Russia changed a lot between the periods 1881 to 1924. The population increased significantly, there was new structure of government with new rules and regulations and the economy was healthier. On the other hand however there were still the some aspects even in the later years that stayed the same, didn’t change for the better or complete disregard for, such as the absence of democracy. There was minor improvement in the serfs living conditions however peasants still made up the majority of the population.
One of the most significant changes in these years was the overall structure of the government. Under the Tsar was the Court who included high up landowners and members of the government. This group of people was supported by the Orthodox Church which was the most powerful religion at the time and had significant social and political power over the people. Below the Court were the working class people these included people such as businessmen, industrial workers and peasants. The Tsar’s rules and laws had to follow by every other social class in Russia. From 1917 -1924 there was no longer the absolute rule of the Tsar; this rule has been going for over 300 years. There was a new ruler and new structural government under the rule of Vladimir Lenin. At the top was The Council of People's Commissars (formed shortly after the October Revolution of 1917) with Lenin as chairman. Below that was the village, and city representatives from the Soviets. Under both systems political power was firmly in the hands of the ruler. This meant that there was never really existence of democracy from 1881 to 1924. This can be seen in the fact that Lenin controlled the media; he used the media to decrease opposition against him. No other paper than the communist newspaper was allowed to be published. He also introduced the gulag system which was a labour camp for any who opposed the absence of democracy. This was an important