Russian Revolution Element Determine the causes and results

Russian Revolution • Element: Determine the causes and results of the Russian Revolution from the rise of the Bolsheviks under Lenin to Stalin’s first Five Year Plan. • Vocabulary: Russian Revolution, Bolsheviks, Lenin, Stalin, Five Year Plan

Czarist Russia • under Nicholas II • lagged behind the rest of Europe • technology was not as advanced • lacked modern industrialization • entered World War I and was not prepared for war • the nation was poor • many peasants were starving

Russian Society under the Czar • Czar Nicholas II – absolute power • all documents were censored • Russian was the only legal language in the empire • Secret Police sent violators to Siberia

Impact of World War I • exhausted more money and food away from Russia’s citizens to support the war effort • millions of Russians, both soldiers and civilians, suffered and died • the czar became more unpopular • people of all classes began calling for change in the Russian government

Industrialization leads to problems • Factory work consisted of terrible working conditions, child labor, low wages, and no unions • Revolutionary movements were starting

Stop and Think! • Why would the people of Russia want a new government? (What issues were going on in Russia at the time? ) • Turn and talk to your elbow partner. Make a list of problems in Russia. Be prepared to share your answers!

Karl Marx • Communism- a system in which all private property is owned by the community and shared by all. • He believed wealth should not be in the hands of a few. • The proletariats or working class should revolt and rule the country.

In Summary… • According to the Communist Manifesto, how should wealth be distributed? • Who’s idea was Communism? • Describe the meaning of the term “proletariat. ”

Uprisings • erupted in 1917 • among the lower working classes, strikes broke out • objected to involvement in WWI • Czar Nicholas II ordered troops to put down the uprisings

March Revolution • many soldiers switched sides and joined the rebellious crowds • Czar Nicholas II abdicated (step down) the throne on March 12

Provisional Government • Government in hands of Duma (Parliament) • Provisional(temporary) government takes over • led by Alexander Kerensky • Russia stays in World War I • Russian people continued to suffer

Rise of the Bolsheviks Vladimir Lenin: • Bolsheviks- Radical group of Marxists in Russia • Vladimir Lenin led this group • opposed Czarist regime • fled from Russia in the early 1900 s to avoid arrest

Out of Exile • Lenin returned in 1917 with support of Germany • the Bolsheviks overthrew the government

Bolshevik Revolution • Promised to redistribute land food to the poor, put power in the hands of the people, and pull Russia out of World War I • soon seized control of the Russian Government • sign peace treaty with Germany and leave World War I

In Summary… • Unrest over what issue forced the Czar to step down? • Name the Marxist group that wanted to lead a revolution in Russia. • Who was their leader?

Reds vs. Whites • three year civil war • between the Redssupporters of Bolsheviks, and the Whites-opponents of the Bolsheviks • after 14 million dead the Reds won

White Army support • allied countries (Great Britain, France, Japan, and the United States) also sent troops to Russia to support the anti-Communist forces • wanted to encourage Russia to re-enter the war

Results of the Russian Revolution • by 1921 Russia was firmly Communist • leaders never forgot the way Western nations sided with the anti-Communists • start of mistrust between the West and Communist East • transfer of power in Russia from aristocrats to leaders from the lower classes

Industrial Age of Russia • Russia ushered into the industrial age • people moved out of the country and into the cities • importance of education to catch up to the West • Bolsheviks determined to become selfsufficient from Western Europe

Establishment of the Soviet Union Challenges: • famine killed millions in Russia • nation’s industry collapsed • Lenin introduced New Economic Policy • allowed a limited amount of private ownership, while still maintaining state control over large industries and banks

USSR • The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics • established in 1922 by the Communist Party • improved agricultural conditions and new policies revived the economy • Lenin died in 1924

In Summary… • What were the two sides who fought in the Russian Civil War? • What was Russia renamed following their Civil War? • Why didn’t Communism work in practice?

New Leadership Leon Trotsky: • lead the army during the Bolshevik Revolution and the Russian Civil War • opposed to Lenin’s economic changes

Trotsky’s Vision for USSR • allow the state to seize all property and launch a massive program of industrialization • followers believed that the Soviet Union should do all in its power to encourage communist revolutions in other nations

New Leadership Joseph Stalin: • joined the Bolsheviks in 1903 • won Lenin’s favor after leading a bank robbery to get money for the party’s cause • became general secretary of the party under Lenin

Stalin’s Rise to Power • responsible for appointing people to important party posts • used his position to appoint people who later helped him seize and maintain his power • emerged as the nation’s dictator

Josef Stalin Quotations • Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem • I trust no one, not even myself. • Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas. • Print is the sharpest and the strongest weapon of our party. • In the Soviet army it takes more courage to retreat than advance. • The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.

Stalin’s Economy • Soviet Union was behind Western Europe • Command Economy. Govt. makes all economic decisions • women were granted equal rights and forced to enter workforce

Stalin’s Five Year Plan • a plan for economic and military development • high quotas to meet in the production in industry (Steel, coal…) • Citizens often felt shortages on food, clothing, and housing.

Industry • sought to increase industrialization in the Soviet Union • established new, industrial cities • focused on the production of capital goods (goods used to make other goods, such as machines)

Impact of Industrialization • did little to care for the new industrial workforce • many Soviet workers lived in poverty as they worked long hours • communism offered no promise of more money or promotions for hard work • industrial production

Agriculture • transformed agriculture • instead of independent farms owned by peasants, Stalin collectivized agriculture • people worked stateowned land together instead of owning private land

Agricultural Response • many peasants resented this plan • protested by hoarding crops and killing livestock • the protest contributed to a famine that killed millions of Soviets during the early 1930 s

Stalin’s Response • Stalin’s policies did successfully increase industrial production • Stalin’s government appealed to national loyalty • used the fear of punishment as motivation for Soviet workers

• eliminated those perceived to be a threat • Bolshevik leaders and a number of military officers tried and convicted of crimes • many were executed • others shipped to Siberian prison camps • Trotsky fled to Mexico, only to be murdered with a pickax in 1940 • Stalin murdered millions of his own people before the end of his regime in 1953 The Purge

In Summary… • Describe the benefits and draw backs of the Five Year Plans. • Why were women given equal rights? • What is a command economy?