The Russian Revolution - Chronology
EVENT
DATE SIGNIFICANCE
PERSPECTIVES
Creation of
Romanov
dynasty
1613
Michael Romanov becomes first Tsar of
Russia, beginning Romanov dynasty.
Autocratic, divine right rule
Communist
Manifesto
published
1848
Deeply influenced developing Russian
political parties
Abolition of
serfdom
1864
Introduction of the Zemstvos and Mir
Sergei Witte,
minister of
finance
1891 1901
Leads economic reforms, contributes to
construction of Trans-Siberia railway
POSITIVE: Lead industrial reform and increased
foreign investment
NEGATIVE: Created poor working conditions,
neglect agriculture and over-reliance on foreign
investment
Nicholas II
assumes the
throne
1894
Apprehensive to be Tsar, yet deeply
devoted to restoration of Tsarist Russia
‘Convinced intellectuals could not run the country’
(Pipes)
‘Weakness of will lead to his demise’ (Hite)
‘Desperately wanted to hold onto the throne but did
not have the necessary qualities’ (Figes)
Social democratic
party est.
1898
Would split in to Bolshevik and Mensheviks
parties in 1903
Social
revolutionary
party est.
1901
More radical groups carry out terrorist acts
against Tsarist govt
‘What is to be
done?’ Lenin
1902
Expresses Lenin’s intentions for SDs, resulting in
Bolshevik/Menshevik split
Russo-Japanese
War
1904 –
1905
Economic detriment and undermines faith
in Tsar – Radical groups grow
Overturned basic idea of Marxist doctrine of Socialdemocracy (Pipes)
The Russian Revolution
AOS1 - Revolutionary ideas, leaders, movements
and events
Politics and Ideologies of pre-revolutionary Russia
LEARNING INTENTION:
Understand the terms ‘Marxism’ and ‘Leninism’, and
explain how the differ
• Understand how the Industrial Revolution altered
society
• Define and understand Communism
• Explain how Marxism views the path to
communism as inevitable
• Outline the background of Vladimir Lenin
• Outline the differences between Marxism and
Leninism
Industrialisation and the Industrial
Revolution
•
Industrialisation: the organised action of making of goods and services for sale
•
Industrial Revolution: ‘brought about a shift from an economy based on manual labour to one
dominated by industry and the manufacture of machinery.… the growth that took place after 1750,
when technical progress, the integration of regional and national markets, and further support from
agriculture came together to sustain an unprecedented rate of industrialisation, warrants the label of a
Revolution’ (Quinualt and O’Brien 2002:42)
PARAPHRASE THIS QUOTE TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS MEANT BY THE
TERM ‘INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION’
Brought about a shift from an economy based on manual labour to one dominated by industry and
the manufacture of machinery.
The discovery of steam driven power derived from fossil fuels such as coal contributed to this process
greatly
Marxism: A background
• Karl Marx met Friedriech Engels in Paris in 1844. Much of the work we now
refer to as ‘Marxist’ is the product of these two men
• They visited factories in Northern England to study lived experience as a result
of industrialisation
The life of the industrial worker is
utter monotony; it is his mission to
be bored every day. Children are
deformed, men enfeebled, limbs
crushed, whole generations
wrecked, purely to fill the purses of
the bourgeoisie
• Since the Industrial Revolution, the aim of business has been to lower costs and
raise profits. Human labour in factories was the greatest cost, so employees were
usually paid as little as possible
• Similar observations in Germany led Marx and Engels to believe this was a
world wide problem that required a solution
Communism: Key elements
MEANS OF PRODUCTION:
The raw materials, lands, and resources that are
used in production
COMMUNISM
CAPITALISM
Industry, capital, land and other means of
production are own and controlled by the
community as a whole
Investment in and ownership of the
means of production, distribution and
wealth is in the hands of
Private individuals and corporations
Communism: A political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and profit
based economy with public ownership and collective control of most of the major means of
production
Bourgeoisie: The privileged class that owns the means of production
Proletariat: The industrial working class, which sells its labour to the bourgeoisie for income
Communism: Key Terms
Communism: A political and economic doctrine that
aims to replace private property and profit based
economy with public ownership and collective control of
most of the major means of production
Bourgeoisie: The privileged class that owns the means of
production
Proletariat: The industrial working class, which sells its
labour to the bourgeoisie for income
MARXIST THEORY OF HISTORICAL
STAGES
• History as a series of class struggles between those who control production
(employers) and those who did not (employees)
• Hence the famous opening to the Communist Manifesto: ‘The history of all
hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle struggle’
• Pattern of development of human society according to Marx:
Medieval Society:
Feudal system. People
bound together
through mutual
bonds of obligation
and protections.
Social position
through birth right
E.G:Ancien Régime
of France:
absolutism and the
three estates
Capitalist society:
Feudal societies are
challenged by a new class
(bourgeoisie) and a new
system emerges:
Capitalist production in
which bourgeoisie control
means of productions
Communist society:
Proletariat overthrows
bourgeoisie. Government
controls means of
production to empower
the proletariat, depriving
bourgeoisie of its power.
E.G: The
world we live
in today
E.G: Russia
(Soviet Union)
between 1917
and 1990?
Communist Manifesto (1848)
• Written as a pamphlet for the Communist League (Est. 1847
by Marx and Engels), it was a critique of capitalism
• Predicted the demise of capitalism and subsequent rise of
communism as inevitable
• Workers (proletariat) would be forced to revolt
• This and other writings by Marx was the cornerstone to the
Russian Communist ideology and revolution
(We will focus a lot on the extent to which this was the case)
According to Marx and Engels, what was
required for the revolution to happen?
In your books, create the following table and complete it, using pp. 25 - 26 as a guide
What is it...
Marx/Engels quote
The outcome...
Development of
‘Class Consciousness’
Dictatorship of the
Proletariat
Classless Utopia
DONE IT ALREADY? ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION.
Using three of four main points, explain why and how Marx and Engels believed society
would be transformed from a capitalist political organisation into a communist one.
Assumptions of Communism
1. Conflicts are only between classes and never
within them
2. Human nature is always consistent
3. Class loyalty is significantly more important than
national loyalty
4. Capitalism is an unstable system that will get
worse before collapsing
5. Demise of capitalism in inevitable, so therefore
the rise of Communism is also inevitable
Revolutionary leader:
Vladmir Lenin (pp. 28-9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGE6T3SRNAs
Complete ‘Practicing Paragraph Answers’ question 3
Create this concept map in your workbook on half a page
As we go through the next few slides, complete the concept map
Leninism was
different to
Marxism
because….
Marxism V Leninism
• Communism was proposed for industrialised countries – Russia was
semi-feudal and agrarian
• Marx and Engels argued that a classless utopia would occur
inevitably, whereas Lenin wished to accelerate the process
• Marx and Engels did not say how the revolution would occur;
Lenin’s suggestions of how Marx and Engels’ ideas \should be
interpreted and practiced were called Leninism
• ‘Leninism’ was presented in his various writings (e.g: ‘What is to be
done? (1902), One Step Froward, One step Back (1904), Two Tactic
(1905)) and in his famous April Thesis
LENINISM V MARXISM
• Lenin ultimately wanted to ‘fast-track’ the development of a communist
society.
• Industrialisation was occurring, and consequently so to was capitalism, and
Lenin wanted to skip this phase
• Pattern of development of human society according to Marx:
Medieval Society:
Feudal system. People
bound together
through mutual
bonds of obligation
and protections.
Social position
through birth right
E.G:Ancien Régime
of France:
absolutism and the
three estates
Capitalist society:
Feudal societies are
challenged by a new class
(bourgeoisie) and a new
system emerges:
Capitalist production in
which bourgeoisie control
means of productions
Communist society:
Proletariat overthrows
bourgeoisie. Government
controls means of
production to empower
the proletariat, depriving
bourgeoisie of its power.
E.G: The
world we live
in today
E.G: Russia
(Soviet Union)
between 1917
and 1990
LEARNING INTENTION:
Understand the terms ‘Marxism’ and ‘Leninism’, and
explain how the differ
• How did the Industrial Revolution altered
society?
• What is Communism?
• According to Marx how was Communism
inevitable?
• What are the differences between Leninism and
Marxism?