At the end of the 19th century, Russia was particularly behind Europe economically, it did not possess modern agricultural technologies that could effectively meet the needs of a great country. As a result, 90% of the Russian population consisted of peasants (Massey, 4). The serfs lived in deep poverty; they did not have the proper equipment to produce enough crops and most of their owners had incredibly high demands. In an effort to reform the recession-hit economy, Tsar Alexander II freed the serfs. However, this created even more misfortune for the serfs and nobles. At first, the serfs saw this as a great victory and yet another reason to be grateful to their tsar. But over time, the peasants saw this life of freedom and freedom becoming more and more difficult. The government compensated nobles directly, while less desirable land was sold to peasants at a much higher price. The monthly rent they paid to the nobles was replaced by payment to the state (Massey, 5). And while the population almost doubled between 1861 and 1917, poverty increased not only among peasants but also among nobles. The nobles found it difficult to assimilate them into a new lifestyle where they had to exchange their lavish possessions for agricultural tools and as a result many of them fell into heavy debt. This period signifies a time when the Russian people opened their eyes to the deep poverty and life of oppression they were living. It was at this point that the feelings of the peasants who previously worshiped the tsar became bitter. After constant resistance to industrialization, the Tsar had finally relented, aggressive approaches were put in place, and the railways expanded by more than 15,500 miles by 1880 (Massey,6). As industrial production considered...... middle of paper ......Anyone who did not follow these orders was to be exiled to a prison in Siberia. Some of these political prisoners were even executed simply because they practiced their own religion or spoke their native language. This also forced them to become increasingly bitter towards the Tsar. A Bolshevik revolution where the proletariats would rule the nation was all they aspired to. Deplorable working conditions, strong ethnic division, political repression and autocratic rule were the underlying conditions that caused the Russian people to desire a Bolshevik revolution. By the end of the 19th century, everyone, including the nobles, was heavily in debt due to failed attempts at land reform. The final straw that actually caused Russian citizens to side with the Bolsheviks was during World War I, where, despite their suffering economy, they decided to go to war..