Russian Civil War Background, Timeline, Communism

1917 The Czar is Overthrown July 11 (July 24 NS) - Alexander Kerensky becomes Prime Minister of the Provisional GovernmentJuly 11 (July 24 NS) - Alexander Kerensky becomes Prime Minister of the Provisional Government October 25 (November 7 NS) - The October Revolution - the Bolsheviks take over Petrograd (also called the November Revolution if following the Gregorian calendar)October 25 (November 7 NS) - The October Revolution - the Bolsheviks take over Petrograd (also called the November Revolution if following the Gregorian calendar) October 26 (November 8 NS) TheWinter Palace, the last holdout of the Provisional Government, is taken by the Bolsheviks; the Council of People's Commissars (abbreviated as Sovnarkom), led by Lenin, is now in control of RussiaOctober 26 (November 8 NS) TheWinter Palace, the last holdout of the Provisional Government, is taken by the Bolsheviks; the Council of People's Commissars (abbreviated as Sovnarkom), led by Lenin, is now in control of Russia

1918 Russian Civil War March 3 – The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, between Germany and Russia, is signed and takes Russia out of World War IMarch 3 – The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, between Germany and Russia, is signed and takes Russia out of World War I March 8 - The Bolshevik Party changes its name to the Communist PartyMarch 8 - The Bolshevik Party changes its name to the Communist Party June - Russian civil war begins June - Russian civil war begins Red Army Vs. White Army Red Army Vs. White Army July 17 - Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed July 17 - Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed

Communist Government After the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, overthrow the provisional governmentAfter the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, overthrow the provisional government Set up a dictatorship, with secret policeSet up a dictatorship, with secret police Lenin is in charge Lenin is in charge Revised economic policy – prosperity for some peasants (sold crops & paid taxes)Revised economic policy – prosperity for some peasants (sold crops & paid taxes) Right-hand man: Leon TrotskyRight-hand man: Leon Trotsky Military leader, led Stalin’s Red Army in many uprisings & revolutionary battles, including the defeat of the “White” army (the nobility) in the Civil WarMilitary leader, led Stalin’s Red Army in many uprisings & revolutionary battles, including the defeat of the “White” army (the nobility) in the Civil War

Civil War, Civil war erupts betweenCivil war erupts between RedsReds (Bolsheviks)(Bolsheviks) WhitesWhites (anti-Bolsheviks)(anti-Bolsheviks) primarily displaced nobility and foreign interestsprimarily displaced nobility and foreign interests War ends in 1918War ends in 1918

5 Year Plans

The Situation Stalin took over a country in which:Stalin took over a country in which: Almost all industry was in a few cities Workers were unskilled & uneducated Many regions as backward as they were 100 years before

Industry & the Five-Year Plans GOSPLAN set overall target for an industry Each region was told its targetRegion set target for each mine, factory, etc.Manager of site set target for each foremanForemen set target for shifts, each worker Created 5-Year Plans to modernize (R) –Plans created by GOSPLAN (State planning org set up by L in 1921 –Set ambitious production targets in vital industries (coal, iron, oil, electricity) –Detailed, down to the individual worker

First Five-Year Plan ( ) Focused on major industriesFocused on major industries Targets not met, but still impressive Created industrial foundation for further 5-Year plans Whole cities built in remote areas where resources were Workers moved into new cities to work New steel mills, dams, & hydro-electric power fed industry/energy requirements New industries in previously undeveloped regions (Uzbekistan & Kazakhstan)

Second Five-Year Plan ( ) Built on achievements of 1 st 5-YearsBuilt on achievements of 1 st 5-Years Heavy industry still priority Other industries developed –Lead, tin, zinc mines in Siberia –Transport & communication –Railways & canals –Moscow underground railway (spectacular!) In agriculture production of tractors & other farm machinery increased dramatically Third Five-Year Plan launched in 1938 –Some factories were to switch consumer goods (radios, refrigerators, cars, etc.) –WWII interrupted this plan –Communist (R) would never produce large #s of consumer goods

Were the Five-Year Plans A Success? CriticismsCriticisms A lot of inefficiency Duplication of effort & waste Enormous human cost (you ’ ll see!) Positives –2 nd & 3 rd 5-Y Plans learned from errors in 1 st 5-Y Plan –By 1937 USSR was a modern industrialized state –Without this modernizations Germany would have easily overrun Russia in 1941!

Were the Five-Year Plans A Success? Gas (billion m 3 ) Fertilizers (million tons) Plastic (million tons) Tractors (thousands)

Were the Five-Year Plans A Success? Production in Five-Year Plan 1933Five-Year Plan 1937 Electricity (billion Kw hours) Coal (million tons) Oil (million tons) Pig Iron (million tons) Steel (million tons) 5.05 Actual 13.4 Actual 36.2 Target 17.0 Target Actual 64.3 Actual Target 68.0 Target Actual 21.4 Actual 28.5 Target 19.0 Target Actual 6.2 Actual 14.5 Target 8.0 Target Actual 5.9 Actual 17.7 Target 8.3 Target 17.0

From 1930 gov ’ t drafted women workers –1000s of day-care facilities set up –By 1937 women 40% of industrial workers –Between % of new workers were women Most famous worker: Alexei Stakhanov –Mined 102 tons/coal in one shift (14x avg!) –Became ‘ Hero of Socialist Labor ’ –Propaganda told workers to be ‘ Stakhanovites ’ How Was Industrialization Achieved? All extreme programs have costs:All extreme programs have costs: The workers paid the price Foreign experts & engineers (R) workers for their toughness Workers bombarded w/ propaganda (posters, slogans, radio broadcasts, etc) All had strict targets to meet (fined if missed) Cover of Time magazine Dec 16, 1935

Workers: The Good By late 1930 many workers ’ lives betterBy late 1930 many workers ’ lives better Some had well-paid skilled jobs Some earned bonuses for meeting targets Unemployment almost nonexistent By 1940 USSR had more doctors than (E) Education free for all Training programs in colleges & work places

Workers: The Bad On other hand, life was harsh under SOn other hand, life was harsh under S Factory discipline harsh, punishment severe Lateness, absences punished by sacking Sacking meant losing apartment/home Internal passports/Checka prevented free movement of workers within USSR

Workers: The Ugly Prison labor used for Massive projectsPrison labor used for Massive projects Dams & canals built by soviet citizens imprisoned for being political opponents, suspected political opponents, kulaks, Jews, workers who had accidents or made mistakes on the job (charged w/ sabotage) Estimated 100,000 died on Belomor Canal

Industrialization Comes at a Cost Few comforts:Few comforts: Almost no consumer goods Severe overcrowding in apartments Families of ten typically had two rooms Wages actually fell between 1928 & 1937 In 1932 a husband & wife working made what just one worker made in 1928

Farmers Revolt

Modernizing Agriculture: Collectivization Fact File:Fact File: Peasants were to put their lands together to form large joint farms (kolkhoz) but keep small plots for personal use Animals & tools to be pooled together M otor T ractor S tations ( MTS ), provided by gov ’ t, made tractors available 90% of kolkhoz produce to be sold to state 10% kolkhoz produce kept to feed peasants

Modernizing Agriculture: Collectivization –Most peasants either laborers w/o land or rich kulaks –Farms too small to afford/make use of tractors, fertilizers, economies of scale –Most peasants were content to grow enough food for themselves, not enough to feed all citizens of USSR 1929: Stalin announces collectivization

Farmers Revolt Kulaks resistedKulaks resisted Simply refused to hand over their land & produce Soviet propaganda tried to turn Russians against Kulaks Requisition parties took all food>starvation 1000s arrested & sent to labor camps where they were worked to death (Ivan Denisovich) Kulaks retaliated by burning crops & slaughtering all their animals (If we can ’ t have it, nobody can!)

Farmers Revolt : Food production fell : Food production fell Millions starved in Ukraine (best farm land in USSR!) Despite famine Stalin did not ease off. By 1934 there were no more kulaks. By 1941 almost all farm land was collectivized. S had achieved his aim of collectivization.