Top 10 Horrific Facts of the Russian Revolution You Didn’t Know

How much do you really know about the Russian Revolution? Most people only know the story of the execution of the Tsar and his family… But, there were many other interesting stories that led up to this moment – and are also quite interesting and gave rise to the Soviet Union (and history as we know it today).

Bloody Sunday was the catalyst 

_{Photo by Mihai Paraschiv from Pixabay}

The “Bloody Sunday” triggered the Russian Revolution. Father Gapon and his supporters organized a peaceful workers’ march, asking for rights and better working conditions. But, they were faced with a ruthless response from the Tsarist authorities.

When the marchers in St. Petersburg requested Tsar Nicholas II to implement better working conditions and higher wages, the Imperial Guard unleashed their weapons on the unarmed protesters, leading to the death of hundreds of people. Tragically, the march quickly escalated into the massacre of around 200 protesters.

This tragedy gained the title of “Bloody Sunday” and left an indelible mark on the Russian people. It stirred up widespread anger and unrest throughout the country. The Russian people were outraged by the cruelty of their government’s reaction and pleaded for justice, which ultimately triggered a hatred of the royal family – and everything related to the monarchy.

The losses of almost 2 million soldiers in WWI were the straw that broke the camel’s back

One major catalyst of the Russian Revolution was the devastating losses suffered by Russian soldiers during World War I. By 1918, Russia had an astounding 9,150,000 casualties and around 1,7500,000 soldiers killed.

This was due to several factors such as poor equipment, lack of training, and weak leadership. Many Russians who returned to their country were mutilated, and they had no chance of surviving civilian life because they couldn’t sustain themselves in a completely rural and ruined economy. 

Additionally, the war efforts took most of the country’s resources, leading to food scarcity, a rise in prices, and a diminished workforce.

The royal family was slowly and brutally killed

Fearing that counterrevolutionary forces might liberate the royal family, the Bolsheviks, who had already taken control of the government after the Revolution, sadly chose to execute the royal family in July 1918.

On the 17th of July 1918, the entire Romanov family was escorted to a basement and killed by a firing squad, along with their most faithful servants.

All of them were shot at point-blank range… However, the surviving girls were finished off on the ground and stabbed with bayonets to make sure they were dead. They slowly bled to death as they agonized, while the Bolshevik soldiers made sure there were no survivors.

Later, their corpses were burned and then laid to rest in an unmarked grave in a nearby wooded area. Their bodies were found decades later. They were confirmed as belonging to the royal family, and then buried in a family tomb in the St. Catherine Chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg,

The new government installed an extremely cruel revolutionary tribunal

The new Bolshevik government set up a Revolutionary Tribunal to punish those who supported or even worked for the monarchy. It was overly harsh, often veering outside the boundaries of the law. 

Trials were usually confidential – and defendants had no right to legal representation or a fair trial. Suspects were regularly exposed to torture, and those convicted of a crime were either executed by firing squad or sent to labor camps.

Thousands of lives were taken as a result of the tribunal during the Revolution. It basically functioned only as a mechanism of political revenge to wipe out all dissent to the revolution and the new communist regime installed in Russia.

After the revolution, 10 million lives were lost as a result of the Russian Civil War

This devastating conflict lasted from 1918 to 1922, leading to an immense loss of life with estimates ranging as high as 10 million. It was a terrible war characterized by merciless violence and oppressive measures taken by both sides in an effort to secure their aims.

The Bolsheviks went through all the towns that were suspected of being pro-monarchy, razing everything to the ground – and leaving behind considerable devastation. The Red Army adopted practices like mass executions, concentration camps, and coerced labor to squelch any opposition to their regime

Likewise, the Mensheviks also hunted down all those who were suspected of being communists to kill them and return the monarchy to the throne (because they were unaware of the death of the Tzar and his family).

This caused the war to take on a very violent tinge of an all-out conflict where each side killed millions of people and completely destroyed the Russian rural economy (which would later have devastating consequences and create a famine that would also leave at least 5 million dead across Russia).

White and Red Terror divided the country during the civil war

The country was divided, and during the transition between the two governments, the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks came to rule in different regions of Russia, imposing a brutal rule on the population.

The White Terror imposed by Mensheviks was known for its significant levels of violence and cruelty, affecting both military personnel and civilians alike. It was made up of ex-military officers, nobles, and other members of the pre-Revolutionary hierarchy who were eager to reinstate their authority and repress any challenge to their cause.

Meanwhile, during the Red Terror, the Bolshevik government carried out extreme repression and violence to quell any opposition to their rule.

In the end, members of the Russian aristocracy and middle class had to escape their homeland. These people, known as White émigrés, comprised a broad range of people such as former aristocrats, military officers, as well as intellectuals.

Surprisingly, Jews benefited from the Bolsheviks 

The relationship between the Bolsheviks and the Jewish population was complex. Some of them believed Jews were ruthless capitalists, but other groups were focused on the idea of a classless society and eliminated ethnic and religious discrimination. 

As a result, the Bolsheviks abolished the Imperial legislation that discriminated against Jews. This allowed Jews greater freedom of movement and opportunities for social and economic advancement. In fact, some Jews held prominent positions in the Bolshevik government (and the Red Army), including Leon Trotsky, Grigory Zinoviev, and Lev Kamenev.

However, the Bolsheviks were committed to secularism and atheism, so many Jewish communities faced challenges under the Soviet regime – and later, under Stalin’s rule, the Soviet Union’s policies became more repressive, and many Jews faced increasing discrimination.

A famine killed around 5 million Russians 

The Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War brought a devastating famine, resulting in the loss of 5 million lives. This famine of 1921-22 was the result of the agricultural sector destruction and limited transportation. 

_{Photo by Lorri Lang from Pixabay}

The abandonment of the fields, the destruction of the villages, and the great loss of men available to work the land, ultimately caused a catastrophe that affected the whole society.

Consequently, people in Russia were left suffering from starvation and disease with many having to abandon their homes and communities in search of help. This completely changed the mentality of the Russian people and opened the door to the rationing that communism would easily impose on demoralized people.

Lenin died shortly after the Bolshevik victory

During the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War, Lenin suffered a series of health problems, which finally led to his death on January 21, 1924. Although his death wasn’t instantaneous, it took him away from the victories for which he had fought so hard – and in the end, he didn’t enjoy the power for long. 

His death left only a power struggle that Stalin won, increasing the enormous degree of violence that Russia was experiencing at the time – and condemning the country to an endless spiral of violence for the next few decades until Nikita Khrushchev took power.

Bolsheviks moved the capital from St Petersburg to Moscow

After the Bolsheviks came to power, they moved the capital of Russia from St. Petersburg to Moscow in March 1918.

 _{Photo by Opsa from Pixabay}

Moscow was considered to be a more strategic location as it was situated further inland and away from potential threats. Additionally, Moscow held historical significance as the capital of Russia before St. Petersburg assumed the role in 1712 under Peter the Great.

In any case, the decision to move the capital back to Moscow was part of the Bolsheviks’ plan to consolidate power and safeguard the new Soviet government, which proved to be a good decision some decades later in WWII. Moscow was safe during Operation Barbarossa and prevented the Germans from conquering the Soviet Union capital.

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_{Featured image: Photo by Алексей Сулла}