before the revolution
What history calls the Russian Revolution began in 1917, but the social upheaval was in the making for a half a century. Peter the Great, who ruled Russia from 1682 to his death 1725. During this time, Peter connected Russia to Western Europe in new and then-radical ways, bringing in Western arts and literature, French language, and cultural notions. According to some scholars, Peter the Great is essentially responsible for bringing Russia out of medievalism. This was accomplished in large and small ways -- Peter required courtiers to wear Western dress and forbade traditional beards, but he also created alliances and connections with great Western powers and sought to overthrow traditional Russian social behaviors, such as arranged marriages. He was eventually followed by Catherine II the Great, who continued to bring Western art and ideology to the court and aristocracy.
The effects of Peter's reign completely altered Russia's trajectory. While the country became more nationalistic in general, in part because of the wars fought under Peter's leadership, what is meant to be Russian was changing -- at least for the aristocracy. Over the next century, but particularly in the middle of the nineteenth century, the educated people of Russia were split in their views of Peter the Great and the results: those who favored continuing to integrated European culture and values were called Westernizers, and those who maintained that Russia needed to rediscover its inherently Russian roots were called Slavophiles.
In the 1840s and again in the 1860s, tensions grew between these two groups. Various reforms in the mid-nineteenth century, including the emancipation of the serfs, continued to propel Russia in the direction of Westernization, led by the liberal and radical Westernizer movements. The radicals, in particular, were interested in diffusing class tensions, liberating women, and replacing romantic arts with science and intellectualism. (This might sound familiar if you know anything about the original revolutionary agenda.)
Another key component of Russian life leading up to the revolution was the rapid industrialization at the end of the nineteenth century into the first two decades of the twentieth. Large numbers of peasants and ex-serfs flocked to the growing cities to seek employment in factories, and the industrial life of Russia skyrocketed, several decades after industrialization took off in England. Workers and socialists grew increasingly uneasy in the early twentieth century, staging multiple failed revolts. It was a combination of food shortages, poor conditions, and the tsar's obvious weakness as a leader during World War I that opened the gates for what history calls the Russian Revolution.
The effects of Peter's reign completely altered Russia's trajectory. While the country became more nationalistic in general, in part because of the wars fought under Peter's leadership, what is meant to be Russian was changing -- at least for the aristocracy. Over the next century, but particularly in the middle of the nineteenth century, the educated people of Russia were split in their views of Peter the Great and the results: those who favored continuing to integrated European culture and values were called Westernizers, and those who maintained that Russia needed to rediscover its inherently Russian roots were called Slavophiles.
In the 1840s and again in the 1860s, tensions grew between these two groups. Various reforms in the mid-nineteenth century, including the emancipation of the serfs, continued to propel Russia in the direction of Westernization, led by the liberal and radical Westernizer movements. The radicals, in particular, were interested in diffusing class tensions, liberating women, and replacing romantic arts with science and intellectualism. (This might sound familiar if you know anything about the original revolutionary agenda.)
Another key component of Russian life leading up to the revolution was the rapid industrialization at the end of the nineteenth century into the first two decades of the twentieth. Large numbers of peasants and ex-serfs flocked to the growing cities to seek employment in factories, and the industrial life of Russia skyrocketed, several decades after industrialization took off in England. Workers and socialists grew increasingly uneasy in the early twentieth century, staging multiple failed revolts. It was a combination of food shortages, poor conditions, and the tsar's obvious weakness as a leader during World War I that opened the gates for what history calls the Russian Revolution.
the 1917 revolution
The Russian Revolution was really two separate but related events in 1917. The February Revolution resulted in Tsar Nicolas II's abdication and the institution of a provisional government. The second part was the October Revolution, in which the Bolsheviks (led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky) overthrew the provisional government and began to construct their socialist state. A complicated Civil War ensued, between the Red Russians (Bolsheviks) and the White Russians (not a cocktail, but those in favor of the old, more conservative provisional government.
The result of the revolution was the destruction of the aristocracy. Classes were legally abolished, and land-owners deprived of their estates. Royals and aristocrats (former serf owners, mainly) either conformed or fled the country. These expats ended up primarily in France or the United States. These emigrants were called white émigré -- it's an interesting term because it can be either politically charged, or simply refer to someone who doesn't agree with the Bolsheviks but does not necessarily support the White movement. The emigration took place in the five years following the October Revolution -- after 1922, when the Soviets had gained clear control, emigration was illegal.
The result of the revolution was the destruction of the aristocracy. Classes were legally abolished, and land-owners deprived of their estates. Royals and aristocrats (former serf owners, mainly) either conformed or fled the country. These expats ended up primarily in France or the United States. These emigrants were called white émigré -- it's an interesting term because it can be either politically charged, or simply refer to someone who doesn't agree with the Bolsheviks but does not necessarily support the White movement. The emigration took place in the five years following the October Revolution -- after 1922, when the Soviets had gained clear control, emigration was illegal.
soviet russia in the 20's and 30's
The beginnings of Soviet Russia is such a vast and complicated topic that I can do not more here than provide a brief overview. The Civil War was a bloody replacement for Russian involvement in World War II, but the Reds eventually defeated the Whites, and the Bolshevik Party (the Soviets) were free to change the trajectory of the nation. In 1924, Lenin died, leaving the communist party leaderless. The 1920s, politically, were full of opposition movements and power struggles, and ultimately Joseph Stalin came out on top. [Note: If you are interested in how and why Stalin becomes the leader of the Soviet Union in this era, I happened to write and essay on that topic and would gladly share it.]
By 1936, when You Can't Take It With You is set, Stalin's first Five-Year Plan is complete, and the second Five-Year plan is in progress. These plans set out specific industrial, agricultural, and social goals for the newly created Soviet Union. It was at this point that the Great Purge, which turned into the Great Terror began, in which members of the Communist party were sought out and eliminated, often in cruel or lethal ways. While many suffered at the hands of Stalin's policies and the Red Army, others revered him for turning the country into a modern state. While the rest of Europe was sinking into an economic depression sparked by the United States's stock market crash, Russia was focused inward and did not suffer the same economic consequences.
By 1936, when You Can't Take It With You is set, Stalin's first Five-Year Plan is complete, and the second Five-Year plan is in progress. These plans set out specific industrial, agricultural, and social goals for the newly created Soviet Union. It was at this point that the Great Purge, which turned into the Great Terror began, in which members of the Communist party were sought out and eliminated, often in cruel or lethal ways. While many suffered at the hands of Stalin's policies and the Red Army, others revered him for turning the country into a modern state. While the rest of Europe was sinking into an economic depression sparked by the United States's stock market crash, Russia was focused inward and did not suffer the same economic consequences.