Chapter 28: Revolution in Russia
Melissa Mui
Period F
1:Two Revolutions in Russia
What was done.
• Nicholas II didn’t depend on his Duma to keep
peace in his country. He relied on his secret police
to take care of troubles caused by rebels.
• Rebels planned everything in secrecy. They went
through ideas and did anything to make sure no
one found out about their ideas of a soon to
happen, rebellion.
Effects of World War I
• Russians suddenly had a strong pride toward
Russia. But every one of their resources were used
for the war.
• Items weren’t able to reach the front line which
caused soldiers to not have necessities such as
weapons and food.
• Nicholas II went to the front lines himself to
encourage his men but leaves Russia to Alexandra
to take care of.
Czarina Alexandra
• When Nicholas II left to help his men fight
the war, Russia was Left in Alexandra’s
hands. But many Russians didn’t like this
since she was from Germany.
• She also didn’t know much about
government issues.
Mad Monk, Gregory Rasputin
• Alexandra looked up to Gregory Rasputin. She
believed he did miracles because he was able to
save her son.
• On Dec 29, 1916 Prince Felix Yussoupov plotted
to kill Rasputin.
• He laced Rasputin’s cake and wine and he shot
him.
• But the way that Rasputin died after examining his
body, he died from drowning not gunshots.
March 1917
• On the war fields, their were shortages of food and
weapons.
• People back home didn’t have enough food to eat
and demanded bread.
• The king gave up his throne and temporary
governments were started and a new constitution
was being made for a new Russian republic.
• The army continued to fight Germany but the
troops didn’t want to continue fighting.
Bolsheviks
• Bolsheviks a socialist group first worked
with the government. But after time they
took control of things.
• The leader was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
AKA Lenin.
Lenin
• His hatred started when he saw his older brother
being hanged for trying to kill Alexander the III.
• He read the works of Karl Marx and spread his
ideas to the middle class.
• He worked with Nadazhda Krupskaya. In 1895
they were arrested and sent to jail and got married
there.
• Even when they were in jail they spread Marx’s
ideas of a socialist world.
Lenin Returns
• When Lenin is released from jail Germany took
him into their liking.
• They snuck him back into Russia by train. His
followers met him there on April 16, 1917.
• When he steps off the train he says to the crowd
“Dear comrades, soldiers, sailors and workers, I
am happy to greet in you the victorious Russian
Revolution, to greet you as the advance guard of
the international proletarian army…”
November Revolution
• On November 17th the Bolsheviks make
their move.
• Lenin had his own army consisting of
sailors from Russia called the Red Guards.
• They were able to overthrow the
government. They gave up after some time.
• Lenin had a new partner to help deal with
everything, Leon Trotsky.
Russia wrapped around Lenin’s
fingers.
• Russia signed the Treaty of Brestlitovsk. They
gave away most of its territory and its population.
• The Red Guards were fighting a war against the
Whites, soldiers who stayed loyal to Russia.
• The Allies sent help to Russia to take down the
rebellions because they still needed help to fight
the war against Germany.
Keeping things Lenin’s way.
• Lenin created a secret police called Cheka who
had the right to arrest or even kill anyone who was
trying to go against him.
• They adopted the policy of war communism. They
took over everything such as banks, railroads,
mines, and factories.
• Surplus food had to be given to the poor. And the
poor had to go join the army.
Trotsky’s role in this.
• Trotsky helped with the Red Army. He
created a effective fighting force.
• To make sure that he was seen as very
serious, he shot every 10th man if a group of
men did poorly.
Section 2: From Lenin to Stalin
• Lenin was aiming to create something
exactly to what Marx was aiming for.
• He wanted to create a society where
everyone was equal with no social classes.
But in the end he created a communist
country.
How things were run.
• A new constitution was created that fit as a
democratic or socialist type of country.
• The Supreme Soviet was a elected legislature.
• Men were able to vote over 18.
• All political power resources and means of
production went to workers and peasants.
• But in reality the reigned supreme, the Communist
party had most power.
NEP
• Lenin created the New economic Policy
AKA NEP.
• This policy is that the government took
control of most money business but small
businesses were able to have a small profit.
• Also peasants didn’t have to keep giving
away their surplus of food. They were
allowed to sell it for keep it for themselves.
Stolin Takes over.
• After the death of Lenin people thought that
Trotsky would take his role.
• Trotsky was the better one because he agreed with
all of Lenin’s ideas while Stolin went against
them.
• But when it came to time to see who would take
that seat, Stolin added his own people to the
government so that the vote would all be for him.
Stolin has his own dreams.
• Stolin wanted to make a modern industrial
power. He wanted to build heavy industry,
improve transportation, and increase
farming.
• He brought all of the economic under
government control. The government made
all the decisions.
Who did it help?
• His new policy didn’t do much for his
people.
• Some people were able to work up the line
and become managers by meeting the quota.
But the quality of the products made were
horrible.
• Some of the farming life went well but still
in the end, not much has changed.
Farm life.
• Stolin didn’t think that people should be allowed to make a
profit from their own farms.
• He made them work in collectives, large farms owned by
peasants.
• All the food that was grown all had one set price that went
through the country.
• The country helped by giving supplies needed but the
peasants didn’t like the idea. They tried to rebel but Stolin
countered with deadly punishments.
• The peasants usually only had enough to feed themselves
but the government would come and take all their grain.
Assumptions
• Stolin was afraid that other parties would go and
plot against him.
• He started killing the Old Bolsheviks (a party from
the earlier days), army heroes, industrial
managers, writers, and even ordinary citizens.
• During this time at least 4 million people died.
• He would do trials against anyone that seemed to
be going against him in anyway.
• The old were replaced with new young men who
were devoted follwers of Stolin.
Section 3: Life in a Totalitarian
State
• Russians lived in a totalitarian state where
everything is run by the government.
• Nothing is done without either the
government or the secret police having a
say.
• To keep things running in Stolin’s way he
used his secret police, censorship, and most
of all terror.
How far did they go?
• Propaganda was overly used during these times.
• People were told constantly of how a capitalist
state is horrible.
• Anyone who did things to Stolin’s likings were
quickly rewarded.
• Atheism was the religion for everyone. People of
other religions were quickly killed.
• But Muslims were less bothered since Stolin had
support from the Middle East.
Changes for the Rich
• A small group of Soviet citizens were able
to join the communist party.
• Most of the people that joined only wanted
to succeed in life. Not care about anything
else.
Changes for the Poor
• People were able to get a free education,
free medical help and free daycare for
parents.
• Even adults that weren’t able to be educated
in the past had a free education which
included universities.
• There was inexpensive housing and public
transportation.
One Woman
• Alexandra Kollontoi was the only woman who
had a rank in Lenin’s government.
• She constantly helped fight for women rights.
• Finally they were allowed to get many jobs and be
educated.
• In the long run they helped with the economy.
• But they were still expected to take full care of
their family’s at home while still working all day.
Censorship
• Stolin made sure that all the writings had to
do with boosting up a socialist world.
• The government controlled all of the things
they wrote about.
• Stolin used censorship and propaganda to
make himself and his country seem the best.
Questions
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Which is generally a characteristic of a communist economy?
“A group of planners makes all economic decisions. The group assigns natural, human, and capital resources to the
production of those goods and services it wants. The group decides how to produce them and to whom to distribute
them”
This description best applies to the
Which situation resulted from the Russo-Japanese War of 1905?
Stalin’s Five-Year Plans and his decision to form collectives are examples of
A major cause of the Russian Revolution of 1917 was the
Answers
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3. government agencies are involved in production planning
A communist, or command economy, controls the means of production by having governmental
agencies involved in production planning.
3. command economy of the Soviet Union
In a command economy, such as that of the communist Soviet Union, the government controls all
aspects of production.
3. dissident groups challenged the power of the Russian Czar
Russia’s loss to Japan in the Russo-Japanese War (1905) indicated that there was a weakness in the
Russian government which led to a series of confrontations between Czar Nicholas II and Russian
dissidents.
1. strategies to modernize the economy of the Soviet Union through forced communism
In a command economy, such as that of the communist Soviet Union, the government controls all
aspects of production.
3. existence of sharp economic differences between social classes
A rigid class system existed in Russia which allowed landowning nobles, priests, and the Czar to live
well, while the peasant class faced many hardships, including poor working conditions in urban
areas, poverty, and constant food shortages.