“Sometimes - history needs a push” -Lenin Russian Revolution “Sometimes - history needs a push” -Lenin

WWI Poor equipment, poorly trained soldiers, food and fuel shortages at home Did not play well at home Low Morale, Czar and court took the blame

February Revolution (1917) Unrest of the common people towards the Czar Poor working conditions, poor economy, food shortages, military failures What military failures? During a demonstration, troops fired upon crowd Caused strikes, riots, and mutiny on Battleship Potemkin 1905- Czar Nicholas created 1st Constitution and Duma (elected parliament) Called the Provisional Gov’t

Provisional Government Where else have we seen this? How successful was it? Run by the Romanovs, Radical organizations had a lot of influence and support Situation of chaos and no true leader In comes Lenin

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Strong supporter of Socialism (enemy of Czar) Along with his other supporters, The Bolsheviks, they begin to gain support of the masses “Peace, Land and bread”

October Revolution Russian Politics in disarray Planned a Coup D’etat Oct. 10, 1917 meeting was held Began to take over positions all over city Banks, railroad stations, post offices, bridges By the 26th the Bolsheviks had won

Reforms NEP: Politics: National Economic Policy Small scale capitalism Peasants would sell surplus allowed small businesses to continue Gov’t kept major industries Politics: Bolsheviks renamed the Communist Party Communism = Classless society Dictatorship of the proletariat

Aftermath Russian Civil War Established the Soviet Union in 1922 Reds (Communist) vs. Blues (Nationalists, Conservatives and other Anti-Bolsheviks) 4 years later, Lenin won. Established the Soviet Union in 1922 USSR 1923 Lenin Died

Totalitarianism in Russia with Stalin as their “fearless leader” Russian Revolution

Trotsky v. Stalin Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin were the two rivals competing for the top position. The winner in this struggle was Joseph Stalin Stalin turned the Soviet Union in to a totalitarian state What’s Totalitarianism?

Totalitarianism Government takes complete, central control over every aspect of public and private life It challenges the values of democratic states of the Enlightenment reason, freedom, human dignity, and the worth of the individual (Please refer to page 875for a chart on Totalitarianism)

Police State Not even the slightest bit of dissent was allowed, before the secret police arrested you If there was even the slightest suspicion you were planning to overthrow the government or failed to meet your quota…Bye, Bye! Stalin became more powerful than any of the previous Russia czars

Religious Persecution State encouraged (no…demanded) atheism Police destroyed churches and synagogues Persecuted religious leaders But people still clung to their faiths

Great Purge Stalin arrested many Bolsheviks who participated in the revolution & almost every leader in Stalin’s government for “crimes against the Soviet state” These killings were called the Great Purge 8 to 13 million deaths occurred

Command Economy Stalin changed Lenin’s NEP to an economy controlled by the government Wanted to catch up to Great Britain and Germany, as well as the rest of Europe, in industrialization

First Five Year Plan and Worker’s Lives 1928: Stalin outlined Five-Year Plan The government take drastic steps to promote rapid industrial growth and strengthen military defenses (remember just lost WWI) Set impossibly high quotas for the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity To reach goals, Russia limited the production of consumer goods – thus hurting the population Government controlled every aspect of a worker’s life-who, where and when they work

The Agriculture Revolution The Agriculture Revolution was very successful, but far more brutal In 1928, Stalin began to seize 25 million private farms and combine them into huge collective farms. Peasants worked on these farms.

The Agriculture Revolution The Peasants were angry-they revolted by destroying crops and livestock Stalin struck back with the secret police, sending peasants to work at the threat of death Between 5-10 million peasants were killed with millions more sent to Siberia. The kulaks, wealthy peasants, revolted and their entire class was sent to death or work camps

Success! In 10 years: Wheat production was doubled due to collective farming Electricity production was up 800% Steel production increased from 4 to 18 million metric tons The USSR was becoming a major industrial power

In the Long Run Stalin responsible for Russia’s industrialization Russia was able to stand up to Germany in WWII Stalin changed Russia from an agricultural backwater into a world-power industrial giant But the people paid the price for these gains Communist Party ruled until 1991