PAST EVENTS

Still fresh from the impact of impressions gained during a recent visit to Poland, after an interval of over forty years, our guest speaker for November, Victor Conrad, presented a well-prepared talk on THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION OF 1917. The seed for the revolution was sown during the period following the Russo-Japanese war (1905) when the rapid development of an industrial proletariat brought about social and political tensions. Among the workers the marxist socialdemocratie ideas rapidly gained ground and led to the development of two main streams represented by the moderate Mensheviks (minority party) and the more radical Bolsheviks (majority party) under the leadership of Lenin. In St Petersburg a peaceful mass demonstration of workers was fired upon by the troops and several hundred workers were killed. This marked the beginning of widespread unrest and a series of strikes followed. In St Petersburg a Council of Deputies of Workers, or soviet, was formed with Trotzky as chairman. In other Russian cities, soviets were also formed. Faced by the growing unrest Tsar Nicholas II gave way and in a manifesto promised freedom of speech and religion and summoned a duma or elected parliament. The duma, however, was a failure for it became evident that the tsar refused to relinquish his autocratic powers.

The first two dumas were dissolved after a short interval and the franchise restricted by taking the vote away from the workers and peasants. The government failed to seize the opportunity of putting itself at the head of the reform movement and thereby preventing the outbreak of the revolution in 1917.

Russia entered the war in 1914, but she was ill-prepared and lacked competent leaders. Russian forces, fighting with inadequate equipment and on the verge of starvation, were suffering severe defeats at the hands of the Germans; the break-down of transport led to a shortage of food, and as a result of the bread queues there were strikes and riots. There was intense dissatisfaction in the country. After only two years of war Russia had slid towards its complete economic collapse. The scene was set for the revolution of 1917. There were, indeed, two revolutions, those of February and of October in the old Russian calendar, or of March and November in the western calendar. The former was the product of the discontent of the democratic forces with the conduct of the war, the latter exploited war weariness in the interest of the international revolutionary doctrines of Marxism. The revolution began in March as a result of spontaneous hunger demonstrations of factory workers in Petrograd. The tsar called out the troops, but the soldiers mutinied and demonstrated with the workers. The working men formed a revolutionary soviet or council. The duma, recently elected, called upon the tsar to abdicate, which, having no alternative, he did. He and his family were held prisoners by the revolutionaries until they were brutally murdered. A provisional government was set up under Alexander Kerensky; but on their return from exile to Russia, Lenin and Trotzky began to criticise Kerensky's government with devastating effect. Lenin's group established its hold over the soviets in Petrograd and other towns in Russia. A meeting of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets was called for 7 November (October). The previous night the Bolsheviks, who had control over the Petrograd garrison occupied all public buildings.

The Winter Palace, Kerensky's headquarters, was also seized. When the congress gathered, the Mensheviks withdrew, leaving the Bolsheviks in control. The provisional government was overthrown and a new government called the Soviet of People's Commissars with Lenin as chairman was formed.

After a lively question time, fellow member, Dr. Graham Fuller, expressed the thanks of the audience.

RICHMOND/BYRNE & DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY APPEAL

Byrne Settlers' l40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS are to be held over the weekend 12th/13th May 1990. (The programme will be made available at our February meeting.

The Chairman of the above Society, Mr Des Pollock, has written to ask us to lend our support to this function in the form of
(a) attendance by members, especially those with Byrne Settler connections
by publicizing the event
(c) suggesting sponsorship to likely persons and businesses providing a list of names and addresses of those who may be interested in attending, and
(e) any donations from members, however small.
The Society's address is Box 426 Richmond 3780 Tel (03322) nmnm.

FUTURE EVENTS
Programme of Monthly Meetings

1990
JANUARY 11TH OUTING TO THE NATAL MOUNTED RIFLES MUSEUM (housed in the old Stamford Hill aerodrome building next to the Durban Country Club). Will members please meet at the NMR Headquarters at 19h30. Parking is available in the grounds.

February 8th Commandant H. Smit will give a talk on "Selected Items of Rare Military Badges" from his collection. At the Society for the preservation of Militaria's Expo held in March 1989 Cmdt Smit's exhibit was judged the Best on Show.

March 8th The Burma Campaign Video with introductory talk by Major Denis Sheil-Small.

April 12th "Military History in Miniature" Mr Chris Bartlett will exhibit and talk about his collection of die cast models.

As from February the venue will be the Westville North Library 167 Blair Atholl Rd commencing at 19h45. Friends and interested persons are welcome to come along. Please bring your own refreshments.

SEASONS GREETINGS are extended to all members and their families and in a telephone call the Vice-Chairman of the Cape Town Branch, Mr Paul Lange, passed on salutations to our members from the members of the Cape Town Branch. On our members behalf best wishes were returned.

Mrs Tania van der Watt
Secretary: Durban Branch
S.A. Military History Society
Box 870 Hillcrest 3650
Tel. 74mmmm