RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

AND COMMUNISM 1

Hegel introduced a history of philosophy and of the world called “dialéctical”: Each movement of history arrises as a solution to contradictions inherent in the previous movement.

Fichte proposed the following scheme for the dialectic–

1 “thesis” example the French revolution

2 “antíthesis” (the subsequent terror

3“sínthesis” (the state of free citizens)

Georg Hegel

Johann Fichte

PHILOSOPHICAL ORIGINOF COMMUNISM

They applied the dialectic of Hegel to the development of the society . They were joint

authors of the Communist Manifest.

Karl MarxFriedrich Engels

Charles Darwin

His theory of evolution led

some to thnk that the human spirit could

evolve from the material world.

Marx y Lenin thought that man could

create himself through his productive

workVoyage of the

Beagle

1 Nihilism and death of God

- Militant atheism- he held that the God of the Judeo Christian heritage helt up progress.

2 Inverting Values- there are different values for different social classes. -The subjected poor should take the stance of the dominant powers.

3 Will to powerHe developed the theory of evolution of Darwin. Human instincts serve for more than just surviving and surpassing oneself. Man should make himself into a superman

Friedrich Nietzsche

Before 1917 the ancient Russian Empire was under the rule of the Tzars, autocratic and repressive since 1613

when the Romanov dynasty began.

Circumstances leading up to the revolution

The abolitiion of serfdom was decreed in 1861 by tzar

Alexander II.

This was the beginning of the end

of the ancient feudal system

Once freed, many went to the cities

to seek work in the factories.

The industrial growth continued. Cities grew and culture developed.

The difficulties of the poor increased.

In 1905 the

Russians were

defeated and

humiliated by the

Japanese

In the February revolution, the political parties, trade unions,

cooperatives, and soviets were rival forms

of organisation, competing for leadership in the Russian

society.

The continuing defeats in the First

World War,

1,700 000 dead

5,950 000 wounded

The moral of the

troops was very low.

Many Deserted.

Wounded in WW1

Famine spread throughout the civil population

The Tzar was not aware of the plight of the people

and lost their confidence

When the rural zones refused to send food to the cities, the famine beame worse.

Since 1915 there arose many committees which replaced the deficient organisation of the state, (supplies, exchanges,

commerce) .The cooperatives and the trade unions, became parallel powers. the government no longer controlled the running of the state.

The soviets and parties worked together to subordinate

or eliminate the trade unions, committees and coops.

Trade unions

MAP OF PETROGRAD, CAPITAL OF RUSSIA

The revolution began with a spontaneous strike of workers of the fac tories

of Petrograd. On 23 feb (8 de marzo según el calendario gregoriano), - the following days, the strikes extended and tension increased.

The confrontations with the police brought casualties on both sides. The protesters took arms from the

police. After 3 days the tzar ordered the

military to stamp out the rebellion.

The soldiers resisted the first attempts at fraternizing, and killed many portesters. Nevertheless, during the night,

part of the company changed over to the side of the insurgents, wherefore they got armed.

The tzar was unable to govern.He ordered the dissolution of the Duma and nominated an interim committee.

All the regiments of Petrograd took sides with the revolt. The revolution had triumphed.

Under pressure from the State, tzar Nicholas II abdicated on 2 march.

It was the end of the tzars. The first elections were held for the workers’ soviet.

There had been about a hundred deaths, mostly protesters.The fall of the regime came as a surprise, and was greeted with with

enthusiasm.