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12.1 Causes of the Russian Revolution Various factors and forces led to the Russian Revolution of 1917. The economic factors were the main factors contributing to the Revolution, as they resulted in poverty, misery and exploitation of the masses by the nobility. Russia was mainly a highly backward agricultural country before the revolution. The royal family, the nobility and the clergy owned most of the agricultural land. Only between three and ten acres of land was owned …

…and the common people. The growing discontent among the masses manifested itself in all aspects of national life. The working class became highly receptive to Marxist ideas infiltrating into Russia. In 1893, the Social Democratic Party was founded and in 1903, this party was split into two; the Bolsheviks led by Nikolai Lenin and the Mensheviks led by Martov. While the former was revolutionary and supported by Stalin, the latter was evolutionary and was supported by Trotsky.