Russian Revolution & Vladimir Lenin
S. Gerhardt
Packet #25
Global II
Russian Revolution & Vladimir Lenin
Key Themes & Concepts:
 CHANGE – Why did the Russian people demand change in 1917?
 POWER – How did the Bolsheviks take control of the Russian government from the
Czar?
Long-Term Causes of the Revolution:
A variety of factors had been leading up to revolution in Russia for a long time. Through the
1800s and early 1900s, discontent (unhappiness) grew as the Russian czars resisted needed
reforms
Czarist Rule:
In the late 1800s, Alexander III and his son, Nicholas II, sought to industrialize the country and
build Russia’s economic strength. Although these czars wanted to import western industrialization,
they hoped to block the ideals of the French Revolution. Still, Russian reformers called for a
constitution and reforms that would eliminate corruption in the government. Both Alexander and
Nicholas used harsh tactics, such as the use of secret police, to suppress reform.
Peasant Unrest:
A rigid system of social classes still existed in Russia at the beginning of World War I. Landowning
nobles, priests and an autocratic (oppressive) czar dominated society. A small middle class was
prevented from gaining power.
Peasants faced many difficulties. Most were too poor to buy the land they worked. Even those who
owned land often did not have enough to feed their families. Even though industrialization had
proceeded slowly, it had angered some peasants. Some opposed it because they feared the
changes it brought and preferred the old ways.
Problems of Urban Workers
Some peasants had moved to cities and found jobs in new industries. They worked long hours and
their pay was low. Most lived in slums that were nests of poverty and disease. It was among these
workers that ideas of revolution and reform spread.
** After reading the causes of the Russian Revolution, fill in the graphic organizer on
the following page. Summarize and PUT INTO YOUR OWN WORDS the causes of the
Russian Revolution. **
Russian Society
French Society
After examining the two cartoons, please describe how BOTH the French and Russian
society structures contributed to the outbreak of violent revolution.
NOTES:
Main Ideas & Themes
Notes
Lenin’s View on Marx
• Lenin, as a young man, read the works of Karl Marx
• Lenin adapted Marxist ideas to fit Russian conditions
• Spread Marxist ideas among factory workers
The Bolshevik Take Over:
• Lenin ordered that all farmland be divided among the
peasants and ended private ownership of land
• Bolsheviks took control of the factories, mines, banks
and railroads.
• Created a new flag
Russia Plunges into Civil War:
WHO?
Reds (communists) Vs. Whites (Supporters of the Czar)
• The Allies intervened and wanted whites to
overthrow the Communists
• Communists used terror not only against Whites , but
to control their own people
• They organized the Cheka - a secret police force
• Communist forces were able to defeat the White Army
USSR aka the Soviet Union
• 1922, Lenin’s government helped unite Russia into
one union
• Soviet Union was a multinational state made up of
European and Asian peoples
New Economic Policy aka NEP
• New policy allowed some capitalist ventures
• State still controlled banks, foreign trade and large
industries
• Allowed small businesses to reopen for private profit
and peasants to freely sell their surplus crops
Stalin Takes Over:
• Lenin died in 1924 (age 54)
• There was a power struggle within the Communist
party……. Stalin comes out on top
• Promises to return to a “pure” communist state
WRAP-UP & REVIEW:
Speaker A: If the rate of population growth
continues to exceed the growth in the
food supply, there will not be enough
food for all of the people.
Speaker B: There are people who are wealthy and
people who are poor. This is just how
things are.
Speaker C: History is the story of class struggle.
Eventually, the working class will rise up
and revolt against the wealthy.
Speaker D: The government should do what is best
for most of its people.
Which speaker best represents the views of Karl
Marx?
(1) A (3) C
(2) B (4) D
To which situation are these speakers most likely
reacting?
(1) growth of Zionism
(2) rise of industrialization
(3) division of Africa
(4) formation of military alliances
A key principle of the economic theory of
communism is
(1) restoration of a bartering system
(2) organization of workers’ unions
(3) government ownership of property
(4) privatization of business
Which event had the greatest influence on
the development of laissez-faire
capitalism?
(1) fall of the Roman Empire
(2) invention of the printing press
(3) Industrial Revolution
(4) Green Revolution
• Led the Russians in a second revolution
(1917)
• Promised “Peace, Land, and Bread”
• Established the New Economic Policy
(NEP)
Which leader is being described by these
statements?
(1) Czar Nicholas II (3) Vladimir I. Lenin
(2) Nikita Khrushchev (4) Mikhail Gorbachev
Which idea is most closely associated with
laissezfaire
economics?
(1) communes
(2) trade unionism
(3) subsistence agriculture
(4) free trade
In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx
and Friedrich Engels expressed the idea
that
(1) religion should be the most important
factor in society
(2) power should be determined by a
person’s wealth
(3) profits from work should belong to the
workers
(4) supply and demand should control prices
Adam Smith would most likely agree with
which statement?
(1) Revolution is the only solution to economic
problems.
(2) Five-year plans are necessary in order to
industrialize.
(3) All nations would benefit from an
agricultural economy.
(4) Government should follow a laissez-faire
policy.
Laissez-faire economists of the 19th
century argued that
(1) the government should regulate the
economy and foreign trade
(2) individuals should be allowed to pursue
their self-interest in a free market
(3) governments should develop a state-run
banking system to prevent instability
(4) anarchy would result if universal male
suffrage was granted
Laissez-faire capitalism as attributed to
Adam Smith called for
(1) heavy taxation of manufacturers
(2) strict government control of the economy
(3) minimal government involvement in the
economy
(4) government investments in major
industries
Karl Marx predicted that laissez-faire
capitalism would result in
(1) a return to manorialism
(2) a revolution led by the proletariat
(3) fewer government regulations
(4) an equal distribution of wealth and
income