Communism: A General Overview


Socialism = the belief that the economy should be
controlled by society, either directly or through the
government
 Believe in: a classless society, equal distribution of
wealth, gender equality, etc.
How is communism different?
 Socialists believe their ideal society can be achieved
slowly through progression and evolution of the
government
 Communists believe this society can only be achieved by
overthrowing the government
History of Economic Thought
in the Western World

Mercantilism (1450-1750s)





Bullion (gold/silver) = wealth and power
Positive balance of trade (export > import)
Strictly regulate your economy to keep getting gold
Trade is a zero-sum game = winners and losers
Capitalism (1750s – today)




When societies trade, everyone gains
People naturally seek profit, so competition is efficient
Markets regulate themselves – the “invisible hand”
Minimal government regulation – “lassiez-faire”

Mercantilism 



Economic & political competition between
Spain, Portugal, later English, French, Dutch
Spread of exploration/colonization in Americas
Capitalism 





Industrial Revolution
Rise & fall of British Empire
Growth of United States as a world power
Cold War (capitalism vs. communism)
Imperialism (colonization in India, Africa, etc.)
Marxism as Radical Thought
Marx’s Class System

Classes



Bourgeoisie: own the means of production
(facilities that produce goods)
Proletariat: sell their labor to earn wages
Classes in conflict

Bourgeoisie want low wages (so they make
more profit), proletariat want high wages
What is Marxism?

Marx argues that the history of the world
is a history of class struggle: The
common people versus their masters.


The Working Class will eventually destroy
the Capitalist Owner Class and build a
worker’s state.
Worker Councils will run the factories and
we can build a glorious new future!
Pre-Revolutionary Russia



Only true autocracy left in
Europe
No type of representative
political institutions
Nicholas II became czar in
1884



Last ruler from the Romanov
family
Believed he was the absolute
ruler anointed by God
Russo-Japanese War (1904)
= defeat for Russia in this
war led to political instability
Russia in WWI




Suffered harsh defeats
Shortages of both food and
weapons
Morale in the Russian army
= hit rock bottom
Russian civilians suffering at
home too



All supplies & food went to
the army, not them
Demanded: “PEACE AND
BREAD!”
These losses in WWI made
Czar Nicholas II very
unpopular
Russian soldiers running from
advancing German troops
Czar Nicholas II & Alexandra



Alexandra = Czar Nicholas
II’s wife
Both the Czar and his wife
= very unpopular because
they were politically
incompetent and foolish
Both relied on the guidance
of a mystic healer named
Rasputin

This also made them look
weak and silly
Rasputin



Known as the “mad monk”
Wandered around Russia,
claiming to have special
powers
Czar & his wife asked him
to cure their son


He had hemophilia
Built up a bad reputation in
St. Petersburg


Slept with dozens of women
Alcoholic
Alexis: Alexandra’s Son with
Hemophilia
Death of Rasputin


Killed by the Czar’s relatives in 1916 to save the monarchy
1st = served cake and wine laced with cyanide


2nd = shot several times


No effect – stayed alive
No effect – stayed alive; staggering around wounded and bleeding
3rd = the men pushed his body through a hole in an icedover river

Moved about for several minutes before dying
The March Revolution of 1917



People organized strikes
and protests demanding
food and fuel
Soldiers who were sent to
stop the protests ended up
joining the protestors
Czar Nicholas II abdicated
(gave up) his power on
March 15, 1917

End of the 300-year
Romanov dynasty in Russia
The Provisional Government


Provisional Government =
temporary central
government in Russia after
the Czar stepped down
Led by: Alexander
Kerensky


Saw the war effort as the #1
priority
Had to deal with: soldiers
deserting, transportation
problems, low arms
production, etc.
The Provisional Government


Russian masses wanted 3 things:
1) Immediate peace & withdrawal from WWI
2) Transfer of land to the peasants
3) Control of factories by workers
Provisional government did not pull Russia out of
the war and did not enact any social reforms


Lost popularity
Led to its downfall
The Bolsheviks

Bolsheviks = radical
revolutionary group in Russia



Wanted a socialist society in
Russia
Led by: Vladimir Lenin
Slogan = “Peace, land, and
bread!”
The Russian Revolution




November 1917
Also known as the: Bolshevik
Revolution
Bolsheviks staged a coup d’etat
in St. Petersburg
 Overthrew the provisional
government
 Members of the provisional
government fled or were
arrested
 Relatively bloodless
Bolsheviks claimed absolute
power
The Russian Revolution

Bolsheviks began building a
socialist state




Ended private ownership of
property
Distributed land among the
peasants
Gave workers control of factories
and mines
Bolshevik Party = officially
renamed the Communist Party
in March 1918

Wanted to spread the
Communist revolution
throughout the world
Peace with Germany


Lenin’s 1st order of
business = get Russia
out of WWI
Signed peace treaty
with Germany in
March 1918

Peace Conference between Russia
and Germany
Russia lost much of its
western territory and
1/3 of its population
Russian Civil War


1918 – 1921
Communists vs. their
political opponents



Political opponents =
Royalists, Liberal
Democrats, Moderate
Socialists, Landlords, etc.
Communists = “the Reds”
Their opponents = “the
Whites”
Russian Civil War: The Red Army


Communist
Army = called
the Red Army
Led by Leon
Trotsky
Russian Civil War


Both sides burned
villages and killed
civilians
In the meantime:
workers and
peasants were
starving and the
Russian economy
was crumbling
Russian Civil War: The Terror




Bolsheviks imposed a policy called
“war communism”
 Took direct control over all
industries
 Forced peasants to send food to the
cities
Killed the imprisoned Czar & his family
Set up secret police force = the Cheka
 Arrested (and often executed)
anyone considered an “enemy of
the revolution”
Placed severe restrictions on the
Russian Orthodox Church
 Communists = anti-religion
Russian Civil War




“Whites” surrendered in 1921
 Outnumbered, disorganized,
poorly equipped armies
Lenin and the Communists then had
complete control of Russia
Lenin = ruled from 1921-1924
State of Russia = horrible



From 1914-1921 = 27 million
Russians had died
Economy = in shambles
Peasants = still starving
Lenin in Power



1922 = Russia becomes
USSR = Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics =
Soviet Union
New constitution written =
makes it a socialist state
In theory = Soviet Union
supposed to be run by the
workers

But really the Communist
Party did
Lenin in Power

Lenin died in 1924 at the age of 54
Trotsky vs. Stalin




Fought for power after Lenin
died
Leon Trotsky = leader of the Red
Army during the Civil War
Joseph Stalin = General
Secretary of the Communist
Party
Difference = Trotsky wanted to
spread Communism all over the
world immediately & Stalin
wanted to make it strong in the
Soviet Union first
Trotsky vs. Stalin


Trotsky = closer to Lenin
and more well-known
Stalin = outmaneuvered
Trotsky politically



Ability to remove and appoint
government officials
Once he gained control of the
government, he exiled Trotsky
to Siberia in 1929
Trotsky eventually moved to
Mexico City  Stalin sent an
assassin there to kill him
Joseph Stalin


Ruled the Soviet Union from 1929 –
1953
Responsible for the next major
extension of communist control
 In Eastern Europe after WWII
 Soviet military forces already there
after the war  stayed there to
help impose communist regimes
per Stalin’s orders
 Stalin wanted to be surrounded by
“friendly” governments as security
against invasions from the West
fin
Communism: A General Overview

Cold War = 1946 – 1991





Global rivalry between the
Soviet Union and the U.S.
Capitalism vs. Communism
Divided continents,
countries, and cities
Spawned the space race
Spawned a dangerous arms
race focused on nuclear
weapons
Communism: A General Overview
Major countries/regions in the communist “bloc”:





The Soviet Union
Eastern Europe
China
North Korea
North Vietnam




Laos
Cambodia
Cuba
Afghanistan
Communism: A General Overview



During the Cold War, the
Soviet Union and its allies
were brought together by:
Warsaw Pact = military
alliance designed to
counter NATO
Council on Mutual
Economic Assistance =
tied together the
economies of the Soviet
Union and those of
Eastern European
countries
Communism: A General Overview


Communist parties also existed in noncommunist countries
1950s = small communist party developed
in the U.S.
 Sparked fear and political repression
 McCarthyism = movement of political
repression against communists in the U.S.
 involved making accusations of
disloyalty and treason without proper
regard for evidence
 Many people lost their jobs, had their
careers destroyed, or were even
imprisoned without any evidence that
they were communists or communist
sympathizers