Revolutions in Russia

Long-Term Causes of Revolution

• Czarist Rule– In the late 1800s,

Alexander III and his son Nicholas II sought to industrialize Russia and build its economic strength

– They wanted to westernize and industrialized but limit the spread of the ideals of the French Revolution

Long-Term Causes of Revolution

– Russians wanted to introduce a new Constitution and reforms that would limit government corruption

– To combat these reforms, the rulers employed harsh tactics such as secret police

Long-Term Causes of Revolution

• Peasant Unrest– Rigid system of social classes still existed in Russia

at the beginning of WWI– Land-owning nobles, priests, and an autocratic

czar dominated Russia– Most peasants were too poor to buy the land they

worked– Industrialization happened slowly, and peasants

feared the new changes

Long-Term Causes of Revolution

• Russia still experienced Serfdom

Long-Term Causes of Revolution

• Problems of Urban Workers– Some peasants had moved to cities and found jobs

in new industries– They experienced all of the negative drawbacks of

industrialization• Low pay• Long hours• Poor working and living conditions

– It was among these workers that socialists spread ideas about revolutions and reforms

Long-Term Causes of Revolution

• Diversity and Nationalism– Russia is big… Really, Really big– Because of its size, it included MANY ethnic

minorities– Czars maintained policy of Russification…– What is Russification?

– Regardless of this policy, ethnic populations wanted to maintain their culture and nationalism remained

1st Revolution in 1905

• Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War triggered peaceful protests and petitions for reforms

• These marches were shot down by czarist troops in what came to be known as “Bloody Sunday”

• “Bloody Sunday” destroyed the people’s faith and trust in the czar and triggered strikes and revolts all over the country

Bloody Sunday - 1905

WWI and Czarist Rule

• Russia’s army was vastly inferior technologically to all others in WWI

• Massive losses crippled morale and triggered revolt in March of 1917

• Czar Nicholas II abdicated the throne the same month

The Bolshevik Revolution

• The provisional government that replaced the czar implemented only modest reforms and stayed in WWI

• Revolutionary socialists first worked within the government and set up soviets, but soon lost patience and the radical Socialist Party soon took hold

The Bolshevik Revolution

• Vladimir Lenin– Lenin and Leon Trotsky headed a revolutionary

Socialist Party , the Bolsheviks– Lenin and Trotsky adapted Marxism to fit the

situation in Russia– “Peace, Land, Bread,” end involvement in WWI,

land reform, end to food shortages

The Bolshevik Revolution

TrotskyLenin

The Bolshevik Revolution

• The provisional government lost the support of the people

• In November of 1917, the Bolsheviks brought soldiers, sailors, and factory workers in a successful uprising

• Communists gave land to peasants and factory workers factories and mines

Lenin’s Russia

• Withdrawal from WWI– In March 1918, Lenin

signs treaty that gave significant land to Germany but ended Russian involvement in the war

Lenin’s Russia

• Russia’s Civil War– From 1918 to 1921 Lenin’s Red Army battled

against the czar’s forces, the White Army– Independence movements were successful:

Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and LATVIA!!!!– Foreign powers helped the Whites, including the

US, but the Red Army defeated its enemies by 1921

Lenin’s Russia

• One-Party Government– Although the government included a constitution

and legislature, the real power was in the hands of the only legal party, the Communist Party

– They maintained power through military and secret police

Lenin’s Russia

• New Economic Policy– During the revolution, the government controlled

everything!– The New Economic Policy, or NEP, allowed for

some private ownership of businesses– Government controlled banks, large industry, and

foreign trade

Lenin’s Russia• The Soviet Union– By 1922, Lenin and the Communists controlled all

of the old Russian Empire– Created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Stalin and Communist Dictatorship

• Vladimir Lenin dies in 1924 and Joseph Stalin emerges as the new Soviet leader

• Stalin ruled through terror and brutality– i.e. Great Purge

First Leaders of the Soviet UnionLenin (Soviet Leader 1917 – 1924)

Stalin (Soviet Leader 1924 – 1953)

• Chief Goal: to create a classless society with production in the hands of the people

• Allowed some private business; let some peasants hold land

• Standard of living rose for many workers and peasants

• Chief Goal: to make the Soviet Union into a modern industrial power with all protection under government control

• Created a command economy

• Brought all agriculture under government control; forced peasants to live on group farms

• Standard of living fell for most workers and peasants

• Spent time in Siberian exile before 1917 revolution

• Became Communist Party leader

• Used secret police to enforce Communist people

• Wanted to bring about a worldwide Communist revolution

The World Between the Wars

“The Great War”

• At the Paris Peace Conference, Woodrow Wilson wanted to help establish self-determination

• Meanwhile, France and Great Britain wanted Germany to pay dearly for their role in initiating WWI

• Ultimately the French and British wanted Germany to be crippled so they would never be a threat to international security again

Harsh Provisions for Germany

• Treaty of Versailles– Territorial Losses

• The country of Poland was created• Land returned to France• Germany loses its overseas colonies

– Military Restrictions• Army and navy limited

– War Guilt• Germany had to accept full guilt for the war• Accepting the blame and paying reparations caused bitterness

in Germany

Europe Gets a Face-Lift

• What new nations are created after WWI?

1. Finland2. Estonia3. Latvia4. Lithuania5. Poland6. Austria7. Hungary8. Czechoslovakia9. Yugoslavia

Collapse of Empires

• As a result of the war, the government collapsed in the Austro-Hungarian Empire

• Italy and Romania gained land while new countries like Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia emerged

• Most of the Arab lands in the Ottoman Empire went to the British and French

• Although they were supposed to be preparing for self-determination, they were really serving as colonies to already vast overseas empires

• What was left became the Turkey

• WWI directly caused the collapse of both the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire

Austria-Hungary The Ottoman Empire

Countries Are Angry!

• To say Germany was upset with the Treaty of Versailles would be an understatement

• Italy had hoped to gain more land than it received• Japan was angry because the Allies didn’t

recognize its claims in China• China was angry because Japan had been given

control over former German possessions in China• Russia was angry because it had lost a bunch of

territory to new countries

Turkish Nationalism

• Kemal Ataturk– After WWI, he led a nationalist movement and

overthrew the sultan– Ataturk leads Turkey through a series of reforms

• Islamic law is replaced by a new secular law code• People were required to wear western dress• State schools were set up and Arabic script was replaced

with Latin• Turkey industrialized and built roads, railroads, and

factories• Women were allowed to vote and work outside the home

Iranian Nationalism

• Reza Khan leads a revolution and overthrows the shah

• Follows Turkey’s example and tries to industrialize and modernize

• Muslims HATED him

Arab Nationalism

• During WWI Arabs fought alongside the Allies because they were promised independence

• However, the British took control of lands promised to the Arabs

• Gave rise to Pan-Arabism and a desire to be free from foreign rule

Zionism

• What is Zionism?

• This is review folks!

Chinese Nationalism

• Chinese civilization was in great disorder during and after WWI

• People fought for power after Sun Yat-sen stepped down

• The economy collapsed• Foreign influence in China

increases as they faced so much turmoil from within

Chinese Nationalism

• Chiang Kai-shek attempted to seize power• The Koumintang, Chang’s Party, did very little

to support poor class• Most poor sided with Mao Zedong’s

Communist Party• Civil War resulted from clashes between

Mao’s forces and Chang’s forces that lasted for 22 years

Women’s Suffrage Movement

• In the mid-1800s in western democracies, women had begun to demand greater rights

• Women’s Rights Movements fueled by the expanded role and power of women during WWI

• New Zealand first country to grant women’s suffrage in 1893

• US grants women’s suffrage with the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920

Worldwide Depression

• WWI caused many economic problems1. Returning soldiers

needed jobs2. Nations had huge war

debts to repay3. Weaknesses in the

economies in the US and other nations led to Great Depression

Impact of the Depression• American investors pulled their money out of

Europe and placed high tariffs on imported goods

• Countries that traded or exported goods to the United States saw their economies collapse

• Unemployment soared • People began to lose faith in Capitalism as new

ideas like Communism emerged• Strong leaders supported intense nationalism,

militarism, and a return to authoritarian rule

The Rise of Fascism• Widespread economic despair paved the way

for the rise of dictators

Use of violence and terror

Blind loyalty to leader

Rule by dictator

Strict discipline

State control of economy

Extreme nationalism

Censorship and governmental control of news

Strong military

fascism

The Rise of Fascism

• Fascism– The rule of a people

by dictatorial government that is nationalistic and imperialistic

– Anticommunist– Fascism emerged in

Italy and Germany after World War I

The Rise of Fascism

• Benito Mussolini– Soldiers couldn’t find jobs, trade was slow, taxes were

high, workers went on strike– Mussolini gathered together disgruntled workers and

soldiers and formed the Fascist Party– In 1922, the Fascists used force and terror to gain control

of Italy– Policies

• Ended free elections, free speech, and free press• Killed or jailed enemies• Goals of the state are paramount

The Rise of Fascism

• Germany– The kaiser stepped down after WWI– The new democratic government, the Weimar Republic was

blamed for the horrible Treaty– Inflation caused major problems– All this trouble led to the Nazi rise in power– Adolf Hitler promised to provide jobs and rebuild German

pride– In 1920, Hitler formed his National Socialist German

Workers (Nazi) Party– In 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor

The Rise of Fascism• Adolf Hitler

– Hitler’s Germany, called the Third Reich, was a totalitarian state

– Built a one-party government that:• Ended civil rights• Silenced his enemies with force• Put businesses under

government control • Employed many people in

public works programs• Improved standard of living• Rebuilt the military

The Rise of Fascism• Hitler used the Jews as a

scapegoat for Germany’s problems

• Used propaganda to influence public opinion

• The Nuremburg Laws of 1935 took away the political rights and citizenship of German Jews

• Few were concerned with the racist policies because everything had improved dramatically in Germany

Totalitarianism in Nazi GermanyPropaganda Lack of Civil Liberties

The government controlled all sources of information – newspapers, radio, movies, and books. Scholars taught Nazi ideas and children joined the Hitler Youth. Forbidden books were burned.

Only the Nazi Party was allowed and rival political parties were outlawed. The Gestapo (secret police) arrested and executed people without trial.

Anti-Semitism Economic Controls

Jews lost their property and citizenship. Their shops and synagogues were destroyed. They were forced to wear the yellow Star of David on their clothing. They were moved to ghettoes and concentration camp.

Agricultural and industrial production was controlled. Labor Unions and strikes were outlawed. Germans were put to work building highways and weapons factories and drafted into the military

Japan: Militarism and Expansion

• Japan had moved toward greater democracy in the 1920s

• Militarism gained momentum as the global Great Depression took hold in Japan

Japanese Militarists in the 1930s

• Unhappiness over loss of traditions

• Loss of foreign markets due to G.D.

• Unemployment• Poverty among peasants• Feelings of nationalism• Demand for expansion of

Japanese empire

CausesRise of Militarists in Japan

Effects• 1931 attack on Chinese province of

Manchuria• Withdrawal from League of

Nations• Anti-western feelings• End of many democratic freedoms• Renewed practice of traditions• Increased honor for emperor• Renewed expansion and efforts to

control China