The Russian Revolution Global

The Russian Revolution

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Geography of Russia

1/6th earth's land surface.
Understand difference between "Russia" and "Soviet Union" or "USSR"
Russian Culture:

Slavic language
Russian Orthodox Church
Byzantine Background

Tsarist Russia

Society:

Tsar/Czar (= Caesar or Emperor)
Government is an autocracy
Most people are peasants. Most peasants were serfs until 1861.
Notable Rulers

Ivan the Terrible 1533-1584
Peter the Great 1688-1725 - builds new capital city - St. Petersburg
Catherine the Great 1762-1796
Alexander I 1802-1825
Nicholas I 1825-1855 - begins policy of Official Nationality - slogan "Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationalism".
Russia under Alexander II 1855-81 (the Liberator)

Abolition of serfdom 1861
Peasants were forced to live in Mirs: a communal landholding system.
Population Growth from 1860: 50 to 100 Million 1860 - 1900
Alexander III 1881-1894

Very rapid Industrialization under Sergei Witte

The Lead-Up to Revolution

Opposition: The Intellegensia

Organization - "Land and Freedom" - Populists/Narodniks
"The People's Will", a terrorist group, kill Tsar in March 1881.
New Political Parties

Social Revolutionaries 1901
Constitutional Democrats (Cadets) 1903
Social Democrats 1898
George Plekhanov 1857-1918 Founder of Social Democrats

Vladmir Illich Ulyanov "Lenin" 1870-1923

Theories in What is to be Done? 1902
"Vanguard of the Revolution", "democratic centralism"
"Strategy" - long term goal, not to be altered/ "Tactics" - day to day flexibility

Origins of Bolshevism

London Conference 1903
Mensheviks (=minority) split from Bolsheviks (=majority)

The 1905 Revolution

Father Gapon - March on Winter Palace Jan 22 1905.
"Soviets" (Worker's Councils) set up.
Tsar Nicholas II responds with The October Manifesto
-Grants a Duma (Parliament) and some civil liberties.

Government 1907-1914

Peter Stolypin 1862-1911 - Prime Minister 1906-1911
Nicholas I 1894 -1917 and Alexandra.
The Tsarvitch and Hemophilia.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (1871?-1916)

The 1917 Revolutions

First World War 1914-1918

Russia battle preparedness - boots, guns,

February Revolution 1917 (March 1917 New Calendar)

Long-standing causes - peasants anger about land,
Population explosion 1860-1914, Workers' discontent
Workers Revolt - Feb 23 1917
Petrograd Soviet of Workers and Soldiers set up
A Provisional Government set up by the Duma
Problems: Continuation of the War, Return of Lenin and other Bolsheviks, Continuing Unrest in the cities.
Alexander Kerensky (1881-1970) - chief minister from July 1917. Kornilov Plot shows his weakness.

October Revolution 1917

Bolshevik Slogans: "Peace, Bread and Land", "All power to the Soviets"
Attack on Winter Palace October 1917 (November 6-7-8 new Calendar)

Bolsheviks Actions in Power

Aim is to secure power
-Constituent Assembly dissolved December 1918
-Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 3 1918 ends war with Germany
-Nationalization of all factories - June 1918
-Execution of the Tsar and his Family 1918

Civil War 1917-1921

Red Army, led by Trotsky, vs. the "Whites".
War Communism - a collection of emergency measures:-
-The Cheka - secret police from December 1917
-Communist Party control of the State
-Nationalization of production
-Opposition suppressed Kronstadt Rebellion March 1921

The Third International (Cominintern)

1919 split European socialists into "Communists" and "Social Democrats".

New Economic Policy March 1921

Aim - increased food production. Incentives were allowed.
Peasants allowed to farm for profit and small businesses with up to 12 workers allowed.
Economy recovered by 1927.
Kulaks - rich peasants become important.

Stalin Takes Over

Struggle between Leon Trotsky, who wanted rapid industrialization, and Nicolai Bukharin, the editor of Pravda, who was pro-peasant.
Josef Djugushvili "Stalin" (1879-1953). An ally of Bukharin. By 1912 on Central Committee. Succeeds by controlling party organization.

Stalin in power

A revolution from above - Doctrine of "socialism in one country"
Agriculture - collectivization of land: perhaps 10 Million people died in forced collectivization.
Rapid Industrialization:
Five Year Plans Began in 1928
1928-1940, 400% increase in production
Purges and Personality Cult: Show Trials 1936-38