The Russian Revolution: From Empire to Soviet Union

What type of government did Russia have?

• An absolute monarchy (virtually the only one left in Europe).

What was the Duma?

• Duma= a representative assembly.

• It was created in 1905 after the revolution but had no real power.

  • It was an attempt made by Nicholas II to stay on the throne.

What were other factors that contributed to the instability in Russia at the time?

• Russian defeat in the Russo-Japanese war: this was humiliating for Russia, made them feel underdeveloped compared to other countries.

• Russia was also experiencing the early stages of industrialization and there was worker unrest.

When did Russia enter WWI? Was Russia prepared?

• Russia entered World War I in 1914, they declared war on Austria-Hungary.

• At the time, Russia was poorly equipped and unprepared.

Did Russia have a lot of victories/were they succesful in the war?

• No, there were two million Russian soldiers dead by 1916.

What was Russia like during the war?

• There were food shortages and an economic collapse on the home front.

What did Tsar Nicholas II do with the military?

• He took control over the military and made poor decisions.

• This associated him with its failures, which made publc confidence in the government further deteriorate.

What was the Romanov Family Crisis?

• Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra’s son, Alexei, had hemophilia.

• Grigori Rasputin, who became known as a “healer,” gained power within the royal family.

  • Rasputin did not have a good reputation, which put a strain on the reputation of the Romanovs.

• Alexandra’s German heritage also caused suspicions during the war.

• The royal family was becoming more and more isolated from the public.

Who was Rasputin?

• The “Mad Monk.”

• He was a Siberian peasant who claimed mystical healing powers.

• He gained influence by appearing to help Alexei’s hemophilia (he just took him off of blood-thinners).

• He was known for drinking, womanizing, and corrupt behavior.

• He influenced government decisions through Tsarina Alexandra- they were very close.

• He was assassinated in 1916 by nobles who feared his power. His body was found with poison, gunshot wounds, and drowing.

What issues were caused by industrialization in Russia?

• Harsh working conditions.

• Urban workers were facing poverty and 12hr workdays.

• Bloody Sunday- massacre in 1905, when peaceful protesters were shot by Tsarist troops.

• Formation of workers’ councils called “soviets.”

• Workers were increasingly drawn to Marxist ideas and underground organizations. Marxism was becoming more politically active.

Were there revolutionary groups?

• Yes, there was a rise in revolutionary groups.

• New Marxist groups were opposed to the tsarist regime form.

• Social Democratic Labor Party splits in 1903 (Bolsheviks + Mensheviks).

  • Bolsheviks (majority)- led by Vladmir Lenin.

  • Mensheviks (minority)- favored gradual change.

• Both of these groups were opposed to tsarist autocracy, they just had different ideas for revolution.

• The underground revolutionary movement was growing.

What was the March Revolution in 1917?

• Bread riots break out in Petrograd.

• Protests led to a general strike and the military joined the protesters.

• Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate.

• A Provisional Government was established under the leadership of Alexander Kerensky (switch to Duma).

• War was very unpopular, but the provisional government decided to keep Russia in the war.

• Provisional Government + Kerensky decided to stay in the war because they were worried what the terms would be if they left.

• PG was competing with the Petrograd Soviet for power.

Who led the Petrograd Soviet?

Leon Trotsky (Bolshevik).

What were Lenin’s April Theses? What were its main ideas?

• Lenin’s April Theses were essentially the Bolshevik Program, and he published them when he returned to Russia in 1917.

• Its ideas were:

  • End the war immediately.

  • No support for the new government (PG).

  • All power would go to the Soviets.

  • Land for the peasants (very popular).

  • Let workers have a voice in how factories were run.

  • Start preparing for revolution.

What was the October Revolution? What is another name for it?

• The October Revolution was when the Bolsheviks seized key locations in Petrograd (government buildings + communication centers). They eventually stored the Winter Palace, the base for the Provisional Gvernment, and arrested its members. Afterwards, Lenin declared Soviet Power.

• The October Revolution was also known as the Bolshevik Revolution.

What were some early Soviet Policies?

• Decree on Peace (exit from WWI- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk).

• Decree on Land (gave land to the peasants and ended private ownership + gave control to the Soviets to make sure that land would be shared fairly by those who worked it).

• Worker’s control of factories (ended private ownership and factories were now controlled by soviets).

• Church property was nationalized.

• Creation of Cheka (secret police).

When was the Russian Civil War? What did it entail? How did it end?

• The Russian Civil War lasted from 1918-1921.

• After the Bolsheviks took the reins in 1917, many groups wanted a new government. This caused a civil war to break out between the Reds (Bolsheviks/Communists) and the Whites (everyone else).

• Romanovs were murdered.

• Whites eventually surrendered because they were outnumbered, disorganized, and poorly equipped.

What was War Communism? What were its key features?

• War Communism was a system that the Bolsheviks used during the Civil War to control the economy and keep their army supplied.

• Its key features were:

  • Rationing.

  • Grain requisitioning- the government took grain from peasants (by force) to feed the army.

  • No private trade allowed- all businesses, big and small, were controlled by the state.

  • Factories taken over- the government controlled all major factories and set production goals.

What was the NEP? Why did Lenin put it in place? What were its key features?

• The NEP was the New Economic Policy.

• Lenin put the NEP into place because War Communism was causing famine, anger/social unrest, and rebellions.

• Its key features:

  • Peasants could sell or keep their surplus food.

  • Private small businesses were allowed.

  • Large industries were still controlled by the state.

  • Free trade returned.

What was the Cheka? What did they do?

• The Cheka was the secret police.

• The Cheka was used to arrest, torture, and execute enemies of the Bolsheviks (essentially people who didn’t support them and their ideas).

What were the Gulags?

• The Gulags were correctional labor camps.

• People who were not executed by the Cheka were sent to these camps.

  • Conditions at these camps were very harsh.

  • The Gulags also were present in most aspects of Russian economy.

• Estimated total of Gulag prisoners: 20 million.

• Estimated dead: 2 million.

• Lasted from 1923-1961.

What was the transition like from War Communism’s failure to the NEP?

• Allowed for the return of limited capitalist reforms as the communist economy was collapsing.

• Farmers were able to sell limited amounts of grain for profit.

• Small businesses and artisans were allowed to sell for profit.

• Heavy industry (steel, manufacturing) and banks were still controlled by the Communist Party.

• Capitalist reforms increased production and availability of food.

• Opposed by some communist officials as it indicated the failure of communist economic policies.

• Stalin ended the NEP in 1928 because he thought the peasants were ripping the government off.

What was Stalin and Lenin’s relationship like?

• Stalin was a close advisor to Lenin.

• Lenin named Stalin People’s Commisioner of Nationalities of the Soviet Union and General Secretary of the Communist Party.

What were some things that Stalin did during his reign?

• Vastly expanded upon Lenin’s use of terror, censorship, executions, and the Gulag to enforce Soviet communist rule.

• Announced the first of his “Five-Year Plans” in 1928 after ending the NEP.

  • Its goal was to coercively industrialize, collectivize, and communize Russia.

• Used lots of propoganda to gather support.

What changes were made to the Russian Consitution during Stalin’s reign?

• In July of 1918, the Russian Consitutuion implemented “Obligatory Labor Service.”

  • Stalin used forced (slave) labor, usually Gulag prisoners to implement his Five-Year Plans.

Who were Walter Duranty and Gareth Jones?

• Walter Duranty was an Amercian New York Times reporter.

  • Claimed the famine was being exaggerated and overblown.

  • Ending up winning a Pulitzer Prize for his work.

• Gareth Jones was a British Journalist.

  • He wrote truthfully about what he saw when he visited Ukraine, and eventually was banned from the Soviet Union.