1. General Overview of Communism & the Russian Revolution
AP World History
Chapter 22
“The Rise and Fall of World Communism” (1917 – Present)

2. Communism: A General Overview
Socialism = the belief that the economy should be controlled by society, either directly or through the government
Believe in: a classless society, equal distribution of wealth, gender equality, etc.
How is communism different?
It really isn’t very different  think of communists as “extreme socialists”
Socialists believe their ideal society can be achieved slowly through progression and evolution of the government
Communists believe this society can only be achieved by overthrowing the government

3. Communism: A General Overview
Cold War = 1946 – 1991
Global rivalry between the Soviet Union and the U.S.
Capitalism vs. Communism
Divided continents, countries, and cities
Spawned the space race
Spawned a dangerous arms race focused on nuclear weapons

4. Communism: A General Overview
Major countries/regions in the communist “bloc”:
The Soviet Union
Eastern Europe
China
North Korea
North Vietnam
Laos
Cambodia
Cuba
Afghanistan

5. Communism: A General Overview
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and its allies were brought together by:
Warsaw Pact = military alliance designed to counter NATO
Council on Mutual Economic Assistance = tied together the economies of the Soviet Union and those of Eastern European countries

6. The Russian Revolution (1917)

7. Pre-Revolutionary Russia
Only true autocracy left in Europe
No type of representative political institutions
Nicholas II became czar in 1884
Last ruler from the Romanov family
Believed he was the absolute ruler anointed by God
Russo-Japanese War (1904) = defeat for Russia in this war led to political instability

8. Russian soldiers running from advancing German troops
Russia in WWI
Suffered harsh defeats
Shortages of both food and weapons
Morale in the Russian army = hit rock bottom
Russian civilians suffering at home too
All supplies & food went to the army, not them
Demanded: “PEACE AND BREAD!”
These losses in WWI made Czar Nicholas II very unpopular
Russian soldiers running from advancing German troops

9. The March Revolution of 1917
People organized strikes and protests demanding food and fuel
Soldiers who were sent to stop the protests ended up joining the protestors
Czar Nicholas II abdicated (gave up) his power on March 15, 1917
End of the 300-year Romanov dynasty in Russia

10. The Provisional Government
Russian masses wanted 3 things:
1) Immediate peace & withdrawal from WWI
2) Transfer of land to the peasants
3) Control of factories by workers
Provisional government did not pull Russia out of the war and did not enact any social reforms
Lost popularity
Led to its downfall

11. The Bolsheviks Bolsheviks = radical revolutionary group in Russia
Wanted a socialist society in Russia
Led by: Vladimir Lenin
Slogan = “Peace, land, and bread!”

12. The Russian Revolution
November 1917
Also known as the: Bolshevik Revolution
Bolsheviks staged a coup d’etat in St. Petersburg
Overthrew the provisional government
Members of the provisional government fled or were arrested
Relatively bloodless
Bolsheviks claimed absolute power

13. The Russian Revolution
Bolsheviks began building a socialist state
Ended private ownership of property
Distributed land among the peasants
Gave workers control of factories and mines
Bolshevik Party = officially renamed the Communist Party in March 1918
Wanted to spread the Communist revolution throughout the world

14. Peace Conference between Russia and Germany
Peace with Germany
Lenin’s 1st order of business = get Russia out of WWI
Signed peace treaty with Germany in March 1918
Russia lost much of its western territory and 1/3 of its population
Peace Conference between Russia and Germany

15. Russian Civil War 1918 – 1921 Communists vs. their political opponents
Political opponents = Royalists, Liberal Democrats, Moderate Socialists, Landlords, etc.
Communists = “the Reds”
Their opponents = “the Whites”

16. Russian Civil War: The Red Army
Communist Army = called the Red Army
Led by Leon Trotsky

17. Russian Civil War: The Terror
Bolsheviks imposed a policy called “war communism”
Took direct control over all industries
Forced peasants to send food to the cities
Killed the imprisoned Czar & his family
Set up secret police force = the Cheka
Arrested (and often executed) anyone considered an “enemy of the revolution”
Placed severe restrictions on the Russian Orthodox Church
Communists = anti-religion

18. Russian Civil War Lenin = ruled from 1921-1924
“Whites” surrendered in 1921
Outnumbered, disorganized, poorly equipped armies
Lenin and the Communists then had complete control of Russia
Lenin = ruled from
State of Russia = horrible
From = 27 million Russians had died
Economy = in shambles
Peasants = still starving

19. Lenin in Power
1922 = Russia becomes USSR = Union of Soviet Socialist Republics = Soviet Union
New constitution written = makes it a socialist state
In theory = Soviet Union supposed to be run by the workers
But really the Communist Party did

20. Lenin in Power
Lenin died in 1924 at the age of 54

21. Trotsky vs. Stalin Fought for power after Lenin died
Leon Trotsky = leader of the Red Army during the Civil War
Joseph Stalin = General Secretary of the Communist Party
Difference = Trotsky wanted to spread Communism all over the world immediately & Stalin wanted to make it strong in the Soviet Union first

22. Trotsky vs. Stalin Trotsky = closer to Lenin and more well-known
Stalin = outmaneuvered Trotsky politically
Ability to remove and appoint government officials
Once he gained control of the government, he exiled Trotsky to Siberia in 1929
Trotsky eventually moved to Mexico City  Stalin sent an assassin there to kill him

23. Joseph Stalin Ruled the Soviet Union from 1929 – 1953
Responsible for the next major extension of communist control
In Eastern Europe after WWII
Soviet military forces already there after the war  stayed there to help impose communist regimes per Stalin’s orders
Stalin wanted to be surrounded by “friendly” governments as security against invasions from the West

24. Stalin takes control of the Economy
Called for a command economy – system which the
government makes all economic decisions
Political leaders identify economic needs and determine how
to fulfill them
Creates a Five Year Plan (two of them in fact) in order to
create a goal for the nation to strive towards.
Five year plan set unrealistically high goals – consumer
production had to be limited to try to teach these goals,
causing widespread shortages of foot, housing, clothes, etc
Government controlled all aspects of people’s lives – chose
jobs, assigned hours, needed permission of the police to move
Those who did not cooperate could be executed or sent to the
gulags

25. Agricultural collectivization
1928 – 25 Million privately
owned farms seized
Combined into government
owned collective farms
Were told what to plant,
when, etc
Strong resistance from
peasants – especially kulaks
– class of wealthy peasants
1938 – 90% of peasants lived
on collectives
5-10 million dead – mostly
from a lack of food

26. Weapons of Totalitarianism
Police terror – destroyed
enemies of Stalin
Monitored telephone
lines, read mail, planted
informants
Many children told on
parents for “disloyal”
comments
Great Purge – term used
to describe the systematic
killed of many enemies of
the state such as:
– Bolshevik party members
who helped in the
Revolution of 1917 (free
thinkers)
– Kulaks: wealthy peasants
who deliberately destroyed
fields rather than have
them taken by the state

27. COT: Russia 1917- Post WWII Continuities Changes Industrialism
Large peasant(agrarian population)
Russian Orthodox(although lessened)
Absolute(totalitarian)
War(militarism)
Proletariat(working class)
Large multi-ethnic empire
Deep distrust of the “West”
Need to increase industrialization (5 year plan)
Intolerance of ethnic minorities( ex Jews)
Siberia as a location for “unwanted” population
Kulaks
Communism
Totalitarianism
5 year plans
Purges
Politburo
U.S.S.R alliances
Warsaw Pact
COMINTERN
Propaganda
Collectivization
End od Czarist Russia
Superpower
Cold War