Ch. 11 Section 5

• 1913 marked the 300 th anniversary of the
Romanov dynasty
• In 1914, the Russian empire stretched from
Easter Europe to the Pacific Ocean
• Russia was slow to industrialize
• Majority of the population lived in poverty
• In March 1917, the first of two revolutions would topple the dynasty and pave the way for more radical changes

• Unrest Deepens
– Tsar Nicholas II was a weak leader, relying on his secret police to impose his will
– Marxists tried to ignite revolution among the “ proletariat ”
• Impact of World War 1
– The war fueled national pride and united Russia
– Their resources were quickly strained, and by 1915, soldiers didn’t have enough rifles or ammunition
– In 1915 alone, there were 2 million Russian casualties
– Tsar Nicholas II went to the front lines to ‘help’ leaving
Tsarina Alexandra in charge
– Alexandra relied on Gregory Rasputin so much that nobles had him killed to protect the monarchy on 12/29/1916

• The Tsar Steps Down
– By March 1917, the monarchy collapsed
– People rioted and marched in St. Petersburg and the troops refused to fire on them
– The tsar stepped down on the advice of military and political leaders
– A temporary government was set up and the began preparing a constitution for a new Russian republic
– Revolutionary socialists set up “ soviets ”
– Then, the Bolsheviks, led by V. I. Lenin took charge

• The Russian revolutions of March and
November 1917 are known to Russians as the
February and October revolutions
• In 1917, Russia was still using an old calendar that was 13 days behind the modern calendar
• Russia adopted the western/modern calendar in 1918

• Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov was born in 1870
• Changed his name to Lenin when he became a revolutionary
• When he was 17, his brother was arrested and hanged for plotting to kill the tsar
• His family was labeled a threat, and he hated the tsarist government ever since
• As a young man, Lenin read Karl Marx, participated in student demonstrations, and spread Marxist ideas among the industrial working class
• Met Nadezhda Krupskaya, the daughter of a poor noble family
• In 1895, the pair were arrested and sent to Siberia. They got married and after their release, exiled to Switzerland and continued working towards spreading revolutionary ideas

• Lenin adapted Marxist ideas to fit Russian conditions
– Russia did not have a large force of rural workers
• “majority” even though they were a small percentage of socialists
• In March 1917, Germany helped Lenin return home in an attempt to weaken Russia

• Lenin joined with other exiled activists and was appealing to a struggling country
• The Provisional Government’s mistakes
– Peasants wanted land and overpowered landlords
– Kept fighting in the war with mutinous troops
– Lack of supplies and morale
– By November 1917, the Bolsheviks were primed to make their move and seize power from the provisional government

• Red Guards - armed factory workers – joined with mutinous sailors and attacked the provisional government
• The Bolsheviks quickly seizes power in many cities
• Moscow fell in a week and became Bolshevik headquarters

• The bolsheviks ended private ownership and distributed land to peasants
• Workers were given control of factories and mines
• A new flag: red with an entwined hammer and sickle
• People thought that they had gained control
• Actually Bolsheviks, renamed Communists, were now in control

• After the revolution, Lenin sought peace with
Germany
– Signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918
– This changed the war for the Allies (Section 3)
• For 3 years, “Reds” fought “Whites” in a civil war
– Reds: Communists
– Whites: tsarist imperial officers, Menchaviks, democrats, etc
– Allies intervened

• “ Cheka ” – secret police
• Forced labor camps
• Took over banks, mines, factories, railroads
• Red Army used “ commisars ”
• By 1921, the Communists managed to defeat their foes

• Chaos in Russia
– Millions dead, from war,famine and disease
• New Government, Same Problems
– 1922 – Lenin forms USSR, or Soviet Union
– Communists created a constitution that claimed to:
• Seemed democratic and socialist, set up elected legislature, all citizens 18+ can vote, all political power, resources, and means of production belonged to the workers and peasants
– Not really though. The Communist Party was actually in charge

• Lenin’s New Economic Policy
– Lenin retreated from “war communism” which almost collapsed the economy
– 1921 – adopts NEP, which allows some capitalist ventures
• Small business were allowed to reopen for private profit
– By 1928, food and industrial production were back to prewar levels and the standard of living improved

• 1924 – Lenin dies at age 54
– Power struggle among Communist leaders
• Trotsky – Marxist, skillful speaker, architect of Bolshevik revolution. Wanted to use Communism against capitalism
• Joseph Stalin – not a scholar or orator, but a shrewd political operator and behind-the-scenes organizer. Wanted to build socialism at home before branching out
• Stalin isolated Trotsky and kicked him out of the party. Trotsky fled in 1929, was killed in Mexico in
1940
• Lenin had been cautious of Stalin, and was right to, as Stalin used ruthless measures to win dictatorial power

• [proletariat, soviet, Cheka, commissar]
• Tsar abdicated
• Lenin and the Bolsheviks
• Russia did not have a large force of urban workers, so Marxism was adapted to fit them
• Bolsheviks took over from the provisional government that was set up after the war
• Lenin’s NEP of 1921 helped restore the economy, including letting small business reopen for private profit
• Stalin takes over after Lenin dies (uh-oh…)