Russia moved its capital to St. Petersburg in order to go to the sea. Why did the Soviet Union move its capital back to Moscow?

Historically, Russia, which originated from Moscow Principality, under the rule of Peter the Great, invaded and expanded abroad in order to find the sea and occupy more land. It was not until the Northern War that Sweden, a powerful country in the North Sea, was defeated and captured the coveted east coast of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland that this seaport was acquired.

Peter the Great got his wish, so he established a new city-St. Petersburg in the Gulf of Finland. And move the capital from Moscow, the birthplace of Russia, as the starting point of Russia's maritime expansion.

From 17 12 as the capital of Russia, St. Petersburg has been the political, economic and cultural center of Russians for more than 200 years.

(beautiful St. Petersburg)

However, after the October Revolution, why did Soviet Russia, which overthrew the czar's rule, move its capital from St. Petersburg back to Moscow and change its name to Leningrad?

First, the challenge of traditional forces.

Despite the February Revolution and the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks led by Lenin overthrew the rule of the czar. However, after the Bolsheviks came to power, they were quickly retaliated and infiltrated by the traditional forces in the ancient capital St. Petersburg, which made the new red regime feel pressure.

First of all, in the name of participating in politics, the remnants of the bourgeoisie constantly demanded power from the Soviet Union, the workers, peasants and soldiers led by the Bolsheviks, and the feudal forces of the tsar also stepped up their destruction, with the intention of restoring the feudal monarchy and strangling the new regime in the cradle.

St Petersburg's deep-rooted Social Revolutionary Party and Menshevik also jumped out against the Bolshevik Revolutionary Committee and denied its legitimacy. They used the Russian Railway General Union to organize strikes and demonstrations, demanding the establishment of a socialist government and openly challenging the Bolsheviks.

St Petersburg, with a history of 200 years of czar rule, is almost impossible to achieve comprehensive stability because of the numerous traditional factions and deep roots. Lenin believed that if the political center of Russia remained here, the Russian revolution, which started with workers, peasants and soldiers, might be aborted.

In order to eliminate the influence of the restoration forces of the tsar and avoid the rampant challenge of the local forces in St. Petersburg, the capital of Soviet Russia moved from St. Petersburg, which was established by Peter the Great, to Moscow, the birthplace of the Russian nation, so as to eliminate the imprint of feudal Russia and stimulate people's national identity.

(Lenin is giving a speech)

Second, the threat of European powers.

After the October Revolution, Soviet Russia, with unstable political power, held armistice negotiations with Germany and Austria, demanding that military operations on all fronts be stopped. The demarcation line is based on the existing demarcation line, and the armistice time is six months.

But the Germans seized Lenin's indifference and put forward extremely demanding requirements for the dividing line. And in February 19 18, the February offensive was launched, forcing the Soviet union to submit. In the end, Germany successfully appropriated nearly one million square kilometers of Russian territory. This caused widespread opposition from all parties and high-level party members in the Soviet Union and Russia. Bukharin said that this treaty not only brought great losses to the Soviet Union and Russia, but also became an insult to the Soviet Union in the eyes of the proletariat all over the world.

The huge loss of western territory and the independence of Finland and the Baltic countries have made St. Petersburg a border city, only 32 kilometers away from the Russian-Finnish border, and it may be in danger of being surrounded by the German navy and army at any time.

In addition, at that time, as the first red regime in the world, the Soviet Union and Russia were different in the eyes of the great powers. Facing the landing of Britain, France and Germany from Murmansk, Germany occupied the Tallinn area along the Baltic Sea. Surrounded by the enemy, St. Petersburg feels insecure. In the face of external threats, the Soviet regime moved the capital inland, which can better preserve its strength and develop.

(Moscow today)

Third, the needs of industrial construction.

Peter I moved to St. Petersburg in order to use the hard-won seaport to develop maritime trade and expand from the sea. However, the development focus of the new Soviet Union began to shift to industrial construction.

In this regard, Moscow, which is located inland, has a unique advantage. Not only a large number of established industrial enterprises are concentrated in the local area, but also emerging industries created by foreign capital are gathered here, which has a relatively good industrial foundation. Therefore, moving the capital back to Moscow is more conducive to the implementation of the industrial-oriented economic construction route.

Fourth, the advantages of central management.

St. Petersburg is located in the westernmost part of Russia, and its radiation ability to the Soviet-Russian territory across the Eurasian continental shelf is limited, while Moscow is located inland and in the center of the whole national territory. Even if unified management is carried out in the surrounding territories, it is also conducive to the stability of the regime and the implementation of policies.

Therefore, the Soviet Union's move to the capital has a complicated historical background. In addition to the needs of political stability and economic development, German military oppression and the threat of foreign powers also forced the Soviet Union to transfer its political center. As the foothold of Russian imperial expansion, St. Petersburg lost its original value with the end of imperial expansion.

Facts have proved that the choice of moving the capital is very correct. With Moscow as its capital, the Soviet Union's industrial economy developed rapidly and its military strength returned to its peak. It not only swept Germany in World War II, but also became a world superpower to compete with the United States after the war.