8-3 The Russian Revolution

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
PROBLEMS:
• After the 1905 Revolution (after Bloody Sunday), no real changes were made.
• The government was corrupt, and Nicholas II wasn’t a great ruler
• Revolutionaries were waiting till the time was right to put Marx’s ideas into action and lead a working class revolution
IMPACT OF WWI
• Russia didn’t have enough supplies to support a full-scale war
– By 1915, many soldiers lacked guns, ammunition, clothes, and supplies
• The transportation system wasn’t as modern as that of other countries, so the movement of supplies was slow
• Many soldiers died because they were poorly equipped.
• Nicholas makes things worse by going to join the battle and leaving his wife Alexandria in charge
GREGORY RASPUTIN
• Rasputin was a self-proclaimed “holy man” who gained the trust of the tsarina after he ‘cured’ her son of his bleeding disease
• Alexandria turned to Rasputin for advice in running the country
• The leaders of Russia didn’t like the power that Raspitin was getting, so they decided to assassinate him
• He died on December 29, 1916 after being poisoned, shot, beaten, and finally drowned.
LENIN AND THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION
VLADIMIR LENIN
• Didn’t like the Tsarist government because his older brother was executed for plotting to kill the tsar
• Inspired by the writings of Karl Marx, and spread socialist ideas among the factory workers
– Spent time in a Siberian prison, then went into exile in Switzerland, where he kept in contact with Russian socialists
• Lenin adapted Marxism to fit the needs of Russia:
– A “dictatorship of the proletariat” – an elite group would lead for the good of the people
– He called them “Bolsheviks” (majority)
– After the February Revolution, Lenin sees his chance and returns to Russia
FEBRUARY REVOLUTION
• By 1917, sever food shortages left the people in anger, and the women of St. Petersburg went on strike, and the army refused to stop them
• The tsar finally realized that he’d lost control of his country and stepped down (March)
– The tsar and his family are put under house arrest
• A provisional government was put in place, and they continued the war
OCTOBER REVOLUTION
• The war continued to cause problems, and the people were anxious to stop the fighting and food shortages
• Peasants also wanted land, and mutinied, taking land from the rich landlords
• In November 1917, the Red Guard (armed factory workers) joined with angry soldiers and took over the government
• All of these revolutionaries were members of the Bolshevik party, and they were lead by Lenin
• Lenin’s motto: “Peace, Land, and Bread”
COMMUNIST REVOLUTION
• Lenin sets up the capital in Moscow
• Changes the name from Bolshevik to Communist
• March 1918: Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany
– Russia gives up the Baltic States, Finland, and Poland
• June: Civil War starts: Reds vs. Whites
1918-1920 CIVIL WAR
• “Reds” are the communists
• “Whites” are the supporters of the tsar, democrats, and anyone else that didn’t like the communists
• Other groups joined in to fight the communists as well, like the Allies
• The communists assassinated the Tsar and his family so they wouldn’t pose a threat
• Finally, the communists win
LIFE UNDER COMMUNISM
• Communists use terror to fight the Whites and control the people
• Gulag – forced labor camps (concentration camps)
• Cheka – the secret police
– Executed anyone suspected of revolutionary actions
• “War Communism” – gov’t took over banks, mines, factories, and railroads
– Peasants had to give most of their crops to feed the army
• Leon Trotsky controlled the Red Army, and taught them communist party principles
U.S.S.R
• Lenin and the communists combine a number of smaller states with Russia to Form the United Soviet Socialist Republic, otherwise known as the Soviet Union or the USSR
• A government body, the Supreme Soviet, controlled the government
– In theory, all people could vote, and all political power, resources, and means of production would belong to the people, and all republics would be equal
– In reality, the Communist party controlled everything, and only Russia had real power
IN SUMMARY
• As Russian front falls apart, the war in Russia becomes unpopular.
• Food and fuel shortages lead to Riots.
• Czar Nicholas II is forced to abdicate on March 15, 1917
• The Communists, led by Lenin, take over Russia
• Communist led Russia becomes the Soviet Union
• The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed March 3, 1918. Russia surrenders.