The Russian Revolution

Readings: Smith, et al., 902-904, 932-934

Peter Builds New Capital

Nicholas I (1825-1855) Hated Industrial

Revolution and French Revolution

Wanted to make world safe for autocracy

Fought against progress in Russia and Europe

Decembrists• Revolt against czarism

• Put down

• Revolutions of 1848

• Most of Europe but Russia has some form of democracy

• Economy remains backward

Alexander II (1855-1881)

Son of Nicholas I.

One of better czars – interested in reform

Emancipated the serfs in 1861

Alexander III (1881-1894) Increased the

repressive powers of the police

Limited the power of the local assemblies

Pograms against anyone who was not Russian

Nicholas II (1894-1917)

Wrong man, wrong time

Little interest in government

Imperialistic Conflict over Korea and Manchuria

Russia trying to ward off rebellion

Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)

Bloody Sunday-January 22, 1905

Began in St Petersburg Disaster of Russo-Japanese War revealed

corruption and incompetence of czar Created Duma, limited economic reform

World War I/ Rasputin Had control over

the Tsar Nicholas II and the Tsarina

Was murdered in December 1916

World War I was a disaster.

The Revolutions of 1917

February Revolution (March 8, 1917) Czar Nicholas Abdicates

Kerensky forms Provisional Government

Lenin Arrives at Finland Station

Lenin arrives in Petrograd (St. Petersburg)—April 16. 1917

Lenin calls for armed insurrection—Oct. 16, 1917 (Russian Calendar)

October Revolution begins, October 24, 1917 (Russian Calendar)

November 6, 1917 (Western European Calendar)

Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin

How Do Bolsheviks Get Power?

Treaty of Brest Litovsk—March 3, 1918

Lost 32% of the land

Lost Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

Much of the Ukraine

Much of Belarussia

Creation of Soviet Union• Civil War, 1918-1921

• “Reds” vs “Whites”

• “Reds” (Bolsheviks, Communists) under Lenin win

• Supported by peasants, national/ethnic groups

• New Economic Plan

• Nationalization of banks and heavy industry, limited ownership of small businesses

• Lenin dies 1923

Power Struggle after Lenin’s Death and Stalin’s Rule

Forced collectivization

“The Great Famine”

“The Great Terror”

Purges Gulag

Contemporary Problems Cold War with US from

1945-1991 Mikhail Gorbachev’s

Glasnost allowed Democracy to Emerge Perestroika—socialism

not possible in capitalist world

Resigns December 25, 1991

End of Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War

Boris Yeltsin Problems:

Economy was a mess

Workers not paid National Debt IMF and World Bank

Money to Cronies Politics a Mess

Today in Russia and the Former Soviet Union A weak Boris Yeltsin names Vladimir Putin,

former KGB agent, Premier then President New President Dmitri Medvedev, but Putin

still makes many decisions

Today’s Russia (continued) Ethnic groups want

autonomy or Independence

Putin has destroyed Chechnya

Reports of rapes and pillage

Nationalists want powerful Soviet Union

Questions still needing answers

Winners Communist Party Some Workers Massive Literacy

Project—all those who learn to read and write

Vastly improved health care—all those who lived longer and healthier

Women

Losers Poorest peasants Traditional Russian

upper classes Many of those in

traditional Russian middle classes

Those killed or imprisoned because of oppressive regime

Jews, Muslims Other ethnic

minorities (maybe) Russian Economy Russian Democracy

Russian Revolution: Who Won, Who Lost?