A Synopsis of the
Russian Revolution
and the years that follow under Joseph Stalin’s reign
Joseph Dzhugashvili – his youth Had a bad childhood
 He was a rebellious child
 His mother wanted him to be a priest in the Russian
Orthodox Church even though he did not want to
 Followed the teachings of Karl Marx in secret;
 Marx wanted a revolution- saw workers rising up in
rebellion against the factory owners
Karl Marx / Vladimir Lenin /
Communism
 Karl Marx is the original revolutionist whose ideas
were to see everyone be equal; classless society
 Got exiled from Russia for ideas
 Vladimir Lenin shared his belief
 These are the basic principles of Communism /
Marxism / Socialism – an equal, classless society with
workers in charge; this is not what it became though
In his 20’s
 Previously left seminary
 Met Lenin while exiled for revolutionary publications
 Lenin liked Stalin because he could put plans in to
action
 Stalin was not a great writer but could communicate
with uneducated well because he wrote and talked
simply; urged people to strike
 Married, had a child, and then his wife died; he lost all
warm feelings for human beings
Pre-Russian Revolution- Chapter 1
 Early 1900’s- Czar Nicholas II in charge in early 1900’sruled with force; incompetent
 The proletariat (working class) and the peasants (the
poor) are being treated horribly
 There are bad working conditions, low food rations
for the people, and no land owned by them
 People want change; so several political groups
emerge- Bolsheviks (radicals) and Mensheviks
(moderates)
 Stalin and Lenin are leaders of the Bolsheviks- radical
revolutionists
The Whites= Anti-communists- Chapter 1
 Some do not want change
 The White Russians or bourgeoisie (the upper class)
are land owners / capitalists who either own means of
production or who have some power during this time.
 The Russian Orthodox Church influenced the czar,
too; they did not want change
 They don’t want to overthrow the government
because they will lose some of their freedoms.
Revolution of 1905Pre-Russian Revolution- Chapter 1
 Bloody Sunday= Workers protest on January 22, 1905; Czar
Nicholas II fires on them
 Czar Nicholas II promises to be better; established a DUMA=
ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SERVE THE PEOPLE
 Some groups are satisfied with the Duma, and other groups, like
the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks want more change; they organize
a Soviet- or workers council to strike for more reforms
 Some Bolsheviks are arrested and are kicked out of the country
because of the chaos they create
 In 1916, Lenin and Stalin are let back in to the country
After the Revolution of 1905Problems continue- Chapter 2
 Even though there are some civil liberties granted
and committees are made, the provisional
government still is not popular
 Duma is limited
 World War I started in 1914; most supported the war
effort except for the Bolsheviks; the groups who
want change start to split
 Rasputin (member of Russian Orthodox Church) and
Czarina (wife of Nicholas) make bad decisions for the
czar while he is away supporting war effort
February Revolution of 1917Chapter 2
 February 26, 1917- a revolution begins.
 Workers riot for more food rations; Czar fires on the
people again, and he tries to dissolve the Duma
 Duma refuses to be put down; workers take over the
capital; Czar Nicholas II is forced to give up the throne.
 A new provisional government is made up of mostly
moderates
 People still aren’t happy- wanted an end to war and land
October Revolution of 1917Chapter 2
 Vladimir Lenin comes back to Russia
 He uses propaganda (types of persuasion) to convince
the people, especially the Bolsheviks, that they want
an end to the war and should have more land
 On October 24, 1917- the Bolsheviks overthrow the
provisional government by storming the Winter
Palace and taking control of the capital and
government buildings
 Form the Council of People’s Commissars
Stalin changes his name –
“Man of Steel”- Chapter 3
 Stalin sat quietly while the revolution was
occurring
 Impressed Lenin because he could get things
done
 No one realized how dangerous Stalin really
was
Leon Trotsky- Chapter 3
 Trotsky was Stalin’s competition- another leader of
the Bolsheviks
 Excellent speaker and very smart
 Stalin and Trotsky were opposites in every way
 Trotsky was popular with the people
 Never really paid attention to what Stalin was
planning
Propaganda is used- Chapters 3+
 Propaganda, a way of wording or structuring
something so it appeals mostly to emotions, and it
distorts facts.
 It is used to promote a one sided argument aimed at
winning people over to a certain cause or belief.
 The people are not smart enough to realize that they
are being manipulated like this.
Civil War of 1918- Chapter 4
 New government negotiates peace with Germany and
withdraws from WWI
 Government becomes known as the All-Russian
Communist Party
 Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed
 Civil War breaks out – Reds (communists) vs. Whites
(anti- communists)
 Leon Trotsky is the hero of this battle
Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin become
the leaders in Russia- Chapter 4
 Before Lenin dies in 1924, he is concerned that Stalin
has strayed from primary purpose, to help the
workers.
 Lenin said in a letter that Stalin should be removed
from power; this was never communicated to the
people before he died
 Stalin promised to fulfill Lenin’s “commandments”
 Stalin sabotaged Trotsky, and got others to go along
with him
1922- Chapter 5
Union of Soviet Socialists
Republics (USSR) is formed
Stalin becomes General
Secretary to the Party
Joseph Stalin vs. Leon TrotskyChapter 5
 Trotsky wanted worldwide revolution for workers;
Stalin wanted to focus on socialism in Russia
 People favored Stalin and wanted peace “after so
much war and hardship”
 Stalin gained leadership of country
 Stalin exiled Trotsky from the country and then sent
assassins to Mexico to murder him
 Continued to smear Trotsky’s name once he was gone
Things go from bad to worseChapter 6-7
 Trotsky wanted worldwide revolution for workers;
Stalin wanted to focus on socialism in Russia
 People favored Stalin and wanted peace “after so
much war and hardship”
 Stalin gained leadership of country
 Stalin exiled Trotsky from the country and then sent
assassins to Mexico to murder him
 Continued to smear Trotsky’s name once he was gone
Famine and starvation- Chapter 7
 Famine ensues; people were starving as Stalin
stopped food rations
 People are punished with 10 years of labor or
death for stealing a handful of grain
 Stalin refused to admit there are problems; he
killed more peasants than had died in WWI
 Didn’t want other countries to know about
this dire situation in Russia
Five- Year Plans- Chapter 7
Entering the age of the machines;
industry was very important to
Stalin
Industrial workers “could not
change jobs, take days off, or be
late” or they would go to prison
The Blood Purge Trials of 1936-38Chapter 7
 In 1936-1938- The Purge Trials occur- many prominent Old
Bolsheviks are found guilty of treason and are executed or
imprisoned. Trotsky was supposedly the ringleader.
 Why? Stalin wanted to prove to the country what would
happen if you went against him
 It is subsequently established that the accused are
innocent, that the cases are fabricated by the secret police
(NKVD), and that the confessions are made under pressure
of intense torture and intimidation.
 Stalin had decided everyone’s sentences before the trials had
even begun
Terror spreads- Chapter 7
 People told on others out of fear, just to prove they
were loyal
 By 1939, more than half of the party was arrested
 At least 35,000 officers of the Red Army (half of the
entire corp) had been executed or imprisoned
 He even has “history rewritten,” changing facts about
the revolution, making himself the hero instead of
Trotsky
Nazi- Soviet Pact of 1939
Chapter 8
 Even though Russia and Nazi Germany are enemies,
they agree to sign a 10 year non-aggression pact to
remain neutral.
 Why? Stalin knows that Hitler’s ultimate aim is to
attack Russia.
 So he believes the best way of dealing with Germany
is to form an alliance with him to delay this attack.
 Stalin also needs time to rebuild his army and to
prepare for this impending attack.
German Invasion of Russia in 1941aka Operation Barbarossa- Chapter 8
 Germany eventually does disregard its non-aggression pact
with Russia. Three army groups attack Russia on June 22,
1941.
 Russia is defended by four army units. Though Russia has a
large army, the purges had wiped out a considerable part
of the army’s senior commanders.
 By Day 17 of the attack, 300,000 Russians are captured,
2,500 tanks, 1,400 artillery guns, and 250 aircrafts are
captured or destroyed. The Russian Army is on the verge
of a total collapse. Moscow is destined to fall.
German Invasion of Russia cont.
Chapter 8
 Very few in the German Army are equipped to cope with the
cold. They find themselves very much affected by the freezing
temperatures.
 Germany retreats; Russia wins but with a tremendous loss of life
and military arms
 20 million people die, cities and towns are demolished, and 25
million people are homeless
 Stalin tried to convince the people that this was a victory by
parading through the streets
After the war with GermanyChapter 9
 People were taken to labor camps because they were
“contaminated” by the enemy
 New five year plans were established to make up for
what they lost
 Stalin cut off relations with all other countries starting
the Cold War
 He later isolated himself from all and remained
suspicious of everyone
Tehran Conference of 1943Chapter 10
 Meeting between Allied leaders to discuss strategy in
1943. Stalin did not want to attend but wanted to get
back at Germany
 The President of the United States, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, the Prime Minister of Great Britain,
Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin meet to discuss
the end of the war (WWII) with Germany.
 They decide an invasion against Germany should take
place in France in May of 1944. This is what Stalin
wanted since 1941, so Stalin agrees to enter the war
against Japan once Germany is defeated.
Stalin dies
Stalin dies of a stroke in
1953.
Works Cited
 The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Russia and the Russian Revolution.
Edited by Archie Brown et
al. Cambridge: Cambridge UP,
1982. 117-312. Print.
 "Russian Revolution." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008.
Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
 Scandiffio, Laura. Evil Masters: The Frightening World of Tyrants.
Toronto: Annick, 2005. Print.
 “Stalinism.” The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. Vol. 11.
Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2005. Print.