was ruled by the Romanov dynasty. The Russian Empire ceased to exist. The Provisional Government came to power. This government was supposed to exist for some time until important issues were resolved: what type of state the new Russia would be, how to arrange the fate of the country, what reforms needed to be carried out. Reforms are changes to improve the situation for the better.
But the Provisional Government did not solve the main issues: about land, about peace, about power. The people waited for change, but the government said: "Let's wait until the war ends." That is, they waited for World War I to end.
The October Revolution happened on October 25. On this day, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power. Remember the word "Bolsheviks," those who are for the people, who are the majority.
The key event that signaled the beginning of the revolution was a shot from the cruiser "Aurora" (this is a warship, and "Aurora" is its name). The ship gave the signal to storm the palace — the residence of the Provisional Government. The shot became a symbol of the beginning of a new era. The cruiser "Aurora" now stands off the coast of the city of St. Petersburg and is a museum. If you plan to visit this beautiful city, you can visit this museum on the water.
The Bolsheviks promised the people three things: peace, land, and bread. They said: "All power to the Soviets!" and "Factories to the workers, land to the peasants!" The word "Soviets" essentially means "socialist," that is, all power should belong to socialist society, where all power is with the people.
Who Were These Revolutionaries?
Vladimir Lenin was the leader of the revolutionaries. He was the leader of the Bolsheviks. He was born in the city of Simbirsk, studied to be a lawyer, but became a professional revolutionary. He spent many years in emigration abroad — in Switzerland, Germany, France. In April 1917, he returned to Russia. Interestingly, the Germans (Germany) helped Lenin return to Russia. Why? They wanted Russia to leave the war so that Germany could concentrate on the Western Front. That is, Russia would exit the war, and German troops could transfer their forces from the Eastern Front to the Western Front. German money helped the Bolsheviks carry out their revolutionary work.
You probably know the historical figure Joseph Stalin. Joseph Stalin was Lenin's closest associate (a person who helped Lenin in everything). He was born in Georgia, studied in a theological seminary (that is, he was preparing to become a person who should devote himself to spiritual matters, to be closer to God), but became a revolutionary. During the revolution, he was in Petrograd (remember – that's the name of the city of St. Petersburg) and helped organize the seizure of power. After Lenin's death, Stalin became the sole ruler of the USSR.
What Did the Revolutionaries Want?
The revolutionaries dreamed of a just society. They wanted there to be no rich and poor, for the land to belong to the peasants, and the factories to the workers. They believed it was possible to build a new society where everyone was equal. They dreamed of equality for the people. There should be no rich people.
The Execution of the Royal Family
After Nicholas II's abdication from the throne, the royal family was sent to Siberia, to the city of Tobolsk, and then to Yekaterinburg. Lenin believed that a "living tsar" was dangerous for the revolution. As long as the tsar lived, there was a risk that someone might try to restore him to the throne, and this could not be allowed. On the night of July 17, 1918, the family of the last emperor of Russia was awakened (they were sleeping) and taken to the basement of a house. There they were shot with pistols. Together with Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, their five children, and four servants were killed. This was a terrible event.
For many years, the execution of the royal family was kept a secret. The burial site was carefully hidden. Nowhere was it reported what had happened to the royal family. Only at the end of the 20th century were the remains of the royal family found and buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
My Personal Story
I was born in the Republic of Turkmenistan in 1979. Turkmenistan was then part of the Soviet Union. When I started school, I was first accepted into the Oktyabryata. The Oktyabryata were the first step on the path to the Komsomol. The Oktyabryata were also a movement almost like the Pioneers, only for younger children. We wore a badge — a red star with a portrait of a young Lenin, a photograph of Lenin when he was only 5-6 years old. Then, in the third grade, I became a pioneer. It was very solemn. We took an oath of readiness to help our neighbors in everything, and a red neckerchief was tied around our necks. The pioneer scarf was a symbol of unity with the Communist Party. We greeted each other with the words: "Be ready! — Always ready!"
I didn't have time to join the Komsomol because the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, when I was 12 years old. So I remained a pioneer. After the collapse of the Union, the movement of the Oktyabryata, Pioneers, and Komsomol ceased to exist.
But in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. I found myself abroad, although I always considered myself Russian. My family lived in Turkmenistan, which became an independent state. In 1996, I moved to Russia. It was a difficult time. The country was changing before our eyes. Soviet symbols were disappearing. Pioneer neckerchiefs, Komsomol badges — all that became a thing of the past.
I remember how in 1991, when the USSR collapsed, many people cried. They didn't understand how one could live without the country in which they were born. And I suddenly found myself abroad. It was a strange feeling: you're sort of home, but the country is no longer the same. And in 1996, I finally moved to Russia. It was a return home.
Conclusion
Today we learned:
· That in 1917, two revolutions happened in Russia.
· That the February Revolution overthrew the tsar, and the October Revolution brought the Bolsheviks to power.
· That Lenin and Stalin were the main figures of the revolution.
· That the royal family was executed in 1918.
· That I myself was an Oktyabryonok, a pioneer, and a Komsomol member, and then found myself abroad after the collapse of the USSR.
Coming up soon in the podcast is a new topic that will make many foreigners' eyes pop! We'll talk about the traditional Russian wedding. Why do guests shout "Bitterly!"? Why does the groom have to pay a ransom for the bride? And where did the custom of greeting the newlyweds with a loaf of bread come from?
You will learn how our ancestors chose wives and husbands, why the bride had to cry before the wedding, and what the most beautiful rituals really meant. No dry facts — just living history and the language people speak today.