Essay on the Russian Revolution. Throughout history there have been many revolutions between a country's population and its government. People always want change, usually in the direction of freedom, peace and equality and in view of the Russian Revolution of 1917; there were a variety of social, political and economic situations that all played their part. In the years preceding the revolution, Russia had been involved in a series of wars. The Crimean War, the Russo-Turkish War, the Russo-Japanese War and the First World War. Russia had been defeated in everything except the war with Turkey, and its government and economy had the scars to prove it. The serious lack of food and the poor living conditions of the peasant population led first to strikes and then to violent revolts. Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia with an iron fist while much of Europe was moving away from the monarchical system of government. All the lands were owned by the Tsar's family and the Nobel landlords, while the factories and industrial complexes were owned by the capitalists. There were no unions or labor laws, and the justice system had enacted almost all other laws in favor of the ruling elite. Rents and taxes were often unaffordable, while the gap between workers and the ruling elite grew ever wider. After their defeat in the Crimean War (1853–1856), Russian leaders realized that they had fallen behind much of Europe in terms of modernization and industrialization. Alexander II took control of the empire and took the first steps towards radically improving the country's infrastructure. Transcontinental railroads were built and the government strengthened the Russian economy by promoting industrialization by building industrial complexes throughout… middle of paper… political rule by what it called the liberal bourgeoisie (liberal middle class). Exploring the October Revolution and the establishment of communism, Richard Pipes concludes that the origin of communism can be traced back to the distant past of Russia's history. Pipes argues that Russia had entered a period of crisis after 19th-century governments undertook a limited attempt at capitalization, without seeking to change the underlying capital structures of Russian society. (Pipes, 1964) An unrelenting series of wars, needless hunger and famine, and the selfish greed of the ruling elite. These are some of the many reasons, along with the inability of the Romanov family to lead troops in modern warfare or the Russian population in a modern industrialized society that led to the inevitability of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and, therefore, the USSR..