Class Conflict and Polarization

Where it surfaces

• Political Parties

  The chapter details how parties aligned with different classes: Cadets and Group of Public Men with propertied classes, Mensheviki with intellectuals, Bolsheviki with factory workers and poor peasants, and Socialist Revolutionaries with peasants.

• Popular Organisations

  The rise of economic-based organisations like Soviets and Factory-Shop Committees, contrasted with the decline of political bodies like the City Duma, reflects the deepening class polarization.

• Other Organisations

  The White Guards emerged as bourgeois volunteers defending private property against Bolshevik abolition, while the Red Guards represented armed factory workers, illustrating the deepening class divide.

• Background

  The chapter highlights the deepening divide between the propertied classes and the masses, with the former seeking to halt the revolution and the latter demanding radical change.

• II: The Coming Storm

  The chapter vividly portrays the deepening divide between workers, soldiers, and peasants on one side, and the bourgeoisie, landowners, and moderate socialists on the other, as seen in the Soviet debates and street tensions.

• III: On the Eve

  The chapter highlights the bitter struggle between peasants and landlords, workers and employers, soldiers and officers, with the Cadets representing counterrevolution.

• The Committee for Salvation

  The chapter highlights deep divisions: workers and soldiers support the Soviets, while officers, yunkers, and the middle class back the Government, reflecting stark class polarization.

• Moscow

  Reed observes the deep divide between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, with all propertied classes and other socialist parties united against the Bolsheviks, while workers, sailors, and landless peasants support the Soviets.

• XI: The Conquest of Power

  The strike of government employees backed by commercial interests, the resistance of the propertied classes, and the opposition of the intelligentsia highlight the deep class divisions and conflict.

• Appendix to Chapter I

  The appendix starkly illustrates the widening gap between workers and capitalists through wage and price tables, and through Lenin's analysis of coalition ministries as a bourgeois strategy to deceive the working class.

• Chapter 1

  The split between moderate and radical socialists over the war highlights deepening class and ideological divisions in Russian society.

• Wages and Cost of Living Before and During the Revolution

  The stark contrast between wage increases (300-500%) and profit increases (900%) for factory owners underscores the deepening class divide and economic exploitation.

• The Socialist Ministers

  The chapter illustrates the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, with the coalition ministry serving as a tool for capitalists to neutralize socialist influence.

• September Municipal Elections in Moscow

  The election results show a sharp polarization, with the Cadets (representing propertied classes) and Bolsheviks (representing workers and soldiers) gaining, while moderate socialists lost ground.

• Appendix to Chapter II

  The documents highlight the sharp divide between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, with Lenin accusing the bourgeoisie of sabotaging the revolution and Miliukov denouncing the revolutionary democracy.

• Trotsky’s Speech at the Council of the Russian Republic

  Trotsky contrasts the propertied classes' interests with those of workers, peasants, and soldiers, accusing the bourgeoisie of provoking civil war.

• Russian Soldiers in France

  The rebellion of Russian soldiers against their officers and the Provisional Government exemplifies the deepening class divide and the soldiers' rejection of authority.

• Lenin's "Letter to the Comrades"

  Lenin contrasts the bourgeoisie (Rodzianko, Kornilovtsi) with workers and soldiers, accusing compromisers of siding with the bourgeoisie.

• Miliukov's Speech (Resumé)

  Miliukov's speech sharply contrasts the bourgeois nationalist perspective with the internationalist and class-based views of the revolutionary democracy, highlighting the deepening rift between classes.

• Resolution of the Factory-Shop Committees

  The resolution frames workers' control as a necessary response to the hostile attitude of the capitalist class toward the revolution, highlighting the class struggle over the means of production.

• The Bourgeois Press on the Bolsheviki

  The press excerpts highlight the deep ideological divide between the bourgeois establishment and the Bolsheviks, who are portrayed as exploiting the ignorance of the masses.

• Appeal Against Insurrection

  The appeal explicitly pits the 'organized will of the majority' against the interests of 'private groups and classes,' highlighting the class-based tensions driving the political crisis.

• 2: The Strike Fund

  The strike fund illustrates the economic struggle between the Bolshevik government and the propertied classes, including banks and foreign corporations.

• Events at Tsarskoye Selo

  The Red Guards' interrogation of Plekhanov, a veteran revolutionary, shows the deepening class divide and distrust of intellectuals and former allies.

• Questionnaire for the Bourgeoisie

  The questionnaire is a tool to identify and punish the bourgeoisie, deepening class divisions.

• Decrees

  The abolition of all class divisions, titles, and privileges directly targets the old ruling classes, reinforcing the class-based nature of the revolution.

• Elections to the Constituent Assembly in Petrograd

  The election results reveal the deep political divisions in Petrograd, with the Bolsheviks and Cadets representing opposing class interests.

• From the Council of People’s Commissars to the Toiling Cossacks

  The appeal explicitly divides Cossacks into 'toiling' and 'rich' categories, urging the former to side with the Soviets against the landowners and generals.

• From the Commission on Public Education Attached to the Central City Duma

  The teachers' strike is framed as siding with the bourgeoisie against the workers' government, highlighting the deepening class divide.