Revolutions in India, Mexico, and Russia during the early twentieth century

Revolutions of the Early 20th Century

This is a paper on revolutions in India, Mexico, and Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. There are three references used for this paper.

For centuries, there have been revolutions throughout the world. It is interesting to compare the differences among the revolutions in India, Mexico and Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, including the motivations behind the revolutions.

Great Britain vs. India

India came under British rule in 1757 with the "defeat of the Nawab of Bengal at Plassey, and by 1818 the British controlled nearly all of India south of the Sutlej River and had reduced to vassalage their most powerful Indian enemies, the state of Mysore and the Marathas. Only Sind and Punjab remained completely independent (Unknown)." While Great Britain controlled the agricultural interests of India and created a negative impact on the exportation of cotton goods, they were instrumental in improving irrigation and transportation.

As the British control expanded to include Sind and Punjab, social unrest began to surface. While the Indian Mutiny of 1857 was suppressed, it led to reforms which resulted in more Indians in the British army and "native rulers being guaranteed the integrity of their domains as long as they recognized the British as paramount (Unknown)." As government universities were established, an "Indian middle class emerged and advocated further reform. Popular nationalist sentiment was perhaps most strongly aroused when in 1905, for administrative reason, Viceroy Curzon partitioned Bengal into two presidencies. In the early 1900s the British had widened Indian participation in legislative councils, and separate Muslim constituencies, introduced for the first time, were to be a major factor in the growing split between the two communities (Unknown)."

When World War I began, Great Britain had the full support of India. However, there quickly became discontent among the Indians when the promise of eventual self-government never materialized, millions died due to influenza and the country experienced crop failures between 1918 and 1919. The passage of the Rowlatt Acts in 1919 by Britain, "which enabled authorities to dispense with juries, and even trials, in dealing with agitators, lead Mohandas K. Gandhi to organize the first of his many passive-resistance campaigns. The massacre of Indians by British troops at Amritsar further inflamed the situation (Unknown)." Although the "Government of India Act in late 1919 allowed elected Indian ministers to share power with appointed British governors and ministers, and created provisions for periodic revisions, Gandhi felt too little progress had been made, and he organized new protests (Unknown)." These protests led to Imperial conferences in the early 1930's, resulting in elections of entirely "Indian provincial governments and a federal legislature in Delhi (Unknown)."

Russia's Revolution

The Russian Revolution in 1917 was a result of a strain on the political system due to Russia becoming more industrialized. "Attempts by the lower classes to gain more freedom provoked fears of anarchy, and the government remained extremely conservative. As Russia became more industrialized, larger, and far more complicated, the inadequacies of autocratic Tsarist rule became increasingly apparent. By the twentieth century conditions were ripe for a serious convulsion (http://www.interknowledge.com/russia/rushis06.htm)."

War with Japan in 1905 led the soviets to unite under the Social Democratic party, and forced Nicholas II to "grant concessions to reformers, including a constitution and a parliament, or Duma (http://www.interknowledge.com/russia/rushis06.htm)." Nicholas attempted to remove the concessions after the war, which resulted in "popular discontent gaining strength. Nicholas countered it with increased repression, maintaining control but worsening relations with the population. In 1912, the Social Democrats split into two camps- the radical Bolsheviks and the comparatively moderate Menshiviks (http://www.interknowledge.com/russia/rushis06.htm)."

The First World War had a dramatic effect on Russia. The country was not prepared for the war industrially or militarily, resulting in "demoralizing defeats, severe food shortages and economic collapse. By February of 1917, the workers and soldiers had had enough, causing riots to break out in St. Petersburg, and the garrison there to mutiny (http://www.interknowledge.com/russia/rushis06.htm)." In an effort to restore order, a Provisional Government was created by the Duma, leading to the abdication of the throne by Nicholas. The Provisional Government made a promise to reform worker's rights, but was "unwillingly to endorse the most pressing demand of the soviets- an immediate end to the war. For the next nine months, the Provisional Government unsuccessfully attempted to establish its authority, while the Bolsheviks gained increasing support from the ever more frustrated soviets (http://www.interknowledge.com/russia/rushis06.htm)." The Kerensky government was deposed October 25 when Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik army overtook the Winter Palace. The Bolsheviks did not control the "country as a whole, but were successful in taking Russia out of the war (http://www.interknowledge.com/russia/rushis06.htm)." Soon afterward, Russia found itself in the midst of a civil war which lasted until 1920, when the Bolsheviks finally won the war.

Conclusion revolution in a country can be caused by any number of reasons. At the beginning of the 20th century, India, Mexico and Russia found themselves in the middle of revolutions, each with a different purpose and outcome.