Expectations Change That Led Revolution Compare Contrast

Expectations Change That Led Revolution

Compare Contrast Expectations Change Led Revolution 1917/Civil War Realities

How the ideological changes that accompanied the revolution shaped the arts/culture of Russia/USSR

The social and economic systems experienced tremendous transitions occasioning to stress among the populations of Russia. The great reforms formed a cautious path to modernization and reform. Through emancipation, peasants were allowed to own pieces of land and had the personal freedom to share their pieces of land. However, these peasants were not happy with the settlement programs based on emancipation because they held the belief that they were legal owners of the land. This claim became a major source of discontent leading to the 1917 peasant revolution (Sampson & Marienhoff, 2008).

Russia experienced a turning point at the onset of 1917; the nation was prepared for revolution and indeed, they saw the first revolution, which brought rapid changes and increased social opportunities. Huge traffics of peasants migrated from agrarian to industrialized working environments while many other relocated, thus creating more space for increasing urban workforce. There was an increase in the number of white-collar middle class employees, professionals and businesspersons. They comprised of engineers, journalists, teachers, lawyers, and doctors. The economy was increasingly changing even forcing the noble people to develop new mechanisms of subsisting. On the other hand, contemporaries were submerged in discussions about new emerging classes (capitalists and proletarians) although the classes were also divided based on belief, gender, ethnicity, age and social status (University of Pittsburgh & American Political Science Association, 2005).

It became evident that speaking about boundaries and social groups was becoming harder. Groups were fractured in a variety of ways, the boundaries, which defined them became invisible as peasants, gentry professionals, and employee intellectuals were increasingly migrating. Everyone felt the transforming life texture; the spread of commercial culture resurfaced the materials of life including machines, clocks, fashion, advertisements, and buildings nurturing the desire for new objects. These changes evidence the fact that the revolution was a profound social revolution (Rossman, 2010). The state and the peasants did not benefit in any way from emancipation. Rapid population increase, which doubled and productivity decreased thus leading to increased hardships. The rural peasants lived in varied economic conditions with no economic gains. In addition, at the turn of the century, 80% of the population comprised of peasants living at the helm of disasters. Families perished because of illness, poor local conditions and large regimes were swept away by periodic disasters such as famine. Persisting land disparities, poverty among peasants, differences in privileges and wealth between landowners and peasants prompted the peasants to become violent in the 1917 revolution (Sampson & Marienhoff, 2008).

At the beginning of 1880s, leaders in Russia realized that it was unnecessary for the republic of Russia to remain in the agrarian century. It was essential for the country to embrace industrialization if they desired to sustain a great economic status in the world. Through steps taken by the government, industrialization was spurred introducing new measures such as direct investment, fiscal policies, and tariffs for private entrepreneurs. A phenomenal industrial development was witnessed in the nation of Russia (Rossman, 2010). Industrial revolution took place in Russia during the decades of imperialism in Russia with no future economic hopes. Industrialization came along with massive social constraints on the people. Despite the fact that people were already poor, they were pushed down the poverty line by higher taxes, prices, and tariffs. These stresses become evident while the country was headed towards developing enormous industries, which had the possibility of reinventing the future economy of Russia.

The country paid heavily for the services of industrialization, and such excess costs were destructive to the Russian society, precisely in agriculture. Industrialization led to enormous social transformations and political implications. The traditional forms of estates hierarchy of peasant, merchant, clergy and noble became redundant after they were replaced with new forms of social structured founded on economic and profession functions of the new age of industrialization. Courtesy of this new structure, new aspirations and identities emerged, which played a key role in the success of the revolution as well as the outcome (University of Pittsburgh & American Political Science Association, 2005).

The new form of social structure was characterized by industrial work labor. This was a critical class, which was never categorized under the traditional social structure. The old social structure grouped individuals according to the estates where they originated. The peasants formed the lowest social class including laborers and artisans. Because the industrial workforce formed an important class in the society, it became a suitable target for use as a force of revolution (Rossman, 2010). Focus was directed towards the wretched living and working conditions. There was a great degree of social tension stemming from adjustments to the new factory and urban conditions. However, the working and living conditions were terrible and became worse. The factory workers were forced to labor for prolonged hours, low wages, degrading systems, unsafe conditions of industrial discipline and no employment care or security if injured or ill. Housing conditions were unsanitary, overcrowded and with no privacy.

Many industrial employees resided in barracks where some workers shared housing facilities such as beddings thus sleeping in shifts. Families had to share tiny housing rooms amongst themselves. Because of the working conditions, these workers were left extremely poor and lost personal sense of dignity. There was rampant alcoholism and diseases; thousands of lives were swept away by epidemics of cholera and other related diseases. The socio-economic plight was evidenced by the disparities between the upper and middle classes estates. The district of the upper class had electric water systems, paved streets, and electric lighting systems. The districts of workers streets were featured by dirt, diseases and filth prevailed, as well as people used kerosene lamps (University of Pittsburgh & American Political Science Association, 2005).

The government suppressed efforts from educated workers championing and organizing for improved working and living conditions. In fact, the government introduced policies of industrialization, which relied on the economic benefits of the cheap workforce, whose supply was inexhaustible. This mirrored the ruling class mentality accustomed to the perception that hard labor and poverty are naturally conditioned to peasants. The Russian government did not establish frameworks for industrial employees to could air their grievances in legal processes. This worked as a precipitate of political radicalization. Because workers were denied the right and freedom to pursue and organize their economic interests in a legalized manner, they resorted to illegal collaborations with revolutionary parties and illegal actions. This led to the emergence of a deeply aggrieved working class population that saw a linkage between their own wretched living and working conditions and the political system. This class of workers was concentrated in industrial centers such as Moscow, giving them the power to have an upper hand in political influence. Industries in the cities provide an appropriate ground for mobilization and organization (Sampson & Marienhoff, 2008).