History of the Soviet Union from Lenin to the Post-War Era

Formation of Soviets: These were loose organizations of people consisting of work groups that desired political and social change within Russia.
Involvement of the Military: Even soldiers joined the side of the rebels during the early stages of unrest in Russia.
Vladimir Lenin:
  - Identified as the most powerful leader to emerge from the Soviet movement.
  - Had been writing extensively about communism and his ideological theories for decades.
  - Personal Motivation: His brother had been killed by Nickel the second, which is cited as a reason for his "angsty" revolutionary stance.
  - The Bolshevik Party: Lenin rose to power within the Bolshevik party, which was a subset of a larger organization with a name identified as something similar to the "social communist people's party of Russia."

October Manifesto: Created following the events of $1905$ ; it was essentially a second draft of reforms.
- Purpose: It granted certain rights that the people had been demanding.
- The Duma: This manifesto established the Duma, which served as a form of people's representation. It was described as a "People's Parliament" or a body similar to the House of Commons.
Nicholas II’s Absolutism: Nicholas II was an absolutist czar establishing a constitutional monarchy. However, he disliked the Duma, rarely allowed it to function, and rendered it largely unuseful.

1917 Revolution: The formal start of the actual Russian Revolution. It was led primarily by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky.
Fall of the Monarchy:
- Nicholas the second was forced to abdicate in $1919$ .
- The czar and his entire family were eventually killed in $1918$ .
Post-Nicholas Government: There was a provisional government in place after the overthrow of Nicholas the second.
The Second Overthrow: In $1917$ , the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government in a movement described as a "very easy" and "bloodless" event.
The Russian Civil War:
  - Lasted for approximately five years following the $1917$ revolution.
  - Opposing Forces: The "Whites" (the anti-Bolshevik party) fought against the Bolsheviks.
  - Result: The Bolsheviks were victorious, attributed to Leon Trotsky's strategic genius and Lenin's power as a leader and public speaker.

New Economic Policy (NEP):
  - Introduced by Lenin in the $1920s$ .
  - Mechanism: It incorporated "a little bit of capitalism" back into the system.
  - Implementation: It allowed for capitalist activity within grain markets, specifically noted in Ukraine.
  - Philosophy: Despite being a