• UGI USER
  • Oct 10, 2023
  • 16 Likes
  • 0 Comments

Russian Revolution

Q. Discuss the impacts of the Russian Revolution on the Indian National Movement.

Approach

  • Discuss about the Russian Revolution.
  • Discuss the impacts of the Russian Revolution on the Indian National Movement.
  • Conclude accordingly. 

 Answer

The Russian revolution happened post World War I in 1917, it was the culmination of new ideologies and economic ideas emerging at a time like Marxism, socialism and communism. What initially seemed to be a spark of protest soon enlarged it in the form of Revolution due to the following causes –

Causes

Social

  • Land holdings were terribly small, land hunger among peasants was a major social force behind the revolution.
  • Utterly Exploited and horrible conditions of workers in Industries – low wages and hazards of Industrialization.
  • Suppression of Russian Identity in Europe and Asia.

Political

  • Autocratic rule of Czar Nicholas II, who believed in Divine rights.

Economic

  • Hardships in WW1 and afterwards due to loss of economy and lives.
  • Huge Inequalities persistent between have and have-nots.

The Russian Revolution impacted the Indian national movement by radicalizing the movement and moving it towards mass mobilization.

1. Impact on Indian National Movement

  • Struggle over land became an important issue in the Indian freedom struggle like the Telangana movement which became an important cause of evolution of landlordism after independence.
  • Soon after the October revolution, the working class struggle and strikes started in India. Revolutionaries in India and abroad forged linkages with Bolshevik and formed communist party of India (CPI) in Tashkent in 1920, which played an important role in the Indian freedom struggle.

2.  Communist cause and launched series of cases like- 

  • Peshawar conspiracy case 1922–23
  • Kanpur conspiracy case 1924
  • Meerut conspiracy case 1939.

3.Post Independence India and Soviet Union

  • Further after political independence Soviet Union helped gain economic independence and became self reliant.
  • After independence imperialist waste refused to provide tech and capital for India’s industrial development arguing that India should import it.
  • But the Soviet Union stepped in and provided both capital and technology like the steel industry.
  • The aid and support provided by the Soviet Union to India’s defence capabilities is a well-established fact that not only strengthened India’s defence capabilities but also contributed to peace in the region and to the liberalization of Bangladesh.

4.Independent foreign policy

  • This selfless aid to independent India led also to the establishment of the emergence of the non aligned movement in the world with India playing a major role.
  • India’s emergence as one of the leading countries campaigning the interest of the developing countries, thus, emergence as a consequence of following an independent foreign policy.

5. Leaders inspired by it

  • Lala lajpat Rai formed the All India Trade Union Congress on 31 October 1920.
  • Bhagat Singh and his fellow revolutionaries were deeply influenced by the October revolution when they gradually learnt about it. They followed a revolutionary path .
  • Jawaharlal Nehru was fascinated by his visit to Russia in the late 1920s which remained a lasting influence. He said “I am convinced that the only key to the solution of the world’s problems and of India’s problems lies in socialism. He established the National planning committee in 1938.

Russian revolution coincided with time period of high activity peak in Indian national movement and thus the idea of Russian Revolution travelled across boundaries and influenced Indian National Struggle in ways such as

  • Spread of the Idea of Socialism – Major Indian leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, S.C Bose etc. were impacted by the success of the Russian Revolution.
  • Revolution Re-modelling – HSRA and Specially Bhagat Singh derived their ideology from socialism and thus the trend of believing in a Revolution led by people came into trend.
  • Economic Planning – This was introduced by the Setting National Planning Committee under J.L Nehru.
  • Economic and Social Justice – ideas came into prevalence which was highlighted by the Karachi Session of Congress and the Nehru Report.

Thus, the Russian revolution had a long-lasting impact on the world by hastening the end of imperialism and creation of social justice for citizens.