Agenda  Attendance  RW Book Check  Historical Context for Animal Farm  Reader ’ s Workshop

Factors that led to the Communist revolution in The weakness of Tsar Nicholas II The discontent of the peasants The discontent of the workers Opposition of the Communists The failure of the Duma Russian failures in the First World War The February Revolution 1917 Rasputin and scandal

Weakness of the Tsar/Czar  Czar/Tsar= King  The ruler of Russia was Tsar Nicholas II. He was an absolute monarch, meaning that he had total power in Russia.  Nicholas was a weak and ineffective ruler  Russia was a huge country that was almost medieval in comparison to others. The Tsar’s undemocratic government was a major cause of the revolution.

Industrialization  Industrialization: The process where a society transforms from an agrarian(farming) based society on technology and manufacturing.  Basically people moved from working on farms to working in factories in cities.

The discontent of the Workers Industrialisation began much later in Russia than in Western Europe. Huge iron foundries, textile factories and engineering firms were set up. By % of Russians were workers living in cities. Working conditions in the new industrial towns were hard. Pay was very low. Although strikes and demonstrations were illegal, they often took place. Strikers were frequently shot by the Tsar’s soldiers or secret police. ‘The whole day we pour out our blood and sweat. Every minute we are exposed to danger.’ Union leaflet 1898

The discontent of the Peasants Russia was a rural society 90% of the people were poor peasants. Until 1861 the peasants had belonged to their masters, who could buy and sell them like animals. When the peasants were freed in 1861 they were given small amounts of land They had to pay back the government. As a result most farmers were in absolute poverty. In contrast, a small number of upper-class people held most of the wealth and power. This aristocracy had large town houses and country estates. Very often the peasants do not have enough allotment land. They cannot feed themselves, clothe themselves, heat their homes, keep their tools and livestock, secure seed for sowing and lastly pay their taxes. Police report into country conditions 1905

Lenin  Vladimir Lenin led the Bolshevik Party  Believed industrial workers would over throw czar  Believed in ideas of Karl Marx-Socialism  Capitalism was evil, made people selfish-only worked for good of themselves  Socialism/Communism- People work for good of society  Basic needs are provided for  No need for private property

The February Revolution 1917 Russians were very unhappy Because so many were killed in WWI there was a spontaneous uprising against the Tsar in February This was sparked by food riots, poor working conditions and the failure to win the war. The Russian army joined forces with the protestors. In March 1917, without the support of the army, the Tsar gave up power

Bolshevik Revolution  Led by Lenin, became communist Party  Motto was “ Peace, Land, Bread ”  Immediate Reforms: –Ordered farmland distributed to peasants –Control of factories given to workers –Withdrew from WWI  Did not follow Marx ’ s ideas of democracy and government by the people

When Lenin died in 1924, he had been very successful in imposing a communist dictatorship in Russia. He defeated all of his opponents and established a strong communist government. In 1923 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was established.

Stalin Takes Over  Josef Stalin becomes the leader of the USSR  Dictator  Does not follow Marx ’ s ideas, wants power  Policies lead to deaths of millions of Russians

Orwell ’ s Perspective  George Orwell believed in the ideas of democratic socialism/communism  But thought Lenin and Stalin perverted (twisted) these  Used Animal Farm express his beliefs