Friday October 9th, 2015

• PDN: What man took over as leader following the Russian Revolutions?

Topic 7, Section 4: Revolution in Russia

Objective

• Students will explain the causes of the February (March) Revolution.

Causes of the February Revolution• In March 1917, the first of two revolutions would

topple the Romanov dynasty and pave the way for even more radical changes.

What does Discontent mean?

Roots of Discontent• 1914, Russia stretched from Eastern Europe east to

the Pacific Ocean.

Roots of Discontent Continued…• Russia was slow to industrialize. • Landowning nobles, priests and an autocratic tsar

controlled the government and economy. • Majority population = peasants, living in poverty. • Russia begins to industrialize – small middle class

emerges.

Roots of Discontent Continued…• Moderates pushed for a constitution and social

change. – Tsar Nicholas II, blocked attempts to limit his authority. • Relied on his secret police

– Corrupt bureaucracy and an overburdened court system.

Continued…• Revolutionaries hatched radical plots. – Some hoped to lead peasants to overthrow the tsar. – Marxists tried to ignite revolution among the proletariat.

WWI Intensifies Discontent• WWI fueled national pride. • It also, quickly strained Russian resources. • Transportation system broke down, factories

couldn’t produce enough materials. – 1915, Many soldiers didn’t even have a rifle let alone

ammunation.

Continued…• The tsar took personal charge of the war front.• Tsar = not a very good general. • Tsarina Alexandra left to deal with domestic affairs. – Advised by Rasputin

10.13.15 PDN

•What are revolutionaries?

Continued…• Rasputin was an illiterate peasant and self-

proclaimed “holy man.”• Tsarina believed he had miracle powers after he

helped her son, who suffered from hemophilia. • 1916, his influence weakened confidence in the

government. – Fearing for the monarchy, a group of Russian nobles

killed Rasputin on December 29th, 1916.

Tsar Nicholas II Steps Down• March 1917 monarchy collapses. – Disasters on battlefield– Food and fuel shortages– Workers going on strike– Marchers surged through streets shouting “bread,

bread!” – Military and political leaders advise the tsar to abdicate

the throne.

Objective Review

• Explain the Causes of the February (March) Revolution.

October 14th 2015

• PDN: Why was Lenin’s family black listed, as a threat, by the Russian government?

NEW OBJECTIVE

• Describe the goals of Lenin and the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution.

Lenin Leads the Bolsheviks• Soviets set up working within government until

Lenin and the Bolsheviks took over. – Lenin was born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov in 1870 to a

middle class family. – When he was 17, his older brother was arrested and

hanged for plotting to kill the tsar. – His family was branded as threats to the state. – Read works of Karl Marx, spread Marxist ideas among

workers.

Lenin Adapts Marxism…• … to fit Russian conditions.• Marx predicted large working class would rise to

overthrow capitalism. • Not enough workers, so he sets up dictatorship of

the proletariat (calls them Bolsheviks = majority).• The Mensheviks, thought that socialism could be

achieved through higher wages, increased suffrage and social welfare programs (Bolsheviks rejected).

October Revolution Brings the Bolsheviks to Power

• Lenin promised “peace, Land and Bread” to the Russian people.

• Assisted by Leon Trotsky, also a Marxist revolutionary.

Causes of the October Revolution• Kerensky, leading the government, failed to deal

with land reform (peasants).• Russians were tired of war, deserted it. • City workers demanded end to shortages. • Peasants seized land, troops mutinied.

The Bolsheviks Seize Power• November 1917 armed factory workers (Red

Guards) joined sailors in attacking the provisional government.

• Bolsheviks seized power in Moscow, blasted the local government out of the walled Kremlin.

Continued…• Bolsheviks ended private ownership of land and

distributed land to peasants. • Workers were given control of the factories and

mines. • New flag – Red, with hammer and sickle symbolized

union between workers and peasants.

Continued…

• Millions thought they finally had control of their own lives …

• The Bolsheviks would rename themselves communists and become masters to the newly freed peasants and workers.

OBJECTIVE REVIEW

• Describe the goals of Lenin and the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution.

NEW OBJECTIVE

•SUMMARIZE the outcome of the civil war in Russia.

Civil War Erupts in Russia• After the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin and Russia

signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk giving up a huge chunk of its territory and its population to Germany.

The Opposing Forces• Civil War lasted for 3 years, between Communists

“Reds” and the counterrevolutionary “Whites.”• White army made up of Tsarist imperial officers,

Mensheviks, democrats and others who wanted to defeat the Bolsheviks.

• Britain, France and the United States sent aid to the Whites, hoping to defeat communism.

• Reds appealed to nationalists, fed communist distrust of the west.

Friday October 16th, 2015

• Whose ideologies did Lenin study and adapt to Russia?

Continued…

• Reds had excellent position in the center of Russia.

• Whites had to attack from all angles, never all at once.

• By 1921, the Communists defeated the Whites.

Violent Civil War• Counterrevolutionary forces slaughtered communist

prisoners. – Also tried to assassinate Lenin.

• The Communists shot the former tsar, his wife and their five children to keep them from becoming a rallying symbol for the counter-forces.

Terror and War Communism• Communists used terror to control their own people

also. – Cheka executed ordinary citizens even if they were only

suspects. – Forced labor camps, grew into Gulag labor system.

Terror and War Communism Continued…• Communists adopted a policy known as “war

communism.”– Took over banks, mines, factories and railroads.– Peasants were forced to deliver all their crops to feed

army and hungry people in cities. – Peasant workers were drafted into the military or forced

to work in factories.

Continued…• Trotsky turned the Red Army into an effective

fighting force.– Used former tsarist officers– Officers watched by commissars– Trotsky’s passionate speeches hyped soldiers….• That and the order that if a unit performed poorly, every tenth

man would be shot.

OBJECTIVE REVIEW

• Summarize the outcome of the civil war in Russia.

Monday October 19th, 2015

• PDN – Why did the OctoberRevolution occur?

NEW OBJECTIVE

• Analyze how Lenin built a Communist state in the Soviet Union.

The Communist Soviet Union Emerges• 1921, Russia = Chaos • Millions died since beginning of WW1. • Millions more perished from famine and disease. • Lenin had to rebuild state and economy.

New Government, Old Problems• 1922, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)• Produced a democratic/socialist constitution. – Elected legislature “Supreme Soviet”– Gave all citizens over 18 the right to vote. – All political power, resources, and means of production

would belong to workers and peasants.

Continued…

• Communists used army and secret police to enforce its will.

Lenin Abandons War Communism• Almost collapses economy. • Peasants stop producing grain, because they knew

government would take it. • 1921, Lenin allows capitalist ventures (NEP). – Govt. controlled banks, foreign trade and large industries– Small businesses were allowed to reopen for private

profit.– Peasants could now sell their surplus instead of have it taken by Govt.

Stalin Comes to Power

Stalin Comes to Power• Lenin died in 1924, at 54 years old. • Stalin stripped Trotsky of party membership, and

takes control of USSR. • 1929, Trotsky flees Russia but continued to criticize

Stalin. – 1940, A Stalinist agent murdered Trotsky in Mexico.

• 1922, Lenin warned Russians about Stalin’s ruthless tendencies, he would use to win dictatorial power.

OBJECTIVE REVIEW

• Analyze how Lenin built a Communist state in the Soviet Union.