History Russian Revolution

Communism

A government where everything (wealth &

resources) is owned & controlled by the

government and is distributed to the people

according to their needs

Romanov Family

The Czars of Russia from Alexander I to Nicholas II from the 15th-20th century. Nicholas II abdicated in 1917.

Czar

The title of the Russian emperor; absolute ruler of Russia before the 1917 revolution.

Pillars of Russian Absolutism

Autocracy (Unlimited power of the Czar), Orthodoxy (Russian Orthodox Church supports), and Nationalism (Russians believed they were better than other countries/ groups of people.)

Revolution of 1905 (Bloody Sunday)

Russians wanted better working and living conditions so they peacefully protested to the Czars palace in St. Petersburg where they were slaughtered by soldiers, this started the Revolution, and lead to strikes and unrest.

Duma

Russia’s first parliament, created after the 1905 revolution by Czar Nicholas II because the people were asking for change. Had very little power and was dissolved many times.

Zemstvos

Local councils established in 1864 for rural self-government. Had limited power and were mostly controlled by nobles.

Pogrom

Violent riots targeting Jewish communities in Russia, often approved by the government/state.

Soviet

Councils of workers, soldiers, and peasants formed during the revolutionary periods to challenge Czarist authority

Bolshevik

A pro-communism Russian party created and led by Lenin Trotsky aimed at adapting Marxist ideas to fit Russia. They wanted continuous revolution, and took control of the government when the Czar abdicated.

Menshevik

A moderate Russian social democratic party, who wanted gradual reform, and they wanted mass amounts of people to be in the party.

Rasputan

The man that many blamed for the disrupt in Russia. He was a monk, and the Czar believed he had magical powers and hired him as the doctor to the royal court. Said if he ever died that the Czar wouldn’t last long, and his death was followed by the downfall of the empire.

Czar Nicholas II’s Failure/ what led to mistrust

Poor handling of Bloody Sunday, failure to reform, military defeats in WWI, Rasputin’s influence, economic hardship.

The two revolutions of 1917

February- WWI is going on and there is food shortages, and continued poverty, force the Czar to abdicate and provisional government is set up.

October-  People weren’t happy with the provisional government so the Bolsheviks and Lenin overthrew the government and took control.

Fallout of February and October revolutions

After February Revolution: Provisional Government led by Aleksander Kerensky (temporary, weak).

After October Revolution: Bolsheviks under Lenin (promised “peace, land, and bread”).

Comintern

A worldwide organization of communist parties led by the USSR that provided money and direction to communist parties who were hoping to be the first of many workers revolutions.

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of the Bolsehviks and belived there should be a revolution by workers and he seeked dictatorship run by peasents.

Leon Trotsky

Bolshevik revolutionary and military leader of the Red Army during the Russian Civil War.

Alexander Kerensky

Leader of the Provisional Government after the February 1917 Revolution; overthrown by Bolsheviks, and didn’t given them much push back when they overthrew.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The treaty that Soviet Russia run by the Bolsheviks signed with the central powers to withdraw from WWI

Karl Marx’s influence on Russia

Many Russian leaders like Lenin and Trotsky took Marx’s ideas as a basis for their ideology and changed the ideas a bit to fit Russia. Thought the working class would overthrow capitalism.

Russian Civil War

A violent civil war between reds (bolsheviks) and whites (anti-bolsheviks) for control of Russia. Reds who were led by Lenin and Trotsky won.

American Communism

American communists made up a small population of immigrants, people who wanted to overthrow the government, non-English speakers, and people who were against American ideals. Had two parties (CPA and CLP) that merged into the CPUSA

CPUSA

The merged American communists made parties communist party of America, and communist labor party.

John Reed

A journalist that reported on the Russian Revolution in 1917 and wrote a piece called Ten Days where he wrote down his first person perspective of the revolution.

Charles Ruthenburg

He was an American Marxist politician and founder of the CPUSA

Succeeded Lenin after he died and had a strict and bloody regime. He created the communist state and improved industrialization.

Stalins 5 year plan

A plan to improve industrialization by improving agriculture to improve machinery.

Stalins purge

A period where Stalin executed hundreds of thousands of people who were associated with bolsheviks or Lenin because he thought they were a threat to his power.

Red scare

this was periods of time in America where there was widespread fear of communism, anarchism and anything considered un-American or too radical. People were scared of the violence communism would bring and didn’t want that.

Anarchism

A political ideology that there should be no hierarchy/ the people run the country,

Atheism

When you don’t believe in God

Palmer Raids

Raids organized and led by attorney general Mitchell Palmer to arrest or deport potential radicals. Around 7,000 arrested and only 600 accused

Sacco + Vanzetti

Italian anarchists who were arrested and given the death penalty for a robbery and murder in Braintree. Police assumed because they were anarchists and immigrants they were guilty. Dies from death penalty and was found not guilty later on.

How was Russia like all other monarchies in Europe during the 19th century?

Absolute rule by monarchs; rich controlled land and power; limited political freedoms; serfdom (slavery of peasants )

How did Russia respond to the outbreak of WWI

Enthusiastic but unprepared, had large armies quickly and lots of nationalism but were poorly supplied and led

Was Russia ready and effective in their efforts during WWI?

No. Russia was poorly industrialized, had weak leadership, low morale, and faced supply shortages leading to military failures.

Why was Russia primed for Communism?

Had extreme inequality, widespread poverty, weak monarchy, war failures, and u fluency of Marxist ideas

What are the features of a communist state

One-party rule by a communist party, state ownership of property, planned economy, classless society, suppression of opposition

What was the core idea behind Marx’s theory of communism

Class struggle between business owners and the workers would lead to a working class revolution and a classless society

Why are Americans fearful of radical ideas following WEI

They feared communism spreading because of the violence and war it would bring. They feared labor strikes, anarchist bombings and unrest.