Essay on the Russian Revolution. Throughout history, there have been many revolutions between the people of a country and its government. People always want change, usually in the direction of freedom, peace and equality and in the perspective of the Russian Revolution of 1917; various social, political and economic situations all played a role. In the years leading up to the revolution, Russia was 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 every way except the war with Turkey, and its government and economy bore the scars to prove it. A severe lack of food and poor living conditions among the peasant population initially led to strikes and quickly escalated into violent riots. Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia with an iron fist as much of Europe moved away from the monarchical system. All land belonged to the Tsar's family and the Nobel land lords, while the factories and industrial complexes belonged to the capitalists. There were no unions or labor laws, and the judicial system passed 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 continued to widen. After their defeat in the Crimean War (1853–1856), Russian leaders realized that they were lagging behind much of Europe in terms of modernization and industrialization. Alexander II took control of the empire and took the first steps toward radically improving the country's infrastructure. Transcontinental railways were built and the government strengthened the Russian economy by promoting industrialization with the construction of factory complexes across...... middle of paper ...... arctic government of what he called the liberal bourgeoisie (liberal middle class). Exploring the October Revolution and the establishment of communism, Richard Pipes concludes that the origin of communism dates back to the distant past in Russian history. Pipes argues that Russia had entered a period of crisis after 19th-century governments undertook a limited attempt at capitalization, without seeking to alter the underlying patrimonial structures of Russian society. (Pipes, 1964) An incessant series of wars, unnecessary hunger and famines 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 either the troops in a modern war or the Russian population in a modern industrialized society, that made the Russian Revolution of 1917 inevitable and thus the USSR..