Defenders of the Motherland studies how the most powerful social groups in tsarist Russia reacted to the challenges posed by the Russian Revolutions of 1917. Arguing that elite groups-especially nobles, landowners, and officers-played an important role in these events, Matthew Rendle shows how the alienation of tsarist elites from the tsar during the First World War and their support for the new Provisional Government in February 1917 secured the initial success of the revolution. Elites engaged actively with revolutionary politics, serving in the government and forming unions to promote their interests and gather wider support. In doing so, they fostered fears of counter-revolution amongst the lower social classes, radicalizing the popular mood and paving the way for the Bolsheviks. Although increasingly disillusioned with events, elites were not solely counter-revolutionary and were far from united. A poorly-supported military revolt in August 1917 demonstrated different aspirations for the future, whilst as many served the Bolshevik regime after October 1917 as opposed it. The divisions that had existed prior to 1917, exacerbated by the revolution, consequently undermined the White armies' opposition to Bolshevism during Russia's civil war. Nevertheless, the Bolsheviks' fear of "class enemies" was endemic, and their obsession with removing the threat that former elites posed laid the foundations of the violent and repressive Soviet regime
Author(s): Matthew Rendle
Year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 288
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 8
Notes on the Text......Page 10
Maps......Page 12
Introduction......Page 14
The Impact of 1905......Page 25
The Impact of the War......Page 31
On the Eve of Revolution......Page 39
The Emergence of Revolution......Page 46
Officers as ‘Revolutionaries’......Page 51
Wider Reactions......Page 59
The Provisional Government......Page 66
Local Government......Page 74
War to the Palaces!......Page 80
The Union of Homeowners......Page 87
The Society of Nobles......Page 93
4. Landowners......Page 97
Agrarian Policies......Page 98
Reforming the Union of Landowners......Page 103
Forging a Landed ‘Movement’......Page 108
The Union and the Government......Page 115
Growing Social Conflict......Page 123
5. Officers......Page 128
The Union of Republican Officers......Page 130
The Soviet of Officers’ Deputies......Page 133
The Baltic Fleet......Page 137
The May Congresses......Page 140
The Union of Officers......Page 150
The Military League......Page 157
The Union of George Cavaliers......Page 160
Unity and Conflict......Page 165
6. Counter-Revolution......Page 170
The ‘Conservative Movement’......Page 171
Strong Government Versus Dictatorship......Page 178
The August Meetings......Page 186
The Kornilov Revolt......Page 193
Post-Kornilov: The Officers......Page 199
Post-Kornilov: The Landowners......Page 203
On the Eve of October......Page 208
7. The October Revolution......Page 212
Bolshevism in Practice......Page 214
Nobles......Page 221
Landowners......Page 228
Officers......Page 234
The Emergence of Civil War......Page 241
Conclusion......Page 243
Bibliography......Page 256
C......Page 280
I......Page 281
L......Page 282
N......Page 283
R......Page 284
T......Page 285
U......Page 286
Z......Page 287
