BELLWORK: Friday 5/81. Why was Nicholas II an ineffective leader?2. Explain the economic, political, and religious problems

that caused opposition parties to form.3. Why does Nicholas II promise elections, but then

dissolve the Duma? How did citizens respond?4. What caused the break-up of the Russian Socialist

Democratic Labor Party? What were the two new factions and how were they similar/different?

5. THINKER: In your opinion, could the situation have been different if Nicholas II was willing to work with the Duma? Or were economic/political instabilities too problematic to fix? Explain!

Chapter 1: Rule of Tsar Nicholas II

1894-1914

(pgs. 12-23)

WWI Review: The Eastern Front• Russia, Austria-Hungary, Turkey• After Russia mobilized quickly,

Germany had to divert troops East• Limited success• Pattern Russians could defeat

Austrians, but not the Germans, and Germans had to keep coming to aide of Austrians

• Russia’s position worsened once Turkey joined (cut main supply route through the Dardanelles)

• Russia received little help from allies who were occupied on the Western Front.

Russia & WWI

Russian POW’s after being captured by Germany

• Against counsel and advisor’s suggestions, Nicholas II mobilized for war in July 1914

• Germany asked Russia to reconsider three times

• Mobilized 3.1M men, but in every other aspect, Russia was unprepared for war:

• Lack of advanced transportation system

• Long distance to front (800 miles)

• Russian industry was too small to equip the massive army

• Reserves of ammunition were small

• Short on guns, motorized transports, boots

• War of attrition in East = huge death toll

• 1915: Nicholas II took over as commander of troops; disconnected

• War effort caused Nicholas to ignore domestic problems = massive revolts & strikes

Bolsheviks vs. Mensheviks• In 1898, Russian Marxists organized the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party

(political parties/opposition were illegal) • In 1903, the Party held a second congress to debate events and actions. Here, Lenin

argued for a party composed only of professional revolutionaries, to give the movement a core of experts rather than a mass of amateurs. He was opposed by a faction led by L. Martov, which wanted a model of mass membership like other, western European social-democratic parties. The result was a division between the two camps.

• This split was not initially seen as either a problem nor a permanent division. Almost from the start the split was over being for or against Lenin, and the politics formed around this.

• The Mensheviks argued against Lenin’s centralized, dictatorial party model. Lenin and the Bolsheviks argued for socialism by revolution, while the Mensheviks argued for the pursuit of democratic goals. Lenin wanted socialism to be put in immediate place with only one revolution, but the Mensheviks were willing – indeed, they believed it necessary – to work with middle class/ bourgeoisie to create a liberal and capitalist regime in Russia as a first step to a later socialist revolution.

Discussion• The primary difference between the Mensheviks

and Bolsheviks was their opposing views on the path towards the establishment of communism. Which argument is more realistic? Is it possible to have a rapid transition to communism, as supported by the Bolsheviks? Or does a country need a natural progression to communism, as argued by the Mensheviks?

Chapter 2: The Fall of the Romanovs

1914-1917

(pgs. 24-41)

BELLWORK: 5/111. Why did citizens oppose Russian involvement in WWI? How

did the military respond to this opposition?2. Describe the causes/effects of the February Revolution of

1917.3. Who was Alexander Kerenski? Was he successful?4. How did Mensheviks & Socialist Revolutionaries aide the

Provisional Government? What did they want for Russia’s future?

5. Why did the Provisional Government fail?6. THINKER: Often times, war unites a country against a

common cause, but it had the opposite effect in Russia. Why?

February Revolution• CAUSES• Dissolving the Duma• Economic troubles• Citizens unhappiness with Russian

involvement in WWI• Losing control of the military• Strong opposition (and parties)• Decreasing wages • Increasing urban population• Poor housing & sanitation• Nicholas’ general unwillingness to change or

compromise• Wave of strikes (FebRev actually starts as a

strike in an armaments plant, but spreads until there was virtually a general strike in Petrograd)

• News of strike in Petrograd spread until streets were full of rebellions, strikes, mutinies & demonstrations

• EFFECTS• Soldiers join the revolution• On March 2, 1917, Nicholas II abdicated• End of the Romanov dynasty • State authority was transferred to an

unofficial committee created by prominent figures within the Duma

• Established a Provisional Government • Minister-Chairman of the ProvGov was

Georgy Lvov• Ministry of Justice of the ProvGov was

Alexander Kerenski• Immediately, they pass more radical

reforms; such as, voting rights and personal freedoms

• Despite these advances, problems still existed and opposition was still strong……. This will lead to a second revolution in October 1917

Alexander Kerenski• Arrested in 1905 on suspicion of belonging to

a militant opposition group• 1912 - elected to the fourth Duma• He belonged to a moderate labor party, but

was associated with the Socialist- Revolutionary Party

• Parliamentary leader of the socialist opposition to Nicholas II

• After the February Revolution, Kerenski was the Minister of Justice in the Prov.Gov. (Vice-Chairman), but in July 1917 he succeeded Prince Lvov as Russia's Prime Minister.

• FUN FACT: Kerenski’s father was the schoolmaster at Lenin’s secondary school. Both of the families were friends

Lenin’s exile• Lenin was first exiled to Siberia for open opposition to Tsar

Nicholas II from 1895-1900.• Lenin was exiled for a second time after his book,

Materialism & Empirio-criticism was published in 1907 • According to his thesis, Lenin believed that Russia was being

used as a tool of French and British capitalist imperialism during WWI

• Spent most of his exile in Switzerland• While in exile, he was still involved in Bolshevism and wrote

numerous books advocating his ideas.• He was able to maintain involvement through other key

Bolsheviks – Trotsky & Stalin• He returned to Russia in 1917 to plan the uprising….

Lenin: War and Revolution• May 14, 1917• Outlined Lenin’s views on WWI, reaction

to February revolution, & causes of a new revolution.

• For Lenin, WWI was an imperialist war: the rich capitalists fought each other for greater shares of the world’s wealth

• Lenin said: “Picture to yourselves a slaveowner who has owned 100 slaves warring against a slaveowner who owned 200 slaves for a more ‘just’ distribution of slaves.”

• He also explains the failures of the February revolution and encourages the proletariat to continue opposition

Discussion: War and Revolution• What was Lenin’s “Three-Point Slogan?” How did Kerensky

live up to this?• According to Lenin, why was a democratic transition

impossible? How did his critics disagree?• What does Lenin argue is the true cause of WWI?• According to Lenin, why was the February Revolution

unsuccessful? • What is Lenin’s argument about US involvement in the war?

To what extent do you agree with this?• According to Lenin, how do you end the war?