The Russian Revolution pt II Lecture

From Lenin to Stalin Lecture Notes

The Russian Civil War• After Lenin seized control of Russia in October

1918, the country fell into a 3 year Civil War – White Army –loyalists to the Czar– Red Army –Communists workers and soldiers

• In the onslaught of the Red Army, Kerensky helped Nicholas II and his family to escape the Red Terror

• The Red Army soon found them in a basement and executed Nicholas and his entire family

The Russian Civil• The war claimed 15 million Russian lives during

the fighting

• Most of the Russian economy had been completely destroyed ie factories, bridges, roads, and farms

• In the end, the Lenin and the Bolsheviks had beaten back the Whites and formally declared Russia a Communist State

Russia after the Revolution • A new Constitution for a "democratic"

socialist country with an Elected Legislature and all citizens had the right to vote

• United all Russian Republics under one Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic

• In reality the Communist party remained supreme, used secret police and held most of the power

Lenin's Policies• Lenin needed to rebuild the economy and

industry after the Civil War

• Created New Economic Plan (NEP)

• Small business could remain in private ownership for profit; some capitalism

• The state controlled banks, trade and large industries

• The Russian Economy slowly gained strength again

The Death of Lenin

• The years of revolution and civil war had severe effects on Lenin’s health

• After 2 strokes and an assassination attempt, Lenin resigned from active politics in 1922.

• In March 1923, he suffered a 3rd stroke and was no longer able to speak

• He died in January 1924 at the age of 53

Stalin's Rise to Power• Lenin preferred Leon Trotsky as a successor

• Lenin believed Stalin was too powerful and not tolerant enough

• Trotsky was a scholar and leader of the Communist Revolution

• Stalin was a politician in the Communist party that had amassed great power through organizing his loyal group of followers.

Stalin's Rise to Power• Stalin was from the peasant class so he had a

lot of support from the Russian people.

• Stalin pressured Trotsky out of the Communist Party

• Trotsky left the USSR in 1929 and fled to Mexico

• He was murdered by a secret agent of Stalin's

Stalin’s Plan• Soviet citizens would work not for the individual for the

overall good of the working class

• He called the economic plan the FIVE-YEAR PLAN. – The government decided the quantity, and price of all products such as

tanks, airplanes and tractors.

• All private industry is state owned.

• He called for construction of massive industrial centers to support military buildup and a strong economy.

• Peasants had to give up their small plots of land for state-owned farms- Collectivation

Totalitarianism in Russia

• Stalin had brought the Soviet Union into a complete totalitarian state

• Russians lost their freedoms, could not earn a better life, and lived in fear of the government

• Stalinist Russia set the stage for other Totalitarians to rise up and establish complete control over their countries and their people