The Russian Revolution

-Key Concepts-

I. Pre-Revolutionary Russia

Only true autocracy left in Europe

No type of representative political institutions

Nicholas II became Tsar in 1884

Believed he was the absolute ruler anointed by God

Revolution broke out in 1905--Russo-Japanese War (1904)

II. The Revolution of 1905

The creation of a discontented working class

Vast majority of workers concentrated in St. Petersburg and Moscow

Help from the countryside: poor peasants

No individual land ownership

II. Revolution of 1905 (cont)

Russia industrialized on the backs of the peasants

Tremendous historic land hunger among peasants

Real winners of the 1905 Revolution: Middle Class

--Constitutional Democratic Party (Cadets)

--Duma

III. Alexandra: The Power Behind the Throne

Even more blindly committed to autocracy than her husband

The influence of Rasputin over Alexandra

Origins of Rasputin’s power

Scandals surrounding Rasputin served to discredit the monarchy

Welcome Back!

Bell Ringer: Using your textbook review sheet, you and your neighbor will analyze documents relating the Russian Revolution.

Were the Russian people better off after the Revolution?

Agenda and Objective: Through note review and analyzing primary sources, students will identify major events of the Russian Revolution as well as evaluate its impact on the Russian people.

Worksheet Review

Review your chapter questions on the Russian Revolution

Activity

Briefly meet with your group. Elect a speaker who will summarize your section of your homework questions to the class.

Questions 1-8

IV. World War I: “The Last Straw”

War revealed the ineptitude and arrogance of the country’s aristocratic elite

The Russian “Steam Roller”

Corrupt military leadership and contempt for ordinary Russian people

Average peasant has very little invested in the War

World War I (cont)

Poorly supplied troops

Result: Chaos and Disintegration of the Russian Army

--Battle of Tannenberg(August, 1914)

Spreading Discontent

V. The Collapse of the Imperial Government

Nicholas leaves for the Front—September, 1915

Alexandra and Rasputin throw the government into chaos

Alexandra and other high government officials accused of treason

Alexis: Alexandra’s Son with Hemophilia

V. The Collapse of the Imperial Government (cont)

Rasputin assassinated in December of 1916

Refusal to receive assistance of the Russian Middle Class

Complete mismanagement of the wartime economy

VI. The Two Revolutions of 1917

The March Revolution (March 12)

The November Revolution (November 6)

VII. The March Revolution

Origins: Food riots and strikes

Duma declared itself a Provisional Government on March12th

Tsar abdicated on March 17th

Composition of the Provisional Government--Alexander Kerensky

Very Popular Revolution The Petrograd Soviet

--Order #1

Bell Ringer Review: Primary source Analysis

As you read Lenin’s April Thesis, ponder on the following questions.

What is his attitude towards World War I? Is there any circumstance that he would would support Russian’s involvement?

Why does he think that the Bolshevik Revolution with be successful?

Questions 9-15

Kerensky’s Provisional Government (PG)

Maintain the war effort to support allies

Tsarist estates were expropriated by state

Amnesty for all political exiles

Destruction of secret internal spy system

VIII. Soviet Political Ideology

More radical and revolutionary than the Provisional Government

Most influenced by Marxist socialism

Emulated western socialism

Two Factions:

Mensheviks (moderate leftists)

Bolsheviks (radical leftists)

IX. Founder of Bolshevism: Vladimir Lenin

His Early Years-Exiled to Siberia in 1897

Lenin ‘s brother was killed for attempting to kill Alexander III. Lenin hated the Czarist government

adapts Marxist ideas to Russian conditions

Marxists - Those who followed the orthodox theory as laid out in the Communist Manifesto; called for violent overthrow of the government, international workers' union, and a focus on the urban centers of society.

Set up elite group to lead Revolution. “dictatorship of the proletariat”

Moved to London in 1902 and befriended Leon Trotsky

X. Lenin (cont)

Key role of the Party in the revolution

-- “Dictatorship of the Proletariat”

Bolsheviks split from the Russian Socialist Party in 1912

Character of the Bolshevik Party

--Joseph Stalin

XI. Lenin Steps into This Vacuum

Amnesty granted to all political prisoners in March of 1917

Lenin’s arrival in Petrograd

A tremendously charismatic personality

“Peace, Land, Bread” “All Power to the Soviets” Bolshevik party

membership exploded Consolidation of Bolshevik

power

Questions 16-23

XII. The November Revolution

The events of November 6

Council of People’s Commissars

All private property of wealthy was abolished and divided among the peasantry

Largest industrial enterprises nationalized

XII. November Revolution (cont)

Political Police organized: CHEKA

Revolutionary army created with Trotsky in charge-- “Red Army”

Bolshevik Party renamed Communist Party in March of 1918

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk negotiated with the Germans

Terms of the Treaty

XIII. November Revolution (cont)

Humiliating Treaty would be nullified since all of the west was on the verge of revolution

Civil War fought between 1917-1920

-- “Reds” versus “Whites”

Complete breakdown of Russian economy and society

XIV. Vacuum of Leadership in Russia

Petrograd Soviet dominated by Mensheviks

Failure of the Provisional Government

Workers refusing to work and soldiers refusing to fight

Peasants were expropriating the land outright

Power was literally lying in the streets of Petrograd(St. Petersburg)

How did Lenin impose Communist control in Russia

between 1917-1924?

Factors that helped Lenin impose

Communist control inRussia 1917-1924.

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

1918

The Civil War 1918-

1921

The execution of Tsar Nicholas

II 1918

Success of the New Economic

Policy

The Cheka

The abandonment of the Constituent

Assembly

The Kronstadt Revolt 1921

War Communism

•Straight after the October Revolution of 1917, Lenin

promised to hold elections for a Parliament to be known as the

Constituent Assembly.

•Lenin renamed the Bolshevik Party as the Communist Party

in order to win wider support. However, the Communists only

won 175 seats out of 700, not enough for a majority.

•Therefore Lenin shut down the Constituent Assembly after

only one day- the first step in setting up a Communist

dictatorship.

The abandonment of the Constituent Assembly 1917

The Cheka (or secret police)

•In December 1917 Lenin set up a secret police force known as the

Cheka. Cheka agents spied on the Russian people in factories and

villages.

•Anyone suspected of being anti-Communist could be arrested, tortured

and executed without a trial.

•When opponents tried to assassinate Lenin in 1918, he launched the Red

Terror campaign against his enemies. It is said that 50,000 people were

arrested and executed in this period.

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918

•In March 1918 Russia signed a

humiliating peace treaty with

Germany.

•Russia lost a huge amount of land

in the West. This included about

one-sixth of the population (60

million people), three-quarters of

its iron and coal and over a quarter

of the best farmland in Russia.

The Civil War 1918-1921

•The opponents of the ‘Reds’, Lenin and the Communists,

were known as the ‘Whites’.

•The Whites were a mixture of aristocrats, royalists,

churchmen, army officers and many others.

•The Whites were supported by Britain, France, Japan and

the USA, countries that were alarmed at the possible spread

of communism. At the same time, Lenin fought a war

against Poland, a new country formed by the Treaty of

Versailles in 1919.

•Although in a very dangerous position, the Communists

were able to win the Civil War. This was because the Whites

were divided, while the Reds controlled the key cities,

industrial centres and communication links

The execution of Tsar

Nicholas II July 1918

•After his abdication in March 1917,

Tsar Nicholas II and his family were

arrested and sent to Siberia.

•In July 1918, the Romanovs were in

Ekaterinburg, with a White army

closing in on the town. Local

communists were worried that the

Tsar might be a rallying point for the

Whites. As a result, Tsar Nicholas,

his wife, their five children and four

attendants were shot and bayoneted.

War Communism

To win the Civil War and impose

Communism in Russia, Lenin needed a

strong Red Army supplied with weapons

and food.

The state took control of the factories and

appointed managers to run them. Work was

hard and long, food was rationed to only

those who worked and trade unions were

banned.

To get enough food, the Cheka seized all

surplus grain from the peasants. The

peasants hid food or preferred to grow less

rather than give it away free to feed the

towns.

Drought and famine hit Russia in 1921 –

over 4 million people died.

The Kronstadt Revolt 1921

•War Communism made Lenin’s government very unpopular.

Discontent amongst the peasants led to violence in the cities.

Workers went on strike, in spite of the death penalty for

striking.

•The most serious opposition to Lenin’s government came in

March 1921. Sailors at the Kronstadt naval base near

Petrograd revolted. They accused Lenin of breaking his

promise to help the workers.

•Lenin ordered the Red Army to put down the revolt. This

caused 20,000 casualties and the leaders of the revolt were

executed. However, the mutiny was a warning to Lenin that

he might have to relax War Communism.

Success of the New Economic Policy 1921

To regain popular support, Lenin relaxed War

Communism with the New Economic Policy

(NEP). Smaller industries were returned to private

ownership and peasants could sell their surplus on

the open market. This was a return to capitalism

and competition.

Lenin hoped that NEP would give Russia ‘a

breathing space’ to get back on its feet. Most of the

Communist Party saw the need for NEP, but some

were against it.

On the whole NEP was a success. But it did create

some problems. Some peasants, the Kulaks, became

rich, while ‘Nepmen’ or businessmen made a profit

in the towns. Some saw NEP as a betrayal of

communism and return to the old system.

But, Lenin failed to provide a clear

successor on his death. This led to

four years of bitter struggle.

When Lenin died in 1924, he had

been very successful in imposing a

communist dictatorship in Russia.

He had defeated all of his opponents

and established a strong communist

government. As each of the areas

formerly belonging to the Tsar came

under communist control, they were

turned into socialist republics. In

1923 these became the Union of

Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

Who

would

succeed

Lenin?

Trotsky – Red ArmyCommander and

Commisar of ForeignAffairs

Stalin – Commisar forNationalities

OR