Russia/ SOVIET UNION
Russia 900-1917
Soviet Union (USSR) 1917-1991
Russia 1991-present
Communism
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A system where the
government controls
all the factories,
farmland, jobs,
healthcare – basically
everything
The symbol for it is
the
 Hammer (factory
workers)

and the Sickle
(farmers)
 Their slogan is
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“workers of the world
unite together to
overthrow capitalism”
Gulags
(prisons, labor/concentration camps)
in Siberia
Romanov

Tsars are the kings
of Russia
Romanov is the
royal family of Russia
 Romanov Dynasty
ruled Russia for 300
years
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Tsars:
1. Look at source 2 on p. 99 - How many different
people groups lived in Russia?
2. List 3 characteristics of the peasants and the
country side (p.100)
3. List 3 characteristics of the Aristocracy
4. List 3 characteristics of people living in the city
(p.101)
5. Who were the Capitalists?
6. The Czar ruled Russia as an autocracy - what does
that mean? (p.102)
7. List 3 facts about Karl Marx and marxist theory (in
the margin on p. 103)
8. So, do you think people wanted to overthrow the
Tsar?
 9. What do you think the Tsar’s police were always
looking for?
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The Last Russian Tsar
Tsar Nicolas
Romonov II
 His daughter
Anastasia
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Grigori Rasputin
Peasants (poor landless
farmers) : made up 80%
of the Russian
population
 City/factory
workers: made up
18% of the population
 Aristocracy: rich
landowners who
owned most of the
land 1%
 Government
workers including
secret police 1%
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Karl Marx writer of the book
Communist Manifesto
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Karl Marx
German political writer 1818-1883
Disgusted by the living and working conditions
of the poor factory workers
Writer of a book entitled the “Communist
Manifesto”
Ideas included: throughout history there have
been class struggles between the rich
(bourgeoisie) and the workers
(proletariat)
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said that the rich would always use capitalism
to influence lawmakers to write laws to stay
in power
Said that the PROLETARIAT (workers) of
the world need to unite together and have a
revolution to overthrow capitalism
COMMUNISM will one DAY
overthrow Capitalism!!!
The communist leaders would then set up a
“communist” system where all private
ownership would be abolished
All factories and farmland would be owned by
the state (government) or in common
In this system everyone would have a job,
adequate housing, healthcare, access to
education, in essence be equal

Assignment: on the back of the
question sheet copy these
vocabulary words and answer the 3
questions
Autocracy (Autocrat): Rule by one person
 Okhrana: The Tsar’s secret police
 Proletariat(workers):
 factory workers and poor farmers
 Bourgeoisie: the wealthier people making
good money
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 Bolsheviks: communists revolutionaries
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that were with Vladimir Lenin
 Soviets: groups of communist workers
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that organized protests in major cities
around Russia
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1. Why might Russians not like the
Tsar and his form of government?
2. What kinds of people do you
think the Okhrana were looking for?
2. Why might Russian peasants and
factory workers like the Bolsheviks?
3. What Russians wouldn’t like the
Bolsheviks?
Closure: Complete these sentences
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
An Autocracy ________________
The proletariat were the _________
The bourgeoisie were the ________
Karl Marx ________
Vladimir Lenin __________
The Bolsheviks ________
Soviets________
Tsar Nicolas Romanov II __________
Vladimir LENIN: leader of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution
brought Communism to Russia - The country then became the Soviet
Union
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1. what was Bloody Sunday? (p. 104)
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2. How did the Tsar survive?
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3. look at the graphic on page 110 and
explain 4 reasons that the Tsar did not
survive the 1917 Revolution
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4. Read 'An analysis of the Bolshevik
Revolution' on p. 115 and explain why the
Bolsheviks took control of Russia
What happened to Lenin’s older brother?
 What book influenced his life?
 Why do you think he got sent to prison in
Siberia?
 Who were the Bolsheviks?
 What happened to the Czar (Tsar Nicolas
II) ?
 What did Lenin and the Bolsheviks do in
November of 1917?
 What did they name this new country?
 Russia was then in a civil war – who do
you think were the 2 sides?
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COMMUNISM
workers of the world unite to overthrow capitalism

Communism: A system of government that controls all
the farmland, all the stores, restaurants, the hospitals,
schools, housing, etc.
 No one is homeless, no one is unemployed, no one is
without healthcare but no one can own a business so no one
is rich
 Dictionary definition: a system of social organization (or
government) in which all economic and social activity is controlled
by a totalitarian state dominated by a single political party
 WHY CAPITALISTS HATE COMMUNISM
 They are going to take away people’s private property
(wealth) Businesses restaurants, land, houses, etc.– take
away your opportunity to become rich

Give a man a fish and
he eats for a day

Teach a man to fish
and he’ll eat for a
lifetime
Capitalism
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Is an economic
system where the
private individuals
control the land,
business and industry

Thereby making profit
Proletariat(workers):
 factory workers and
poor farmers

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Bourgeoisie: the
capitalists – people
making money
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1.Under the Romanov tsars did Russia have a
democracy or dictatorship?
2. Why do dictators have so many secret police
and spies?
3. What is Siberia known for?
4. What is the % breakdown of the Russian
population people groups for this time period?
5. what are Revolutionaries?
6. what happens in a Revolution?
7. What do you think is going to happen to Tsar
Nicolas the II?
8. Who killed the Romanov royal family?
Finish
these sentences
Things that Russia is known for are…
 A Tsar is …
 A gulag in Siberia….
 The Bolsheviks…
 Karl Marx…
 Communism…
 The proletariat…
 Vladimir Lenin…
 Capitalism …
 Communism….
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Capitalism
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Communism
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Individuals (private citizens) own the
companies i.e. people own Apple, Facebook,
Nike, Coca Cola, Southwest Airlines,
McDonalds, apartment complexes, thousands
of acres of farmland, basically everything
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Private individuals own the housing so people
have to pay rent or buy

Private citizens own the hospitals or
insurance companies so you have to pay for 
healthcare

Many schools are private - Harvard, Stanford,
Brophy so students have to pay thousands in

tuition
Banks loan money so you can borrow

“capital” to start your own business and
make millions
Critics say the rich influence lawmakers to

stay rich
Capitalism There are Winners (rich)

Losers (poor)
Probably not fair – but still almost anyone
can work hard and do well
Think of all the choices in the cereal aisle in 
an American grocery store –
in a communist country (Cuba) there might
be only white boxes that read “Corn Flakes”
(socialism)
The Government controls all the land, mining,
transportation, factories, restaurants, hotels, everything
workers work for the government
Government owns all housing so no one is
homeless
Government owns all the hospitals – free
healthcare
Government controls all schools – free tuition
No banks, no advertising, no commercials
because no one is trying to become rich
you can’t own your own company and then
create a chain of stores to become rich
No one is motivated to become rich so they
don’t make thousands of stores – so there
aren’t lots of things to buy
Communism- Everyone is Equal. Equally
Poor
Criticism: In communism the government
controls everything including the media so it
can lie, propagandize and control what people
see and hear through the media
Also, with no competition it doesn’t have to
make a good product because there is no
other choice – so communist countries are not
known for making good products
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What kinds of people might like the
Communism?
Who would hate communism?
What is bad about capitalism?
What is good about communism?
True or false – rich landlord farmers controlled
thousands of acres of land and millions of peasants did
not own their own land
Why might landless peasant farmers like the
idea of communism?
7. What could be bad about communism?
6.
How
do farmers get paid in
a capitalistic country?
How
would farmers in a
communistic country get
paid?
Stores
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Capitalist country

Communist country
(Cuba)
There was little demand for
Russian goods
Think of different companies that
compete against each other
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My example:
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What makes each of
them try to make a
good product
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1.What are some problems with communism in general (what
sucks about it)?
2. Think of countries that had communism (USSR, China,
Cuba, and North Korea) what are some specific things that
sucked about living in those countries under communism?
3. What happened to writers or vocal people who openly
criticized communism or the communist government?
4. What would happen if a small group of 100 people
protested for change in these countries?
5. What might happen if 100,000 people did a demonstration
for change in these countries?
6. Why did communist governments have a censored
controlled media (newspapers, radio, and TV)?
7. What do you think happened in communist countries
where they relaxed censorship and allowed people to watch
the news, TV and movies from non-communist countries?
Closing Activity: complete these sentences
A gulag in Siberia….
 The Bolsheviks…
 Karl Marx…
 Communism…
 Vladimir Lenin…
 Capitalism …
 A criticism of Capitalism is ….
 In a comunist country the media…
 A criticism of Communism is ….
 Communism pretty much died because….

Vladimir LENIN: leader of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution
brought Communism to Russia - The country then became the Soviet
Union
Bolshevik slogan
“Peace, land and bread”
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What happened to Lenin’s brother?
What book did Lenin read that influenced him?
Why do you think that he was sent to Siberia?
What year was Tsar Nicolas forced to give up his
throne?
Who do you think was fighting in the Russian
civil war?
What was Lenin trying to do during his last
years?
How long did Lenin rule?
Why do you think communists from around the
world respect Lenin?
LENIN
STALIN
hair
2nd dictator
 1st dictator of the Soviet Union
ruled 25 years (1928-1953)
 Ruled for 5 years (1918-1924)
 Tricky, manipulative and
 Smart and respected by
feared by all in his country
communists
 Industrialized and
 Led the overthrow and
modernized Russia
execution of the Czar
 Ruled and won the Russian  Forced starvation on own
people
Civil War 1918-1920
 Secret police killed millions
 Secret police killed
sent millions to Siberia
thousands and sent
thousands to Siberia
 Defeated Hitler in W.W.II
 Highly respected by
 Some consider him great
communists around the
because he made Russia a
world – thousands of
world power
statues – body embalmed  Others consider him be the
and displayed in Moscow
most evil man in history
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bald
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Finish
these sentences
Some people think Stalin was good for Russia
because….
 Posters were everywhere in Russia because…
 Collectivization is..
 Many farmers were killed under Stalin
because…
 Many people starved to death under Stalin
because…
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Collectivization

Taking individual
family farms away
from the owners and
making them
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Government Farms
Modernize - Industrialize

Modernize: To make
and use modern
technology
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Industrialize: to build
factories and begin
using machines and
new technology
From this
to this
Stalin and The USSR defeated
Hitler and Nazi Germany in WWII
From backward peasants to World Power
Totalitarian governments: governments that
control all aspects of society
Totalitarian governments: governments that
control all aspects of society
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1 one Political Party or Idea
2. one leader whose picture and statue is
everywhere
3. Mass Propaganda: biased or one-sided
information constantly spit out by the
government
4. Government Controlled Media –
newspapers, radio, tv, school books, art
5. Indoctrination (brainwashing) of their
doctrines at school and work and on the
news
6. Posters promoting the governments’
agenda are everywhere
7. Govt. drives the economy – decides
what to make – usually weapons
8. All movies, books, music and art must
glorify the governments’ agenda
9. Secret police and spies are
everywhere looking for “enemies of the
country”
10. prisons, labor camps, reprogramming
or “concentration” camps where people
are sent to “re-program” their thinking
Gulags
(prisons, labor/concentration camps)
in Siberia
Closing Activity: complete these sentences
5 year plans ….
 Some Russians say Stalin was great because…..
 Collectivization is…..
 Farmers in the Ukraine starved because…..
 The “Purges”….
 The “Show Trials” were……
 Stalin killed more Russian officers …..
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Joseph (Djugashvili) STALIN
(man of Steel)
STALIN: made Lenin like a god and
created the myth that he and Lenin were
tight
Finish
these sentences
The Bolsheviks...
 Vladimir Lenin…
 A totalitarian country is….
 One characteristics of a totalitarian country
is….
 Propaganda…
 A Controlled Media…
 Secret police…
 Joseph Stalin…
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Atheist: NO God materialisteverything is “matter” there’s no
soul –no heaven-no God
AGNOSTIC: Just don’t know
Karl Marx had written that
“religion is the opiate of the masses”
In other words; religion was a
drug to make people forget their
worldly problems.
People need to be stirred up, mad
want Revolution
Most communists were atheists
Believers were heavily persecuted
Closed and destroyed churches
Thousands of priests sent to
concentration camps or shot
Brainwashed kids
Against the law to teach kids
about God
Anti- religious posters
“Red” weddings/funerals
Examples of Soviet Art
(Socialist Realism)
KGB: Russian spies and secret police
CIA: spies from the USA
Romanov Tsars:
Romanov is the royal
family of Russia
 Tsars are the kings of
Russia
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Finish

ges were…
these sentences
Totalitarian governments: governments that
control all aspects of both public and private life
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Ultra-nationalistic or super committed to one ideology
one leader whose posters are everywhere
Goals are always to better the country; if you are against that person then
you are against the country
Expects the people to sacrifice their desires for the good of the country
Mass Propaganda: constant biased or one-sided information. No
opposing views tolerated
(Government Controlled Media)
Indoctrination (brainwashing) of their doctrines at school and work
All film, literature, music and art must glorify the governments’ agenda
Secret police are always looking for people against the government
½ simply disappear the other ½ sent to concentration camps or
“reprogamming” labor camps (Gulags)
Spies and snitches are everywhere
Usually militaristic (training soldiers) and many goals are using military
means to gain land
Religious or Ethnic persecution