Revolutions in Russia

1
Revolutions in Russia

• Long-term social unrest erupted in revolution,
  ushering in the first Communist government

2
The Russian Revolution

• The revolution in Russia had been brewing for
  nearly a century.
• Alexander III, fearing is subjects turned Russia
  into a police state teeming with spies and
  informants

3
Fear Leads to Paranoia

• Alexanders father, who had been working on
  reforms was assassinated by a group of radical
  students who were not satisfied with the pace of
  reforms in Russia.
• Alexander was fearful this would be his fate as
  well

4
Alexander Upholds the Autocracy

• After Alexander IIs death, The new czar
  Alexander III, put an end to all reforms.
• Anyone who questioned the czars authority was
  labeled as dangerous.
• He imposed strict censorship on published
  materials (even on private letters).

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Other Measures

• His secret police watched teachers to make sure
  they were not fostering revolutionary ideas.
• Political prisoners were exiled to Siberia.
• He oppressed other national groups within Russia,
  making Russian the official language, he actively
  persecuted Jews.
• Jews could not buy land or live among Russians.

6
Pogroms

• Only a very few Jews were allowed to attend
  universities.
• Organized violence against Jews was carried out
  as police and Russian soldiers allowed Russians
  to destroy Jewish homes, schools, and synagogues.

7
Nicholas II Resists Change

• Nicolas II became czar in 1894.
• He maintained the same autocratic system created
  by his father.

8
Economic Growth and its Impact

• Russia lagged behind Europe and the United States
  in Industrialization.
• Sergey Witte, Niclolas economic advisor,
  launched a program boost the economic strength of
  Russia.
• He pushed for the building of the Trans-Siberian
  Railroad which connected European Russia to the
  Pacific Ocean in the east.

9
Revolution Grows

• Rapid industrialization spurred discontent
  because of poor working conditions, low wages,
  and child labor.
• Workers began to organize strikes.
• The gap between the rich and poor was growing.

10
Marxism

• One of the groups behind the revolutionary
  movement followed the views of Karl Marx.
• They believed that the industrial class should
  overthrow the czarist government and put a
  dictatorship of the people into place. In such a
  state the workers would rule.

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Mensheviks Bolsheviks

• The Marxist broke into two groups because they
  disagreed on how the revolution should unfold.
• The Mensheviks wanted a to make sure that there
  was wide spread popular support for revolution
  before the revolution was to begin.

12
Bolsheviks

• The Bolsheviks believed that revolution should
  start with a small group of radicals should begin
  the revolution and then the masses would join in.
• The leader of the Bolsheviks was Vladimir Ulyanov
  (Lenin).

13
Crises at Home and Abroad

• Between 1904 and 1917, Russia endured several
  crises that made the czar look weak
• Russia lost the Korean peninsula to Japan in the
  Russo-Japanese War
• Bloody Sunday Revolution
• World War I

14
Russo-Japanese War

• Japan and Russia competed for control of
  Manchuria and Korea.
• Although many treaties were signed to divide
  these territories, Russia broke the treaties.
• Japan attacked the Russia port in Manchuria
  sparking a war. The Japanese won the war.

15
Revolution of 1905 Bloody Sunday

• 20,000 workers and their families marched on the
  czars winter palace with a petition demanding
  better working conditions for the working class.
• Czar Nicolas ordered his police and soldiers to
  fire on the crowd. Between 500- 1,000 people were
  killed.

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Creation of the Duma

• As a result of the Revolution of 1905, czar
  Nicholas agreed to create a Parliament to give
  some voice to the people of Russia.
• This governing body was called the Duma.
• Afraid that he was giving up too much power,
  Nicholas dissolved the Duma after 10 weeks.

17
WWI

• Russia was not prepared to engage in a war.
• Weak generals
• Poorly equipped soldiers
• 4 million dead, injured or captured
• Rasputin moves into the palace
• Soldiers began to mutiny
• Food and fuel were in short supply
• Inflation of prices for all consumer goods
• The Russian people were miserable

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The March Revolution

• March 1917 200,000 textile workers in Petrograd
  protest working conditions and go on strike.
• Nicholas orders the soldiers to disperse the
  protesters.
• Initially the soldiers shoot a few of the
  protesters but then the soldiers joined in the
  protest

19
Nicholas Steps Down

• Czar Nicholas resigns as czar.
• Leaders of the Duma created a provisional
  government headed by Alexander Kerensky.
• Russia is still at war.

20
Soviets

• The working class in the major cities formed
  soviets (local councils).
• The soviets had a lot of influence in the
  provisional government.

21
Lenin Returns to Russia

• Lenin had been exiled from Russia because of his
  criticism of the czar.
• With the czar gone, he felt it was safe to
  return.
• The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, gained control of
  the soviets in Petrograd and other large cities.
• Eventually, the people began to demand that the
  power be put in hands of the soviets.

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The Provisional Government Topples

• November 1917
• The Bolshevik Red guards stormed the winter
  palace and took over control of the provisional
  government.
• Keresky disappeared.

23
Bolshevik Power

• Lenin ordered that all farmland be redistributed
  to the peasants.
• The Bolsheviks took control of all factories and
  workers
• They signed the Brest-Listovk Treaty and got
  Russia out of the war with Germany.
• Many disagreed with the Bolshevik policies

24
Civil War in Russia

• The Bolsheviks, commanded by Leon Trotsky, formed
  the Red Army.
• Those who opposed the Bolsheviks created the
  White Army.
• Civil War broke out between the Whites and the
  Reds. The U.S. sent aid to the Whites.
• End result 15 million died as a result of the
  war, famine that followed.

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Lenin Restores Order

• At the end of the Russian Civil War the economy
  was destroyed
• Many of the workers were dead or left the country

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New Economic Policy

• Lenin made some reforms aimed at strengthening
  the economy
• Small scale capitalism
• Peasants were allowed to sell their surplus crops
  for personal profit.
• Ecouragement of foreign trade

27
Political Reform

• Russia is a very ethnically diverse country. All
  of the various ethnic groups had strong feelings
  of nationalism for their own group.
• Lenin feared that this nationalism was a threat
  to the unity of Russia.
• Russia was reorganized into self-governing
  republics that were all ultimately under the
  control of the central government in Moscow.
  This was the creation of the U.S.S.R.

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The Communist Party is Created

• The Bolsheviks renamed their political party the
  Communist Party, inspired by the Communist
  Manifesto written by Karl Marx.
• In 1924, Lenin died from an extendned illness.
  After his death there was a fight for power
  within the Communist Party.

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Joseph Stalin

• Joseph Stalin was an important member in the
  Communist Party. He eventually won the support
  of the party.
• Took over after Lenin
• Increased the power of the Soviet Union
• Repealed all of the democratic and socialist
  reforms created by Lenin
• Created a totalitarian state

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Economics Under Stalin

• Command economy the government made al
  decisions about production and distribution of
  all goods.
• All resources were to be devoted to industry
• Lack of food
• Lack of proper housing
• Lack of clothing

32
Farming Revolution Under Stalin

• The government took control of all privately
  owned farms and created collective farms.
• Many of the people were resisted and were either
  killed or exiled to work camps in Siberia.

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Secret Police

• Stalin created a force of secret police to keep
  track of people who he believed to be enemies of
  the Communist Party.
• His paranoia led to the purges that claimed
  millions of lives.

34
Propaganda

• Pro-Communist literature
• Writers were censored and punished
• Pro-Communist education
• No religion
• Religious leaders were killed or exiled

35
Women in Communist Russia

• Women were given the same rights as men as far as
  education and work.
• The rights were very few but they were equal.

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The End