NOTES – RUSSIAN REVOLUTION-Kirby-CHS
Guiding Question: Did life for the Russian people improve as a result of the Russian Revolution?
Questions, Prompts,
Lecture Notes
Thoughts
MARXISM IN A NUTSHELL
STEP 1 – It is an inevitable response to capitalism:
 Private ownership of industry and property; Freedom of competition; Capitalism
always results in unequal economic classes
STEP 2 - Struggle between classes
 Upper/Middle Class = Bourgeoisie; Working/Lower Class = Proletariat; These two
classes struggle over wealth.
STEP 3 - Workers revolt.
 The Proletariat (working class) gets fed up and carries out a plan to overtake the
Bourgeoisie (upper class)
STEP 4- The Proletariat creates socialism:
 Government owns industry and private property; Goal is to bring economic equality
and get rid of all economic classes
STEP 5 - Eventually this becomes communism:
 No government needed; Private property does not exist; Everyone works together as
a community and economic classes do not exist.
RUSSIA: 1860 – 1910
Life in Russia
 Russia was an autocracy, meaning one person (a czar) controlled Russia. Powers included:
 Sole control over Russia. No parliament or Constitution.
 In charge of Russian Orthodox Church.
 In 1900, 85% of Russians were rural peasants and worked in agriculture. Poverty.
 The majority of land was owned by nobility.
 Censorship, secret police, persecution of the Jews.
Romanov Dynasty
 Czar Alexander II creates small reforms but is assassinated in 1881.
 His son, Czar Alexander III took over and ended all reforms, was very harsh.
 His son, Czar Nicholas II was blind to the need for modern changes. At the same time:
 Russia was finally industrializing and was experiencing all the problems of
industry. Many revolutionaries influenced by Karl Marx began to gain support
 Many crises happened between 1904-1917, paving the way for revolution.
1.
2.
3.
Summary
CRISES IN RUSSIA (1904-1917)
Russo-Japanese War [1904-1905] Both Russia and Japan wanted Korea and Manchuria
(part of China). Russia broke treaty and Japan attacked. Russia lost miserably and Czar
Nicholas was publically humiliated
Unrest Among the Peasants & Urban Working Poor: Karl Marx.
Bloody Sunday: On Jan. 22, 1905, 200,000 workers and their families approached the
Czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. They wanted better working conditions; More
personal freedom; A nationally elected legislature
a. Russian soldiers opened fire, injuring 1000s and killing 100s.
b. The Revolution Spread: Bloody Sunday sets off waves of strikes and violence
c. Nicholas finally agrees to a constitution that says the Czar was supreme over the
law, the church, and the Duma (their legislature).
Guiding Question: Did life for the Russian people improve as a result of the Russian Revolution?
Questions, Prompts,
Lecture Notes
Thoughts
The Last Straw: World War One
 Russia was poorly equipped for WW1 – weak generals, less industrialized
 Within a year, more than 4 million soldiers were wounded, killed, or taken prisoner;
2 million of which were killed. Mass desertions
 The war showed the world how arrogant and incompetent the aristocracy was
 Russia’s military leaders were corrupt and hated ordinary Russians
 Average peasants had very little invested in the War
 In 1915, Nicholas moved his headquarters to the war front and left his wife,
Alexandra, in charge, with Rasputin’s guidance.
Alexandra in Charge
 She ignored chief advisors
 Listened instead to a man named Rasputin (a physic? A faith healer?)
 Rasputin first gained her trust by “healing” her son Alexis of his hemophilia
 Rasputin opposed all reform measures; he and Alexandra were accused of
treason. Rasputin is murdered in 1916
Final Blow: Things were really bad!!! Examples:
 6 million soldiers but only 4 million guns; Russia was completely cut off from
supplies after Gallipoli (1915); Food and fuel in short supply; People were
starving and desperate
THE MARCH REVOLUTION 1917
March Revolution 1917
 March 8 – Women in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) demand bread and riot; soldiers join
them
 March 12 – The Duma declares themselves the new Provisional Government
 March 15 – Czar Nicholas officially steps down
Provisional Government
 Led by Alexander Kerensky. Made mostly of upper and middle class. Rejected socialism
 Interested in: Better wages and more food, more freedom and democracy, renewing war
effort
OCTOBER REVOLUTION 1917
October Revolution 1917
 Also known as Bolshevik Revolution
 Led by Vladimir Lenin and He was greatly influenced by Karl Marx
 Gained support of military, was able to grab control of communication, transportation,
and utilities. Provisional Government fled
 Allowed peasants to seize land and workers to take control of factories
 Bolsheviks now completely in charge – call it a communist revolution but lead like a
dictatorship. Russia officially pulls out of WW1
RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR 1918-1922
Sides:
 Red Army – Bolsheviks
 White Army – Mensheviks, czarists, all non-Bolshevik political parties (got help from
Allied armies)
Why the Bolsheviks won:
 Better military leadership. used strict punishment and discipline, secret police to silence
opposition within, had complete control of all factories
 The White Army looked like traitors for getting help from foreign powers
Results:
 Won back some land lost in WWI. Established the Soviet Union (USSR).
Summary
Guiding Question: Did life for the Russian people improve as a result of the Russian Revolution?
Questions, Prompts,
Lecture Notes
Thoughts
USSR
Vladimir Lenin
 Used the Red Terror to maintain control – all opposition killed by secret police. They
even killed the Czar and his family
 Used a ton of propaganda; controlled the media
 Lenin died in 1924.
Josef Stalin and Totalitarianism
 Powerful member of Communist Party
 Totalitarianism means the government takes over every aspect its citizens’ lives through:
 Police terror, Indoctrination, One-party rule, See page 441
Stalin’s Totalitarian State
 Great Purge: Killed 8-13 million people who threatened his power. Executed or sent to
Siberian slave camps.
 Propaganda and Censorship: All media was controlled, including news and
entertainment.
 Education – from preschool to college as controlled. Children sent to youth training
groups.
 Religious persecution: The Russian Orthodox Church was attacked with “museums of
atheism” replacing them.
 Five Year Plans – the government made all economic decisions and focused on
impossible improvement plans to industrialize. While they didn’t meet their goals they
did make huge progress.
 Collective Farms: the government seized 25 million farms. The wealthiest farmers, called
kulaks, resisted, and were slaughtered. 5-10 million kulaks were killed.
 Women gained equality: joined labor force, worked in factories and construction, gained
education.
 The government provided child care
 Men still had best jobs
 But many women pursued engineering or medicine. 75% of doctors were
women by 1950.
 Women still had to take care of homes after work
 By 1941, the Soviet Union was the 3rd most powerful country in the world, economically
Summary