Revolutions of 1917–1923 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Revolutions of 1917–1923 |
|
|---|---|
| Part of opposition to World War I and the aftermath of World War I |
|
European countries involved in revolutions of 1917–1923
|
|
| Date | 8 March 1917 – c. 24 July 1923 |
| Location |
Worldwide (mainly in Europe and Asia)
|
| Caused by |
|
| Goals |
|
| Resulted in | Political upheaval (Fascism in Europe (theorized))
|
The Revolutions of 1917–1923 were a time of big changes around the world. Many people were unhappy after World War I. They wanted new ways of governing and better lives. These changes led to many protests and even armed fights.
These revolutions were often about creating a fairer society, like socialism. Some also wanted to break free from colonial rule. Not all of these movements succeeded in their goals. But they greatly changed the map of Europe and how countries worked. For example, the German Empire and Austria-Hungary both collapsed.
World War I involved millions of soldiers. It completely changed political power and caused a lot of social problems. This led to many revolutions, huge strikes, and soldiers refusing to fight. In Russia, the ruler, Tsar Nicholas II, gave up his power during the February Revolution. A temporary government took over, but it was soon overthrown by the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution. This started a bloody Russian Civil War.
Many soldiers in France refused to fight in 1917. In Bulgaria, soldiers rebelled, and the Tsar stepped down. Mass strikes and rebellions happened in Austria-Hungary, leading to the collapse of its old ruling family. In Germany, the November Revolution ended the German Empire. Italy also saw many large strikes. Turkey fought a successful war for independence. Ireland was divided, and the Irish Free State was created. Many other protests and revolts happened worldwide.
Contents
Communist Revolutions in Europe
===Russia'
.jpg)
_(14595451159).jpg)
In Imperial Russia, which was suffering from war, the February Revolution removed the monarchy. After this, things were very unstable. The Bolsheviks, a group of revolutionaries, took control during the October Revolution. The Bolsheviks quickly pulled Russia out of World War I. They gave up a lot of land in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
Then, they fought a civil war against many different groups. These groups included anti-communist forces and armies from other countries. The Bolsheviks also fought against peasant armies and groups wanting independence for their regions.
By 1921, people were tired and hungry. Even some of the Bolsheviks' own soldiers rebelled. However, the groups fighting the Bolsheviks were not organized. The Bolsheviks' Red Army defeated them one by one. After this, the Bolsheviks decided to focus on building socialism only in Russia. They started new economic policies that allowed some private businesses. In 1922, the Soviet Union (USSR) was officially created.
Finland's Civil War
After the February Revolution in Russia, the Social Democratic Party in Finland formed the Red Guards. These were made up of workers and left-wing activists. The Social Democrats had won many seats in the Finnish parliament in 1916.
In 1917, there was a big food shortage and high prices, which made people angry. Many Russian soldiers were also in Finland. Some of these soldiers supported the Bolsheviks.
The Finnish parliament tried to take over the powers that the Russian ruler used to have. But they could not agree. New elections were held in October 1917. A group of non-socialist parties won the majority. This made the Social Democrats even more divided. Some wanted a revolution, and they talked with the Bolsheviks in Russia.
Tensions grew, and the Social Democrats called a general strike. The country became very chaotic. The White Guards, who supported the non-socialist government, started to get ready for a fight.
By January 1918, the Red Guards started their revolution. The White Army, with help from German soldiers, began to disarm Russian troops in Finland. German leaders also forced the Bolsheviks to stop supporting the Finnish Reds. The war ended by May 1918, with the White Army winning.
Western Europe
The success of the Bolsheviks in Russia inspired many other revolutions. The biggest was the German Revolution of 1918–1919. This revolution led to the German Emperor giving up his power and the end of the German Empire. This was a huge change for Europe's future.
There were also revolutions in Hungary and large strikes in Italy, known as the Biennio Rosso. These movements tried to create communist societies, but they did not last.
The Bolsheviks wanted to help these new revolutions. They created a group called the Comintern to connect communist parties around the world. They hoped that a successful revolution in Germany would help Russia's economy. However, leaders like Joseph Stalin later focused on building socialism only in Russia.
After World War II, the Soviet Union's army took control of much of Eastern Europe. This led to communist governments being set up in countries like Poland, Hungary, and East Germany.
Italy
After World War I, Italy faced a lot of joblessness and economic problems. Prices went up a lot. This led to a time of big social conflict called the Biennio Rosso, or "Two Red Years." During this time, many workers joined socialist groups. The Italian Socialist Party grew to 250,000 members.
Workers created councils in factories and went on strike. There were also many clashes in the countryside. Even though support for revolution grew, the revolutionaries could not fully take advantage of it. This led to the rise of Fascism and the March on Rome.
Hungary
After World War I, the large country of Austria-Hungary broke apart. In Hungary, a socialist state called the Hungarian Soviet Republic was formed in March 1919. But it only lasted a few months. It was defeated in a war with Romania.
Other Revolutions and Changes
Ireland
Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. In 1916, there was an uprising called the Easter Rising. This led to the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921). The Irish wanted to be free from British rule.
The Irish movement was mostly about nationalism and wanting a republic. Even though it had some left-wing ideas, it was not communist. However, both the new Irish Republic and Soviet Russia were not accepted by many other countries. They found common ground because they both opposed the British Empire. In 1922, the Irish Free State was created.
Greece
In Greece, there was a big fight between those who wanted a republic and those who supported the king. Before the war, Greece had fought in the Balkan Wars to gain more land. World War I made these tensions even worse.
One side, led by Eleftherios Venizelos, wanted a more democratic republic. They liked France and Britain. The other side supported the king and wanted to keep old traditions. They favored Germany.
Between 1919 and 1922, Greece fought a war with Turkey to take land where many Greeks lived. Greece lost badly in 1922. This made the king's supporters look bad. Army rebellions and protests led to the king being forced to leave. In 1924, Greece became the Second Greek Republic. But this period remained unstable for many years.
Spain
Spain stayed neutral during World War I. But it still faced problems between those who wanted a republic and those who supported the king. The king's government was a parliament, but it was very conservative. It did not represent ordinary people well.
In 1917, an attempt at a democratic revolution failed. After the war, many people criticized the monarchy. There were many strikes between 1919 and 1923. There were also fights between workers and employers in cities like Barcelona. Spain also fought a war in its colonies, which it lost badly in 1921. This made the monarchy look even weaker.
With so much unrest, a general named Miguel Primo de Rivera took power in 1923. He became a dictator with the king's support. This stopped the democratic movements for a while.
Mexico
The Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) was a long and complicated fight. By 1915, the rebel groups started fighting among themselves. More radical leaders like Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa lost power. The fighting mostly ended by 1920. But the next ten years still saw assassinations and rebellions, including a large uprising against the government's actions against the Catholic Church.
Malta
The Sette Giugno of 1919 was a revolt in Malta. People protested because the cost of living went up a lot after World War I. Many workers also lost their jobs. People also wanted more self-government.
A National Assembly was formed in Valletta at the same time as the riots. Many people went to Valletta to support the Assembly. British forces fired into the crowd, killing four Maltese men.
Egypt
In 1919, a revolution happened across Egypt and Sudan. People protested against British rule. This happened after the British sent away a revolutionary leader named Saad Zaghloul.
The British fought back against the revolution. But it still led to Britain recognizing Egypt's independence in 1922. A new constitution was put in place in 1923. However, Britain still kept a lot of control over the new Kingdom of Egypt. They kept control of the Suez Canal and Sudan.
Iraq
The Iraqi Revolt began in Baghdad in the summer of 1920. Many Iraqis protested against the British. This included former soldiers and religious leaders. The revolt grew and spread to tribal areas.
Both Sunni and Shia religious groups worked together during the revolution. They wanted independence from British rule and an Arab government. The British used heavy weapons to stop the uprising. By the end of 1920, the British had mostly put down the revolt.
Even though the British won the military fight, the Iraqis won a political victory. Iraq was given more freedom, and Faisal I of Iraq became its king. The British also ended their direct control over Mesopotamia.
Turkey
After the Ottoman Empire surrendered in World War I, people in Turkey started to resist foreign forces. They formed groups called the Kuva-yi Milliye to fight against the French. When Greek forces occupied Izmir, a new government called the Grand National Assembly (GNA) was formed. It was led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The GNA continued to fight against the foreign armies, especially the Greeks. They pushed the Greek forces out of Anatolia. After the war, the Ottoman Sultanate was ended, after 623 years. The Grand National Assembly became the main power in Turkey. On October 29, 1923, Turkey became a Republic with Atatürk as its president. He then introduced many reforms that changed Turkish society, economy, and government.
List of Conflicts
Communist Revolutions (1917–1924)
- Russian Revolution (1917)
- In Spain:
- Revolution of 1917
- 'Red Triennium' of 1918–1921
- Persian Socialist Soviet Republic (1920–1921)
- Aster Revolution (1918)
- Finnish Civil War (1918)
- Swiss general strike (1918)
- German Revolution (1918–1919)
-
- Bavarian Soviet Republic (1919)
- Ruhr uprising (1920)
-
- Revolutions and interventions in Hungary (1918–1920)
- Hungarian Soviet Republic
- Slovak Soviet Republic (1919)
- Biennio Rosso (1919–20)
- Tragic Week (1919)
- Limerick Soviet (1919)
- Canadian Labour Revolt (1919)
- Mongolian Revolution of 1921
- Rand Rebellion (1921–22)
- September Uprising (Bulgaria) (1923)
- Estonian coup d'état attempt (1924)
Uprisings Against Bolsheviks
- Left-wing uprisings against the Bolsheviks (1918–1922)
- Tambov Rebellion (1920–1921)
- Kronstadt Rebellion (1921)
Counter-Revolutions Against USSR (1917–1921)
- White movement (1917–1923)
- Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–1921)
- Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921)
- First Republic of Armenia (1918–1920)
- Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918–1920)
- Bulgarian coup d'état (1923)
- Military Coup of 1923 (Spain)
Soviet Counter-Counter-Revolutions (1918–1919)
- Russian Civil War (1917–1923)
- Red Terror (1918)
- Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921)
Other Conflicts
- Brazilian strike movement (1917–1919)
- Rice riots of 1918 (1918)
- In Poland:
- Greater Poland uprising (1918–1919)
- Silesian Uprisings (1919–1921)
- Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923)
- Irish War of Independence (1919–1921)
- Iraqi Revolt (1920)
- Kapp Putsch (1920)
- Irish Civil War (1922–1923)
- Beer Hall Putsch (1923)
Images for kids
-
Vladimir Lenin, who helped create the Soviet Union.
-
Leon Trotsky, a key leader in the October Revolution.
-
The October Revolution in Moscow, Russia (1917).
-
Statue of a revolutionary soldier; a memorial to the German Revolution in Berlin.
-
Map of Europe in 1923, after the revolutions.
See also
- Aftermath of World War I
- International relations (1919–1939)
- Political history of the world
