Russian Revolution

Economic Weaknesses Backwards top 1% controls majority of Land & wealth bottom 85% = peasants Landless & extremely poor Typical Noble Estate Russian Peasants

Economic Weaknesses Govt. Modernization Program: Raised taxes Borrowed money Hired foreigners to run factories Workers paid low wages extremely poor conditions Women Textile Workers

Extensive Foreign Investments & Influence Building the Trans-Siberian RR [Economic benefits only in a few regions.]

Political Weaknesses Autocratic ruler Ignorant to Russia’s problems No personal freedoms Govt. opposition not allowed Political divisions Tsar Nicholas II

Social Weaknesses Citizens = internally divided: Only ½ population = Russian Desires: Minorities— independence Workers—better conditions Peasants—land reform

Bloody Sunday January 9, 1905 Peaceful demonstration of workers Demands: end to war formation of a constituent assembly Troops open fire on workers Father Gapon

Bloody Sunday Result: widespread riots & strikes (spring-summer) Radicals organize workers into ‘Soviets’ October—nation paralyzed by 10 day strike Tsar agrees to make changes Demonstration at the winter palace in St. Petersburg

Bloody Sunday January 22, 1905 The Czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg

October Manifesto Russia’s first constitution Establishes the ‘Duma’ -First Parlament Grants some civil liberties Results: –Divides opposition October Manifesto in practice: Had little power Tsar could veto decisions & dismiss members at will Duma

World War I Tsar enters war with hope of unifying nation Army suffers defeat after defeat Morale decreases Desertions increase

World War I 1916 Nicholas II takes over Army –Weaknesses of govt. further exposed –War increases suffering & discontent –Revolution is near

Rasputin Nicholas II leaves country to command army Tsarina in charge of gov’t Heavily influence by Rasputin, ‘the Holy Man’ –given power to make governmental decisions Dislike by nobility—murdered –Scandals surrounding Rasputin served to discredit the monarchy

The Collapse of the Imperial Government Rasputin assassinated in December of 1916 Refusal to receive assistance of the Russian Middle Class Complete mismanagement of the wartime economy

March Revolution 1917 Strikes & bread riots break out in Petrograd. Soldiers, sent to restore order Ordered to shoot rioters, instead, shoot the officers and join rioters

March Revolution 1917 Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II –Orders the dismissal of the Duma –Instead the Duma forms a Provisional government. –Next day - March 15, 1917 abdicates

Petrograd Soviet 1917 Competes for power Extremely well organized & supported Increases power w/failures of provisional govt. Lenin returns from exile

April – October 1917 April 23 Lenin calls for power to the soviets Rallies behind the slogan: “Peace, Land, Bread” Lenin’s Speech

April – October 1917 July 3-5, increased support from sailors, workers, & peasants. Lenin—October 24 Call to power speech Demands action now

October Revolution 1917 Bolsheviks launch successful coup Establish the ‘Cheka’ Political opposition banned Confiscate church property Treaty of Brest-litovsk March 1918 Assassination of Tsar & his family July 16, 1918

Civil War War Communism ( ) Lenin: “Dictatorship of the Proletariat” Bolsheviks focus on maintaining power Red Army (Bolsheviks) led by Trotsky vs. the Whites (socialists, nationalist, liberals)

War Communism ( ) Nationalize industry, banks, & forbid strikes All men under 50 drafted Result: –famine, worker revolts, political divisions –Leaves Russia w/out industry, transportation, & trade.

NEP Goal: increase food production Introduce incentives:  Small factories, businesses, & farms allowed to return to private ownership  Large factories, banks, railways, & communication kept under state control Result: huge success Soviet Union (USSR) established 1922 New Economic Policy 1921

Section 2 – Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism Stalin builds a totalitarian state. –Stalin’s dream –Great Depression Other totalitarian governments emerged. –Germany – Hitler –Italy – Mussolini –China - Mao Zedong –North Korea - Kim Il Sung Result of Totalitarianism

Similar characteristics of all totalitarian States Dictatorship and One-Party Rule Dynamic Leader Ideology State Control Over All Sectors of Society State Control Over the Individual Dependence on Modern Technology Organized Violence

An Industrial Revolution 1 st and 2 nd Five-Year Plan –set impossibly high quotas Government controlled the worker's life. made impressive gains. agricultural nation → industrial nation

An Agricultural Revolution 1 st and 2 nd Five-Year Plan Collective farms Resistances of peasants Kulaks development

Police Terror Used terror and violence to stop the opposition No privacy GREAT PURGE: campaign of terror. Eliminate whoever got in Stalin’s way 1939; ended the great purge Historians said that Stalin is responsible for all deaths

Indoctrination and Propaganda Indoctrination: Instruction in the government’s beliefs. Propaganda: biased or incomplete information used to sway people to accept certain beliefs or actions. ART was used for Propaganda Socialist realism: Artistic style that praised Soviet life and communist values.

Censorship Stalin wouldn’t tolerate individual creativity that threatened the conformity and obedience required of citizens in a totalitarian state. Controlled ALL medias No privacy Even children were supposed to tell the government about what they heard from their family.

Religious Persecution Ideals of communism The Russian Orthodox church was the main target of persecution. Other religions also suffered. Destroyed religion

Soviet Women Equal rights Under 5year plans, they were forced to join the labor force. Educational opportunities. Medicine was popular. 1950: There were 75% of women Soviet doctors Job, child, and housework. Motherhood was a patriotic duty.

Education Controlled all education. College professors and students who went against the communist party lost their jobs or faced imprisonment. Needed many skilled workers.