Russia: a brief history

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Russia a brief history
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Introduction

• 9000 km from East to West and 5000 from North to
  South
• Ural mountains divide Russia into a European and
  Asian part
• Population of about 143 million (3/4 live in the
  European part)
• Moscow is the capital and the largest city
• Russian is official language but many others in
  component parts
• President is Dmitry Medvedev

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Geography of Russia
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• Area 17,025,200 square km. Around twice the size
  of the U.S.
• Climate ranging from sub-arctic in Siberia to
  humid in much of European Russia.
• Terrain Low hills, steppe, forest, arctic
  tundra, mountains.
• Despite its size, much of the country is either
  too cold or the soil is too dry for agriculture.

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In the beginning

• First came the Slavs who settled along the rivers
  of Southern Russia and the Ukraine in the 6th
  Century.

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The Vikings

• Then came the Vikings who in the 9th century
  established the large and powerful state of
  Kievan Russia.

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Kievan Russia

• Free peasant farmers
• City dwellers
• Small ruling class of nobles princes
• some slaves
• Traded with the Byzantine Empire from which
• Russians learnt skills, culture religion
  Orthodox Christianity.
• 988 AD it became the official religion.

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The Mongols

• Then came the Mongols.In 1236 a vast Mongol
  horde successfully invaded the Russian city
  states. For the next 240 years, the Russians were
  forced to pay tribute to the Mongol khans.

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Moscows rise to power

• Moscow grew in power as the chief tax collector
  for the Mongols.
• In the 14th Century, Moscows Grand Prince led
  several other cities in a battle to overthrow the
  Mongols.
• They were successful and this marks the beginning
  of a united Russia.

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Ivan the Terrible (1533-84) Russias first tsar

• Mother was poisoned when he was 7yrs old. Ivan
  developed a dangerous paranoia.
• Would throw live animals from the palace towers
  for fun.
• After his wife, Anastasia died, Ivan developed a
  really nasty streak sentenced thousands to
  death, would give detailed instructions on how to
  torture victims so as to recreate hell.
• Killed his own son in a fit of rage. Then came a
  period of remorse.
• Became a monk towards the end of his life and
  prayed for the souls of his victims.

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The Romanov RulersPeter the Great (1682-1725)

• Determined to make Russia a modern European
  state.
• Just about 2.3m tall.
• Built a new city on the boggy banks of the River
  Neva and named it St Petersburg.
• In 1712 he declared this city the new capital of
  Russia.

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Catherine the Great (1762-96)

• Overthrew her feeble husband Peter III (who soon
  afterwards died in an accident) and took over
  the throne with the help of her lover.
• Russia became even more powerful and prestigious
  during her reign, gaining more land.
• Turned St. Petersburg into one of the most
  impressive European capitals.
• Story of her death is shrouded in myth and
  mystery. It definitely did not involve a horse
  although she may have been on the toilet.

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Last of the Romanovs
Tsar Alexander II a great reformer although
still disliked by others. Abolished serfdom.
Ended up being blown up by a bomb.
Tsar Alexander III tall, mean, liked a drink,
and drank himself to death.
Tsar Nicholas II, last Tsar, he and his family
executed in October Revolution, 1917.
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Revolutionary Movements 1800s

• Mainly from western educated elite
• Various attempts to overthrow tsar failed
  severe punishment.
• 1840s esp. after 1860 most revolutionaries
  wanted a socialist govt.
• Economy in hands of the people
• Against constitutional democracy
• 1881 Tsar assassinated- no peasantry involvement

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1880s

• Ideas of Karl Marx
• No socialist rev. until capitalism had developed,
  industry built, so that a new class of
  workers-factory workers the proletariat became
  the majority.
• 1890s. Organised small groups of Marxists Social
  Democrats
• 1903 national party Mensheviks, Bolsheviks

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• Mensheviks- Russia should follow Western European
  socialist parties(democratically run party)
• Bolsheviks (followed tradition of Russian
  revolutionaries) tightly run organised group
  of prof. revs. who would order the proletariat,
  take charge of rev. Led by Vladimir Ulyanov-
  Lenin.

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1905 Revolution

• Bloody Sunday Set off by peasants, workers
  strikes, business people professionals, along
  with mutinies by the armed forces
• St. Petersburg workers formed a council soviet
  to run the strike
• Oct. 30, 1905. Tsar Nicholas II relented, est. a
  parliament Duma, first ever
• Basic civil rights for people limited powers to
  the parliament
• Then Tsar hunted down the revolutionaries- fled
  overseas

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Work of Duma

• Legislation to improve peoples life
• Laws to protect factory workers
• Education expanded
• A progamme to improve peasants life free to
  move aid to improve farms
• BUT TSAR still had a lot of power
• 1. could appoint fire all ministers
• 2. Control over foreign policy military budget

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Powers of the Tsar

• TSAR still had a lot of power
• 1. could appoint fire all ministers
• 2. Control over foreign policy military budget
• 3. Veto all legislation manipulate parliament
  with other powers he had retained
• Most Russians very poor. Time needed for reforms
  to be completed

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1914 WWI

• Russia suffered , not able to withstand a modern
  German army
• Late 1914-1917 gt 8 million soldiers killed,
  wounded, or captured
• Civilians could not find basic nec. for survival
• MARCH 1917 demos. in Petrograd supported by
  workers soldiers

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February 1917 Revolution

• Started with protests about food shortages in St.
  Petersburg. Russia was doing very badly in World
  War I. Ended with the Tsar abdicating and the
  start of a new Russian Parliament.

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Problems

• Economy
• Backwardness
• What direction to take in the future
• Shortage of FOOD!

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General Institutions of Communist Regime

• Single Party State System
• Dictatorship of the Proletariat
• Central Planned Economy
• Abolishment of Private Property Rights
• Collectivisation
• Universal Public Programs
• Surveillance System
• Strong Military Unit under Party Control

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Provisional Government

• Unable to control the armed forces
• Thwarted by the Bolsheviks
• Petrograd Soviet in charge
• Lenin decided to overthrow Prov. Govt.
• Autumn 1917 WWI still going on- unpopular
• November 6-7, 1917 Bolsheviks grabbed power

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October 1917 Revolution

• Lenin and the Bolshevik Party seized power after
  storming the Winter Palace.
• Bolshevik Dictatorship
• Lenin
• Trotski
• Stalin

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The Bolshevik Consolidation of Power

• How did the Bolsheviks survive the first few
  months in power?

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Some reactions to Bolshevik power

• The insane attempt of the Bolsheviks is on the
  eve of collapsethe Bolsheviks are alone
  (soldier section of SR party, October 1917).
• The Bolshevik party will last no more than a few
  days (SR leader November 1917)
• A revolution is a rising of the people.. But
  what have we here? Nothing but a handful of poor
  fools deceived by Lenin and TrotskyTheir decrees
  and their appeals will simply add to the museum
  of historical curiosities. (Petrograd Newspaper,
  October 1917).
• Trotsky was greeted with ironic laughter when he
  arrived at the Ministry of foreign affairs and
  introduced himself as the new minister when he
  ordered them back to work, they left the building
  in protest. (Orlando Figes, A Peoples Tragedy,
  1997)

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Lenins decisions
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Problem 1 Forming a government

• Background
• Lenin had proclaimed power through the Soviet.
  The October Revolution was presented to the
  Russian people as a rising of the Petrograd
  Soviet in which many parties were represented,
  including Mensheviks and Socialist
  Revolutionaries.
• In addition, there were also upcoming elections
  to the Constituent Assembly. The Bolsheviks had
  criticized the Provisional Government for
  delaying elections to a Constituent Assembly.
  However, would the election results be favourable
  to the Bolshevik party?

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Lenins decision
A

• Instead of exercising power through the Soviet,
  Lenin formed a new body the SOVNARKOM. It was
  exclusively made up of Bolsheviks.
• Lenin allowed the elections to the Constituent
  Assembly to go ahead in November 1917. However,
  the Bolsheviks won only 175 seats against 410 for
  the Socialist Revolutionaries.
• Lenin declared that his form of government
  represented a higher stage of democracy than an
  elected assembly.
• The Assembly was allowed to meet for one day 5
  January 1918 then it was closed down and the
  deputies told to go home.

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Problem 2 Press
Background Lenin and the Bolsheviks were aware
of how important political press was. The
Bolsheviks had pumped enormous amounts of money
into their own papers and periodicals before and
during 1917. By banning other opposition papers,
they may prompt significant protests especially
from other Socialist parties. However, they may
face an even greater threat by allowing it to
continue.
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Lenins decision
A

• Lenin decided that he could not allow opposition
  press to continue to be published.
• It was banned in October 1917, firstly the
  newspapers of the centre and right, and later the
  socialist press.

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Problem 3 Political parties

• Background
• Lenin and the Bolsheviks were aware that other
  political parties enjoyed considerable support,
  especially the Kadet party and the Socialist
  Revolutionary Party (both of whom had done well
  in the elections to the Constituent Assembly).
• By banning other political parties, the
  Bolsheviks risked sparking a civil war. However,
  if they remained, they posed a continued threat
  to the newly formed Sovnarkom.

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Lenins decision
C

• The Kadet party was outlawed. Leading Kadets were
  arrested and two were brutally put to death by
  Bolshevik sailors.
• They were soon followed into prison by leading
  right-wing Socialist Revolutionaries and
  Mensheviks all this before the end of 1917.
• At this stage, however, other socialist parties
  were not banned outright although their future
  was very uncertain.

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Problem 4 Role of other socialist parties in
government

• Background
• there was enormous pressure on the Bolsheviks to
  form a democratic government representing all the
  socialist parties. Hundreds of petitions flooded
  in from factory committees and army units
  demanding that there be cooperation between
  parties to avoid civil war.
• The railwaymens union, backed by the post and
  telegraph union, threatened to cut off
  communications if the party did not hold talks
  with other parties.
• A few of the leading Bolsheviks, were in favour
  of a coalition with other socialist parties.

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Lenins decision
A/C
Lenin had no intention of seriously including
other parties. He was not prepared to see his
vision diluted by other socialist parties. Also
he feared that he may be sidelined in a coalition
government. So, he deliberately made sure that
talks with other socialist parties collapsed. He
wanted the Bolsheviks to rule alone. However,
he did make an alliance with the left Socialist
Revolutionaries and brought them in as junior
partners in the Sovnarkom. He saw this as
useful because, with them on board, he could
claim to represent the interests of the peasantry.
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Problem 5 Land Ownership

• Background
• Lenin had built up Bolshevik support by promising
  land to the peasants.
• He was aware of the tide of popular opposition
  that had undermined the Provisional Government.
• But handing land over to the peasants immediately
  could lead to an economic crisis, violence and
  lawlessness in the countryside. How would Lenin
  square his socialist vision with economic reality?

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Lenins decision
B

• In October 1917, the Sovnarkom passed the decree
  on land. This gave peasants the right to take
  over the estates of the gentry, without
  compensation, and to decide for themselves the
  best way to divide it up.
• Land could no longer be bought, sold or rented,
  it belonged to the entire people. Privately
  owned land was not part of the Bolsheviks
  socialist vision.

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Problem 6 running industry

• Lenin and the Bolsheviks believed firmly in the
  principle of power being passed to the workers
  of the world. But they ran the risk of
  inefficient production, disputes and violence and
  economic disaster.
• There had been a great deal of unrest in the
  factories with factory committees demanding an
  eight-hour day, better working conditions and
  better pay.

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Lenins decision
B

• In November 1917, the Bolsheviks passed the
  Workers Control Decree. Factory committees were
  given the right to control production and to
  supervise management.
• In October 1917, the Bolsheviks also agreed to a
  maximum eight-hour day for workers as well as
  social insurance (unemployment and sickness
  benefits).

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Problem 7 Nationalities question

• Background
• The collapse of the Romanov dynasty had prompted
  many national groups to present demands for more
  self government (independence). The Finns and the
  Ukrainians were the first to do this.

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Lenins decision
A

• The Rights of the People of Russia decree gave
  the right of self-determination to the national
  minorities in the former Russian Empire.
• Of course, the Bolsheviks did not have control of
  the areas in which most of the people lived, so
  this was nothing more than a paper measure.

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Problem 8 War and Peace

• Background
• The promise that had brought so many people to
  the Bolshevik banner was the pledge to end war.
  Lenin was convinced that revolutions in Europe
  would ensure that equal peace settlements would
  be reached. But the reality proved more
  problematic.
• At the peace-negotiations held at Brest-Litovsk,
  the German demands were excessive. Any peace
  treaty would result in the loss of a quarter of
  Russias farm land and three-quarters of her iron
  and coal reserves as well as 62 million people
  within its population. Trotsky refused to even
  consider such a cost. What should Lenin do?

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Lenins decision
B

• Lenin adopted a position of peace at any price
  and so accepted the terms of Brest-Litovsk in
  March 1918.
• Russia pulled out of World War I. But the
  consequences of the treaty caused deep discontent
  amongst those who saw it as a shameful peace.

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What methods did Lenin use to retain control?
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Legal system abolished and replaced with
revolutionary justice.
Terror use of Cheka, secret police
Central political control - Sovnarkom
Opposition parties banned
Incentives for Russian workers and peasants
peace, bread and land in order to build up
support
class warfare state sanctioned violence
against the burzhui (bourgeoisie or middle class).
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Nov. 8, 1917

• Land decree- confiscated landlords estates
  church lands to hand over to peasant committees.
• Peace neg. with Germany- Treaty of Litovsk
  Russia had to cede a lot of territory to Germany
  left the Allies (GB, Fr, US) to negotiate on
  their own with Germany

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• After a long and bloody civil war 1918-1920, the
  Bolsheviks (now the Communist Party) took
  complete control of Russia, or the Union of
  Soviet Socialist Republic.
• They were inspired by the ideas of Karl Marx and
  claimed that they would establish a state in
  which power and wealth would be held by the
  masses and not the few.

Cheka secret police. Arrests execution w/o
trial.
One party dictatorship- crushed all opponents, no
non-Bolsheviks in govt.
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NEP New Economic Policy

• Peasants allowed to sell food on
• the open market
• Many factories businesses
• returned to private ownership
• Govt. controlled factories, railroads, mines
• Widespread and rapid economic recovery
• Food supplies replenished in 2 years

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Lenins Legacy 1917-1924

• Successfully overthrew the Tsar Empire, first
  communist country.
• Successfully improved Russian economy by adopting
  New Economic Policy

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A popular joke set-up is Lenin interacting with
the head of the secret police, Dzerzhinsky in the
Smolny Institute, seat of the revolutionary
communist government in Petrograd, or with
khodoki, peasants that came to see Lenin.
During the famine of the civil war, a delegation
of starving peasants comes to the Smolny, wishing
to file a petition. "We have even started eating
the grass like horses," says one peasant. "Soon
we will start neighing like horses!" "Come on!
Don't worry!" says Lenin reassuringly. "We are
drinking tea with honey here, and we are not
buzzing like bees, are we?"  
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Lenins death

• Lenin had a series of strokes and died in 1924.
• In his will, he warned of the dangers of letting
  power fall into the hands of one particular man

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Josef Stalin (Uncle Joe to the Americans)
Born Josef Vissarionovich Djugashvili. During
the Revolution he named himself Stalin man of
steel.

• A loveable rogue who completely transformed
  Russian life and was largely responsible for the
  deaths of millions of Russians.

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Stalins purges 1922-1953400, 000

• Suspected critics or opponents (army officers,
  revolutionaries, peasants, landowners,
  intelligentsia) , or anyone that Stalin didnt
  like the look of were systematically rounded up
  and executed.

Class struggle
Social unrest
Regional conflicts
Or, if they were lucky, they were sent to a
Siberian labour camp for maybe 10 or 20 years.
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Collective farming

• Stalins policy was to organise farms into
  collective units which would feed the state.
  This turned into a disaster and he was
  responsible for one of the biggest man-made
  famines in history.

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Generalissimo Stalin

• Stalin stayed in power through a mixture of
  propaganda, terror, and genuine devotion from
  some Russians.
• He attained god-like status particularly after
  defeating the Nazis in World War II.

Cult of Personality
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Made Time Magazines Man of the Year in 1942 for
holding the Nazis at bay. Although true this
showed how little Americans actually knew of
Stalin. They thought his methods tough but fair.
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Stalin Joke

• "Comrade Stalin! This man is your exact double!"
• "Shoot him!
• "Maybe we should shave off his moustache?
• "Good idea! Shave it off and then shoot him!".

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Stalin Joke no. 2

• Stalin reads his report to the Party Congress.
  Suddenly someone sneezes. "Who sneezed?"
  (Silence.) "First row! On your feet! Shoot them!"
  (Applause.) "Who sneezed?" (Silence.) "Second
  row! On your feet! Shoot them!" (Long, loud
  applause.) "Who sneezed?" (Silence.) ... A
  dejected voice in the back "It was me" (Sobs.)
  Stalin leans forward "Bless you, comrade!"

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Nikita Khrushchev1958-1964

• After his death, Khrushchev, his successor,
  denounced some of Stalins policies at a
  communist party congress.

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Revisionist Khrushchev 1953-1964

• Labeled Stalin as Cult of Personality, began
  de-Stalinisation
• Could not attempt reform without opposition
• As he didnt have a power base like Stalin

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De-Stalinisation

• 1954 Released labour camp prisoners
• 1956-7 closed labour camps, more release of
  prisoners
• Eased censorships for writers artists
• Raised standard of living by increasing food
  supply new housing
• Improved relations with the West US, toured
  1959
• 1955 Withdrew occupation forces from Austria
• 1963 Signed agreement with US banning above
  ground nuclear testing

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Krushchev
(cont.)

• But in 1961 Berlin Wall built
• 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

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Krushchev (cont.)

• Space Race
• 1957 Sputnik I, first artificial satellite
• first man to orbit Earth
• first man to spacewalk
• first woman in space
• first rocket to hit the moon

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First man in Space Yuri Gagarin
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Krushchevs failures the end of reforms

• 1. impatience
• 2. commitment to Soviets policies, eg,
  collectivisation
• 3. failures in F.P. (Foreign Policy)
• 4. Opposition from those who would lose their
  positions if K. continued his reforms. (1962- K.
  wanted to reorganise the C.P. but many opposed
  this.)

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Krushchev (cont.)

• He failed to reform Stalins institutions
• Left economy tightly controlled by the govt.
  inefficient
• Secret police was still part of daily life, KGB
• These problems would be left unaddressed for 2
  decades.

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Why was Khrushchev deseated? Because of the
Seven "C"s Cult of personality, Communism,
China, Cuban Crisis, Corn, and Cuzka's mother
In Russian this is the seven "K"s. To "show
somebody Kuzka's mother" is a Russian idiom
meaning "to give somebody a hard time".
Khrushchev had used this phrase during a speech
at the United Nations General Assembly referring
to the Tsar Bomba test over Novaya Zemlya.
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Leonid Brezhnev 1964-1982

• Stabilty Stagnation

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Technocrat Brezhnev 1964-1982

• The happiest time for Russians in the 20th
  century.
• Russia peaked its highest status in international
  game.
• Lack of reforms also symbolised this decade. It
  seeds the decline of the Empire.
• Brezhnev Doctrine labeled the revival of Soviet
  Power and its hostility toward the international
  society (and its own decline)

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Brezhnev

• Clamp down on intellectuals
• Raised std. of living
• Strengthened USSRs security by catching up with
  US in arms race, reduced tension with US.
  Mid-1970s relations with US good.
• Reforms failed as party élite were left untouched

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Brezhnev

• 1979
• Relations with US down, arms build up .
• Invasion of Afghanistan
• Dissidents
• Economy stalled
• Brezhnev died Nov. 1982

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• Photograph by Wally McNamee, 1973
• Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev eyes
  actress Jill St. John at a poolside reception
  hosted by President Nixon in California.

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Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker
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Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker
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After the Wall fell in 1989
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• One of the greatest kisses in History is the one
  that took place between communist leaders Erich
  Honneker from East Germany, and Brezhnev from
  Soviet Union, during the 30th Anniversary of the
  GDR in June 1979. Despite the controversy and
  ridicule arisen in the West, this was actually a
  common sign of socialist solidarity, very used
  since Khrushchev era. It seems, moreover, that
  both leaders were very keen on kissing.

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• Andropov 1982-1983
• Chernenko
• from 1983 to 1985.

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• "What is the main difference of succession under
  tsarist regime and under socialism?" "Under
  tsarist regime the power transferred from father
  to a son, and under socialism - from one
  grandfather to another."   (A wordplay
  'grandfather' in Russian is traditionally used in
  a sense of 'old man')

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Gorbachev 1985-1991

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The final 50 years in a nutshell

• Russia remained part of a huge Communist empire
  ruling large parts of Eastern Europe during the
  cold war.
• By the late 1980s the cracks were beginning to
  show and in 1991 the Communist system collapsed,
  bringing in a new era of capitalism to Russia.

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Rise of a Superpower
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Leaders

• Lenin 1917-1924
• Stalin 1924-1953
• Khrushchev 1953-1964
• Brezhnev 1964-1982
• Andropov 1982-1984
• Chernenko 1984-1985
• Gorbachev 1985-1991
• Yelstin 1991-2000
• Putin 2000-2008
• Medvedev 2008- present
• Putin again??