Rise of Communism


 Rise of Bolsheviks
 fighting for rights of working class (proletariat) against the czar
 Huge costs of World War I
 Country was not prepared both militarily and industrially
 Many Russians died in victory and defeat
 Huge cost leads to anger against the czar


 Czar was seen as a failure
 Failed when he took control of military
 Soldiers lost faith in leadership
 Shortages of food and other goods forced the population and soldiers to suffer
 Caused desperation among the people to survive
 Unpopular decision of Czar’s wife by relying on
Gregory Rasputin


 Revolution begins: March 8, 1917
 All the Russians (civilians, soldiers, and government) refused to obey Czar
 Protests were taking place – people demanding food
 Police officers and soldiers ordered to shoot protesters, but they refused
 Czar ordered the Duma (legislative body) to shut down
 Politicians refused to shut down government
 March 15, 1917 – Czar Nicholas II steps down as Czar


 After Nicholas II steps down – New government is formed led by Alexander Kerensky
 Reasons for Bolshevik Revolution:
 New government was seen as weak
 New government was going to continue fighting World War I
 Civilians wanted food and land – new government was doing nothing for them
 Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, promised to fix all these things


 November 1917 – Bolsheviks attack and overthrow
Kerensky’s government
 Bolshevik/Communist Policies:
 No private ownership of land – land distributed amongst the people but owned by government
 Factories were taken by Bolsheviks and then turned over to the workers to control
 Gave power to the people to control daily lives
 This was not allowed by the Czar or Kerensky governments


 Peace settlement with Central Powers was a major problem for Russia
 Russian Army had no fight left – Germany and her allies lay harsh terms to Russia for peace
 Russia had to settle for losing vast amounts of land to its enemies for peace
 Led to Civil War amongst Communists
 1920 – Civil War ends with Lenin’s Bolsheviks winning and maintaining power


 Policy set to save the Russian Economy from total collapse
 Allowed for some capitalism in the country
 Goods could be sold for profit
 Food production was encouraged
 Once economy was stable, Russia rejoins with some old lands that was a part of the empire – country is renamed
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) or Soviet Union