USSR Timeline

1917

23rd October Revolution

1917-1918

Comprimisation Decrees
Decree of Peace - OCT
Decree on Land, Workers control, rights (Self Determination) Nov

1918

Treaty of Brest Litovsk
The treaty with Germany (AXIS) that removed Russia from WWI, to re-arm the bolsheviks. However resulted in Territory given to Germany, Austria-Hungary and Poland. Russia lost 17% of population, 27% of farmland, and 74% of iron and Coal reserves

1918-1920

Civil War
Bolsheviks (reds) at war with the anti communist (whites). Trotsky became a symbol of the revolution and Bolsheviks assert dominance over Russia after victory. Claim all Romanov territories apart from Poland and Lithuania. Killed 10 million people (mainly Famine and Disease), and Industry fell to 10-20% of Pre war levels.

1918-1921

War Communism
Grain requisitioning, Banning of private trade, Nationalisation of industry, Labour discipline, Rationing, money abolishment attempts (1919). Grain harvest in 1920-21 produced less than half of grain produced in 1913. in 1921 1 in 5 people were starving and 7 million had died in famine (holodomor)

1919

Comintern Created
mintern = communist international created to foster communism in other nations across the world.

1920

Russo Polish war
April - October 1920, Russia invaded Poland to retake their lost land after the Treaty of Brest Litovsk. Ideologically driven but ended in defeat. Treaty of Riga in march 1921 establishing polish borders.

1921-1929

NEP
New Economic Policy was to maintain peasant support for the sovnarkom and reach insutrialisation. The policy made economic concessions (capitalist), such as abolishing grain requisitioning, openining small business, allowing private trade, re-introducing money but the state kept control of dominant hieghts of the economy. incentivised peasant agriculture, as it rose 23% between 1920-23 and total harvest from 37.6 million tonnes (1921) to 56.6 million (1923)

1922

Creation of USSR
on the 30th of December 1922, Belorussia, Ukraine and Transcaucasia among other nations joined for the Creation of the USSR. Realistically Russia was still in control and other republics didn’t have independence nor self-government. unlike the Tsarist empire native language and culture was allowed, but rule was fundamentally Russian.

1923-1925

Lenin Enrolment
Lenin/Stalin enrolment whereby there was a mass inflow of members into the party.

1924 L

Death of Lenin
On January 1924 Lenin died, and at his public funeral Stalin was the lead mourner and orator while Trotsky missed the invite/sick and didn’t show. Thus creating a logical transfer of power between Stalin and Lenin.

1924 PG

13th Party Congress
Politburo read Lenins testament and decide it should be suppressed. Trotsky was attacked by the first Troika (Kamanev, Zinoviev and Stalin), yet Stalin becomes a moderator.

1925

15th Party Congress
Kamanev and Zinoviev realise they are in danger due to factionalism and call a vote of no confidence at Stalin which is defeated by party.

1926

2nd Troika
the 2nd Troika (Kamanev, Zinoviev and Trotsky) is formed and tries to attack Stalin outside of Party congress and have 4 vs 3 in politburo. It fails and all 3 are accussed of factionism and removed from the politburo (1926) and Party (1927). They are replaced by 3 loyal stalin supporters.

1927-1929

Britain Suspends Relations
From May 1927 to October 1929 Britain suspends diplomatic relations with the USSR, after the CIA launches the Zinoviev letter. Demonstrating discontent with

1928-1929

16th Party Congress
In 1928 Stalin changes position to advocate for rapid industrialisation and the end of the NEP. In 1929 at the 16th Party congress Stalin convinces the party of the NEP but other defend the NEP and are removed from positions

1928-1931

Cultural Revolution
A period of cultural upheaval which accompanied the first 5 year plan, was a method of class warfare. Aimed to Facilitate ‘Homo Soveticus” the soviet man, and use arts and culture as propaganda. Art often portraying boutniful harvests, metal factories, and music praising industrialisation and collectivisation. Literature such as ‘Cement’ and “how the steel was tempered’ became very

1928-1932

5 Year Plan 1.0
The first 5 year plan focussed on the production of Type 1 goods (Coal, Iron, Steel) at the expense of Type 2 (consumer goods). The economic transformation saw the completion of gian state controlled enterprises; Magnitogorsk and Dnieper Hydroelectric dam

1928-1941

Collectivisation
The collectivisation of soviet agriculture begun, to remove the 12 million individual Russian farms into 250,000 collective farms. To establish broader power over the peasantry (85% of population). By 1936, 90% of soviet agriculture was collectivised

1928

Class Warfare
With the creation of the economic transformation the soviets desired to remove the Kulaks (rich peasants) and NEPmen classes via dekulakisation which resulted in the deaths of 1.8 Million deportations to gulags and 600,000 deaths. Class enemies of the industrialisation similarly sent to gulags with 1.1 million prion labourers in 1935, as well as Shakhty Coal Mine Trials in 1928.

1931

Great Retreat
The Great Retreat was created to address the failures of the cultural revolution. Mainly to improve the birthrates of Soviet women who had joined the workforce.

1933-1937

5 Year Plan 2.0
Resources and production did not switch to consumer goods instead maintained production of industrial and heavy industry aligning with a rising presence in germany.

1935

Collective Farm Charter
The 1935 Collective farm charter allowd for household plots for private use and excess to be sold at free market prices. Resulted in HH plots producing 1/3rd of potatos and 21.5% of agricultural output out of only 3.89% of sown area.

1936

Constitution
The 1936 constitution was aimed to state the governments limits and to protect the people. Was extremely liberal on paper guaranteeing secret ballots and freedom of religion yet instead extended Stalins control via issuing mass propaganda and the identifications of anti soviet elements.

1936-1938

Show Trials
Stalins direct political opposition including ex politburo members were put on public trial, and proved that they were involved in counter revolutionary plots to murder Kirov and where members of foreign espionage. The use of torture was used to create confessions which later prompted their excecutions.

1937

Yezhovchina
The Yezhovchina by Nikolai Yezhov advanced terror within the party as Stalin promoted a wave of denunciations by lower ranking members on higher positions. Resulted in a refragmentation of the party from the old class to a new totally stalinist supporting class.

1937-1938

Mass Terror
Purges spread from the party to the broader population with a 250,000 long anti-soviet arrest list in July 1937. A quota system established for arrestees with 28% of them to be shot and remaining sentenced to 10 years. Similarly in 1937 the purge of the armed forces was carried out with all 11 war commissars, 91/101 on a supreme military council and 14/16 of army commanders and 35,000 commissioned officers purged.

1939

USSR + Germany
In August 1939 the Nazi-Soviet non agression pact was signed as a pragmatic response to increased tensions in Europe. On the 17th of September 1939 the red army invades Poland with Nazi Germany and divides it in half, placing the USSR directly bordering the rising fascist nation.

1939-1940

Buffer Territory
Due to the rising threat to the west with Germany and impending war, the USSR began to acquire buffer terrirory to limit Germanies spread. On the 30th of November 1939, the USSR invaded Finland and fought a tough winter war. Than in June 1940, the USSR occupied the Baltics grasping futher territory.

1940

Murder of Trotsky
On the 21st of August 1940, Trotsky was murdered in Mexico city with an icepick, prompting the end of the mass terror and USSR purges.

1941

German Invasion
On the 22nd of June 1941 Germany invaded the USSR prompting the beginning of WWII in Russia.

Treaties

1921: Anglo soviet trade agreement
1922: Rapallo Agreement (Germany)
1926: Treaty of Berlin
1931: Sells Railway in Manchuria to the Japanese
1933: German soviet military co-operation ends
1934: Joins League of Nations