RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

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RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
?
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By the 20th Century

• A major crisis was due and had to happen
• Russia was an unfair society and needed social,
  economic and political reform.
• WHY????

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Political

• Czar Nicholas II autocratic (had total control)
  and ineffective
• Massive personal wealth
• Backed by an army of
• 1 million and secret police
• Political parties banned
• Press was censored
• Harsh punishments exile to Siberia

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BUT . . .

• Many Russians worshipped the Tsar and peasants
  
• typically had a picture of the Tsar on a wall of
  their hut.

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SOCIAL

• Although there was no more serfdom, life for
  peasants was difficult

• Russia was not very industrialized, compared
  with the rest of Europe

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Rural Life

• 80 were peasants subsistence farmers
• 60 illiterate
• Life expectancy 40
• Land ownership rare communes
• Couldnt leave commune without elders permission
• Drought and crop failure common

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Labor in the Cities

• Russia had grown industrially but living and
  working conditions were horrendous
• Average working day was 14 hours
• Unions banned but some strikes took place
• Potential for political activism

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Bloody Sunday

• 1905- 200,000 workers and families marched for
  better working conditions, more freedom and
  elected leaders.
• Czar ordered generals to fire
• on crowd
• Several hundred killed.

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WWI

• Russian army ineffective and losing to the
  Germans
• Nicholas II goes to the front to inspire the
  troops (oops!)
• All resources going to the war people starving
  at home
• War still goes badly

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Overthrow

• February 1917- People rioted against Czar
• Troops refused to fire against rioters, but
  instead joined in!
• Czar Nicholas II steps down
• Revolution turns radical
• Vladimir Lenin leader of Bolsheviks (communists)

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Lenin

• Lenin is returned to Russia by the Germans from
  exile.
• Lenin calls for Peace, Land, and Bread
• Communism could be forced by the vanguard, even
  without urban factory workers
• October 1917-Bolsheviks stage a coup fairly
  peaceful

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Out of WWI

• Communists claim absolute
• control
• Make peace with Germany- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
• Kill the Czar and his family
• Communists rule in Russia (U.S.S.R.) from
  1917-1990

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Lenins Rule

• NEP New Economic Policy
• some capitalistic components (example farmers
  could sell their crops)
• Big, important industries were nationalized
  (owned by govt) (examples trains, steel
  production)
• Goal Industrialize Russia !!!
• Lenins death power struggle. Stalin wins.

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Rasputin

• A mystic who healed the czars son who had
  hemophilia
• Huge influence over royal family
• Was killed by royal supporters
• Czars reputation still damaged