THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

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Russian Empire

How did World War I Impact Russia?

WWI strained Russian resources Factories could not manufacture

enough war supplies Poor transportation system

meant insufficient supplies arrived at the war front

Not enough weapons, rifles, and ammunition

Poor equipped soldiers and badly trained

1915: 2 million Russian casualties

The Czar’s Response

Czar Nicholas II went to the war front to take command of his armies

Nicholas II was equally incompetent to lead as were his Russian generals

Who was running the Russian government in the czar’s absence?

Rasputin Nicholas II went to Eastern

Front to rally his troops Left his wife, Czarina

Alexandra in charge of Russian government

Alexandra fell under the influence of the mysterious Rasputin who claimed to have magical healing powers

Alexandra believed Rasputin cured her son Alexis of hemophilia (uncontrolled bleeding when blood does not clot effectively)

Rasputin’s Influence

To reward Rasputin, Alexandra allowed Rasputin to make key political decisions

Rasputin put his friends in high government positions and was corrupt

Opponents assassinated Rasputin for his excessive involvement in government affairs

Crisis Worsens in Russia

Increased military disasters and battlefield deaths

Food and fuel shortages; prices increased

Striking workers marched in the streets demanding bread

Government military troops refused to open fire on the protestors

With no more military support to support his leadership, the Tsar abdicated and fled

Temporary Government

Politicians in the Duma (legislature) established a provisional government after the czar abdicated (surrendered his throne)

Alexander Kerensky was the leader of the Provisional Government

Provisional government continued fighting against Germany in WWI

Revolutionaries secretly were plotting to overthrow the provisional government

Revolutionaries established soviets (council of soldiers and workers) and, at first, worked with the provisional government

Radical revolutionaries called Bolsheviks were intent on overthrowing the Provisional (democratic) government

The Bolsheviks were led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

Lenin and the Bolsheviks

V.I. Lenin (1870-1924) Lenin hated the tsarist governments Lenin became a revolutionary at a

young age when the tsar executed his older brother for planning to kill the czar

Lenin planned a revolution based on the writings of German Karl Marx

Lenin believed the proletariat (working class) would revolt, overthrow the government, and establish a socialist state

Bolsheviks vs. Mensheviks

Bolsheviks (“majority”) believed that socialism could be achieved through swift, violent, and radical changes to society

Mensheviks (“minority”) believed socialism could be achieved through gradual and moderate reforms such as higher wages, increases suffrage, and social welfare programs

Marxists

Bolsheviks(majority)

Mensheviks(minority)

Lenin Returned from Exile

Lenin had been exiled in Switzerland

Germany knew that Lenin was a Russian revolutionary

Germany wanted Lenin to return to Russia and spark the Russian Revolution

Germany felt that Russia would be unable to continue fighting the war IF Russia was also involved in a revolution

Lenin’s Promise to the Russian People

Lenin and the Bolsheviks promised to the Russian people “peace, land, and bread”

Peace = withdrawal from WWI

Land = poor peasants would own the land

Bread = starving Russians would receive sufficient food to avoid starvation

Lenin addressing a crowd in 1920

Continued Mistakes of the Provisional Government

Continued fighting World War I Russians tired of war Thousands of soldiers deserted Kerensky launched a disastrous military

offensive in July, 1917

Failed to deal with land reform Peasants demanded land City workers wanted food and fuel

Bolsheviks Attacked November, 1917 Armed factory workers (Red Guards)

and rebelling sailors attacked the provisional government

Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized power in just a few days without a struggle

Kerensky’s Provisional Government collapsed

Moscow became the Bolshevik’s capital

Kremlin became the Bolshevik HQ

Moscow

Kremlin – Bolshevik HQ (Moscow)

What actions did the Bolsheviks take after seizing power? Ended private ownership of land Distributed land to peasants Workers given control of factories and mines New red flag symbolizing workers and

peasants created Bolsheviks renamed themselves Communists

End of World War I Lenin sought peace with Germany Soviet Union (USSR) signed Treaty of Brest-

Litovsk with Germany (March, 1918) USSR surrendered much territory and population Terms of treaty angered and humiliated Russians Lenin wanted peace with Germany to concentrate

Russian resources to defeat the communist enemies Germany transferred the troops on the Eastern

Front to fight the Allies on the Western Front

Russian Civil War Russian Civil War erupted between the Reds

(communists) and the White (counter-revolutionaries, Mensheviks, democrats, etc.)

Civil War lasted three bloody years “White” armies wanted to defeat the communists Allies supported the White army Allies hoped that White army would defeat the

communists and support fight against Germany Britain, France, and USA sent soldiers to fight in the

Russian civil war The Communists (Reds) defeated the Whites

(Mensheviks)

White Army

Enemies of the Bolsheviks Bolsheviks had the responsibility to

eliminate all enemies Leon Trotsky commanded the

Bolshevik army and fought a three year civil war to secure absolute control of Russia

15 million Russians died in civil war Civil war caused famine, hunger, and

flu epidemic Russia was left economically in ruins

Leon Trotsky

What happened to Czar Nicholas II and his family?

Communists executed Czar Nicholas II, Czarina Alexandra, and their five children in July, 1918

Communists felt that Czar would serve as rallying symbol for the White army

Cheka

Secret Soviet police force Used terror tactics to control the

people Executed many citizens suspected

of being against the revolution

Gulag

Forced labor camps

Political prisoners and counter revolutionaries sent to the gulag to work in hard (bitterly cold and scorching hot) labor conditions

“War Communism” Policy of taking over banks, mines, factories,

and railroads Rural peasants were forced to deliver their

crops to feed urban dwellers and the military Peasants were drafted into the army Peasants forced to work in urban factories

Commissars

Trotsky turned the Bolsheviks into a superior fighting force

Commissars – communist party officials – were assigned to monitor the army officers

Commissars taught communist party principles and demanded absolute loyalty – or risk imprisonment or execution

Building the Communist Soviet Union

Russia was in chaos Millions of Russians died

in WWI and the Russian Civil War

Thousands died from starvation, illness, and disease

The communists under Lenin faced enormous challenges to repair a destroyed economy

Girl starving during Russian famine (1921)

New Government Russia united into the USSR (Union of Soviet

Socialist Republics) (Soviet Union) Constitution established Elected legislature (Supreme Soviet) Right to vote over age 18 All means of production belonged to workers

and peasants The Communist party, however, was supreme

over the people – hardly a social democracy! USSR used the army and secret police to

enforce its will

End of war communism War communism damaged the Soviet

economy Mine and factory production decreased Peasants stopped planting and harvesting

crops knowing the communist party would seize the crops

Lenin elected to halt the policy of war communism

New Economic Policy

Lenin launched his New Economic Policy (NEP) to replace war communism

Peasants allowed to sell crops instead of giving crops to government

People could buy and sell goods for profit

Government controlled banks, major industries, and communication

Small factories, businesses, and farms operated under private ownership

Foreign investment encouraged

Advantages of the New Economic Policy (NEP)

NEP restored some confidence in the Soviet economy

Ended armed resistance to the new communist government

Food and industrial production climb back to pre-war levels by 1928

Standard of living improved Lenin believed NEP would only be a temporary

flirtation with capitalism Lenin’s goal was to bring the USSR to a pure

communist state

Death of Lenin

Lenin died of a stroke in 1924 at age 54

Power struggle – who would take control of the Communist Party?

Top two contenders: Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin

Lenin’s embalmed corpse is on display in Moscow.

Stalin vs. TrotskyLeon Trotsky Brilliant Marxist thinker Leader of Bolshevik

Revolution Urged support for a

worldwide revolution against capitalism

Fled to Mexico Continued to criticize

Stalin Stalin’s secret agent

murdered Trotsky in Mexico in 1940

Joseph Stalin Clever political operator Behind-the-scenes

organizer Desired to build socialism

(communism) at home before exporting it globally

Isolated and stripped Trotsky of membership in communist party

Stalin became ruthless dictator of USSR

Powerpoint Questions 1. What was the slogan the Communists promised

to the people? 2. What treaty ended WWI between Russia and

Germany? 3. The last czar of Russia was ____. 4. Who was the mysterious man who promised to

cure Alexis of hemophilia, the son of the czars? 5. The leader of the Provisional Government was

__. 6. The Communists who were the majority were

known as the __________.

Powerpoint Questions 7. The working class people who were to stage

the revolution were known as the _________. 8. The Russian secret police were called the

_____. 9. If you disagreed with the communists, you

could be arrested and sent to a _______. 10. Whose job was to teach communist party

principles and ensure loyalty to the party? 11. What was “war communism”?

Powerpoint Questions 12. The Russian civil war was fought between

the ___ and the ___ armies. 13. Who succeeded Lenin as the leader of

Russia following Lenin’s death? 14. What economic policy replaced “war

communism”?