CREATION OF THE SOVIET UNION THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION

CREATION OF THE SOVIET UNION: THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION OBJECTIVE: I CAN EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY THE SOVIET UNION WAS CREATED IN 1922.

LENIN RETURNS TO RUSSIA • Bolsheviks: A member of the radical left-winged Russian political party that eventually became the Russian Communist Party • The major leader of the Bolsheviks was Vladimir Lenin • Name Bolshevik means “those of the majority” • In the early 1900 s, Lenin fled to Western Europe to avoid arrest by the Russian royals and czarist regime • Once the Russian Revolution was well underway, Lenin felt it was safe for him to return to Russia in April 1917

Lenin returns from exile in April 1917

“PEACE, LAND, & BREAD” • By the fall of 1917, people in most Russian cities were flocking to the Bolshevik rallying cry of “All power to the Soviets” • Soviets – local councils consisting of workers, peasants, and soldiers • Their slogan: Peace (for the soldiers), Land (for the peasants), and Bread (for the workers) • Lenin was a great public speaker, he gained support from the common people, and lost support from most other political parties in Russia

THE RED GUARD/RED ARMY • Lenin went into hiding in July 1917 • Leon Trotsky commanded the Bolshevik militia called the Military Revolutionary Committee or Red Guard • Trotsky and the Red Guard defended Petrograd against the Russian army • They gained ammunition, weapons, and experience in fighting

RUSSIAN (OCTOBER) REVOLUTION • Lenin planned to topple the Provisional Government • Provisional leader, Kerensky, thought it wouldn’t work • Most people in Russia were so tired of war and confusion that they didn’t oppose the Bolsheviks • Trotsky’s troops (the Red Guard) seized most of Petrograd without a fight • Lenin proclaimed Petrograd an official Bolshevik state

CIVIL WAR (1917 -1921) REDS VS. WHITES • Lenin abolished private property and banned elections – communist public officials ran the country • Lenin created the Cheka, secret police, to arrest and kill all enemies of the Revolution • The Whites were made up of army officers, nobles, capitalists, and business owners • The United States and other western nations sent military aid and forces to help the White Army

By 1922, the Bolsheviks (and the Red Army) had won the Civil War thanks to Trotsky’s leadership

LENIN RESTORES ORDER – NEW ECONOMIC POLICY • March 1921 – Lenin temporarily put aside his plans for a state-controlled economy and restored a small version of capitalism • Peasants were allowed to grow and sell their own food • Small businesses allowed to operate • Slowly the country recovered and by 1928, Russia’s farms and factories were producing as much as they had before WWI

BOLSHEVIKS BECOME THE COMMUNISTS • Lenin organized Russia into several self-governing republics under the central government • Country renamed the U. S. S. R. = Union of Soviet Socialists Republics • Bolsheviks rename their party the Communist Party • The name communist came from Marx’s idea of communism or the classless society that would exist after workers had seized all power • Lenin creates a government where the Communist Party had all of the power

DEATH OF LENIN • Lenin suffered a stroke in 1922 and eventually died in 1924 • Joseph Stalin was likely candidate to replace Lenin • Stalin was cold, harsh, and impersonal • During his early days as a Bolshevik, he replaced his last name with Stalin meaning “man of steel” • Stalin had worked behind the scenes while Lenin’s health declined to become the General Secretary of the Communist Party • By 1928, Stalin was in complete control of the Russian Communist Party and dictator of the Soviet Union

Death of Lenin in 1924 and his funeral (below) Joseph Stalin