The Russian Revolution, Part I: Fall of the Tsar (Feb 1917) [1.17]

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 One of the seminal events of the twentieth century was the Bolshevik seizure of the world's largest country and their subsequent attempts to transform Communism from a vague ideal into a practical reality. But before they could build, they first had to destroy existing authorities and political rivals. In this episode - the first in a four part series on the rise of Communism, we explore the failures of the Romanov monarchy and its democratic successor. Among other things, we'll discuss the role of World War I, Rasputin, Nicholas II, Alexander Kerensky,the Provisional Government and more. Perhaps most importantly, we'll highlight how idealistic views of democratic ideals and a lack of understanding of mass politics led to the failure of the first democratic experiment in Russian history. 

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