The Russian Revolutions The March Revolution The Bolshevik Revolution

Unit Objectives Summarize what life was like in Russia before the Russian Revolution Summarize the causes of the Russian Revolution Analyze how the Bolsheviks were able to take over Russia Analyze the important figures of the revolution and their impact (Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin) Analyze the impact of the revolution on Russia and the world

Rule of the czars What was a “czar”? Most czars in the 19th century (1800s) were cruel and oppressive resulting in social unrest, some attempts to overthrow the government, and the assassination of Czar Alexander II

Czar Alexander III In 1881, he succeeded his father (Alexander II) and halted all reforms Believed in “Autocracy”: FORM OF GOVERNMENT IN WHICH ONE RULER HAD ALL THE POWER (SIMILAR TO DICTATORSHIP)

Alexander used harsh methods like strict censorship, a secret police force, and sending revolutionaries to prison camps in Siberia Alexander established a uniform Russian culture by oppressing other cultures Nicholas II took over in 1894 and continued these policies

Russian Industrialization Impact of industrialization on Russia: NUMBER OF FACTORIES DOUBLED IN LATE 1800s BRINGING PROBLEMS TO RUSSIA (POOR WORK CONDITIONS, LOW WAGES, CHILD LABOR, ETC.) Revolutionary Movement grows: STRIKES; GROUPS OF REVOLUTIONARIES FORMED

Marxists Some workers followed ideas of Karl Marx (industrial class of workers would rise up and overthrow the leadership) Proletariat: THE WORKERS The Bourgeoisie: THE FACTORY OWNERS

Two groups of Marxists Mensheviks: MODERATE GROUP THAT WANTED A BROAD BASE OF SUPPORT ACROSS RUSSIAN SOCIETY Bolsheviks: MORE RADICAL GROUP THAT WANTED A SMALL NUMBER OF COMMITTED REVOLUTIONARIES TO LEAD RUSSIA -Vladimir Lenin: LEADER OF THE BOLSHEVIKS

Russo-Japanese War War with Japan for control over Manchuria and Korea Impact: RUSSIAN LOSSES LED TO UNREST AND REVOLT

Bloody Sunday Jan. 22, 1905: 200,000 WORKERS MARCHED ON WINTER PALACE ASKING FOR BETTER WORK CONDITIONS, MORE PERSONAL FREEDOMS, AND AN ELECTED LEGISLATURE Nicholas II’s generals orders troops to fire into crowd killing or wounding over 1,000 Impact: WAVE OF STRIKES AND VIOLENCE

Duma Russia’s first parliament Created by Nicholas after bloody Sunday Nicholas dissolved it after just ten weeks because he did not want to share power WWI also led to revolution because Russian losses made things worse at home

The March Revolution Strikes and riots in March, 1917 Soldiers shot rioters at first but later sided with them Nicholas II forced to abdicate (give up) his throne (a year later he and his family were executed)

Success of the March Revolution: IT FORCED NICHOLAS II OUT Failure of the March Revolution: IT FAILED TO REPLACE NICHOLAS WITH A STRONG SUCCESSFUL GOVERNMENT A provisional (temporary) government led by Alexander Kerensky took over Kerensky decided to continue fighting in WWI, which made conditions in Russia even worse

Peasants demanded land Socialist revolutionaries formed “Soviets”: LOCAL COUNCILS CONSISTING OF WORKERS, PEASANTS, AND SOLDIERS -Soviets often had more power than the provisional government

The return of Lenin Lenin had been living in exile—the Germans thought his return to Russia would stir unrest and hurt the Russian war effort against Germany, so they arranged for Lenin to be returned to Russia Nov. 1917: BOLSHEVIKS, LED BY LENIN, TOOK OVER RUSSIA Lenin redistributed farmland to peasants and gave control of factories to workers Lenin signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: RUSSIA SURRENDERED TERRITORY TO GERMANY AND PULLED OUT OF WWI

The Revolution Continues Many Russians unhappy about humiliating defeat in WWI and peace terms agreed to by Lenin; Others unhappy about execution of royal family White Army: COALITION OF SEVERAL GROUPS OPPOSED TO THE BOLSHEVIKS -Some wanted a return to czarism, some wanted democracy, some wanted socialism— the three groups did not get along well

End of the civil war Leon Trotsky: BOLSHEVIK MILITARY LEADER THAT LED THE VICTORY OVER THE WHITE ARMY 14 million Russians died in the civil war Economy destroyed by the war Russian Revolutions more like French Revolution than American—it used violence and terror to build something new rather than trying to restructure what already existed

Lenin’s policies N.E.P. (New Economic Policy): SMALL VERSION OF CAPITALISM THAT ALLOWED PEASANTS TO SELL SURPLUS GOODS INSTEAD OF TURNING THEM OVER TO THE GOVERNMENT -The government maintained control of major industries, banks, and means of communication but did allow some private ownership of small factories, businesses, and farms -New policies and peace led to economic recovery

Political reforms 1922: SOVIET UNION WAS FORMED AND COMMUNIST PARTY WAS FOUNDED -In theory, Communism was a government based on socialist and democratic principles -In reality, the Communist Party held all the power and Lenin ruled like a dictator (not rule by the proletariat like Marx wanted)

Stalin Takes Over 1924: LENIN DIED AND JOSEPH STALIN WON A POWER STRUGGLE WITH TROTSKY TO TAKE OVER AND TURN THE SOVIET UNION INTO A TOTALITARIAN STATE

Trotsky and Stalin

The Great Purge Stalin removed all threats to his rule by arresting and sending 8 million people to Siberian prison/labor camps, executing others, and erasing many from Russian history