The Russian Revolutions, Civil War, & the Early Soviet State Unit 5 Chapter 28

Nicholas II: The Last Romanov Tsar [1894-1917]

Causes

1. Early 20c: Russian Social Hierarchy

2. Unprepared for WWI Incompetent generals, untrained soldiers, lack of modern technology for warfare Ran out of ammunition Broken down railroads Shortage of food

3. Shortage of Food Everywhere Factory workers staged demonstrations Soldiers mutinied

February Revolution, 1917 Nicholas abdicates the throne Parliament takes over Social Revolutionaries speak out: Mensheviks Advocated electoral politics and redistribution of land to peasants Bolsheviks Led by Vladimir Lenin Also advocated redistribution of land to peasants, but more radical

Vladimir Lenin Exiled to Siberia in 1897 Committed to ‘Class Struggle’ and ‘Revolution’ What is to be Done? vanguard is required to lead the rev. (thus rev. from above) Goal was to lead a revolution rather than wait for it “The will of a class is sometimes fulfilled by a dictator”

“Peace, land & bread!” Amnesty granted to all political prisoners in March of 1917 Lenin arrived in Petrograd “All Power to the Soviets” “Transfers of land to the peasants and factories to the workers” He preached that the war was a capitalist/imperialist war that offered no rewards for the peasants & workers Bolshevik party membership exploded; their power was consolidated

Germany helps Lenin Answer with your partner…during The Great War, why would Germany want to help Lenin back into Russia???

October Revolution Russian soldiers began to desert Nov. 6, 1917 (Oct. 24 on Russian calendar) soldiers took over Petrograd Lenin had Mensheviks arrested and seized power Private land nationalized; peasants had to hand over crops without compensation Took over factories and drafted the workers into compulsory labor brigades Cheka – secret police force

Civil War

Whites Whites 1918 – Bolsheviks officially become Communist Party Most pressing problem after the November Revolution—opponents who had mounted a full-scale civil war Whites Lenin’s forces were known as the Reds Lenin’s army was able to win this war by 1920-21

Reasons for Red Victory Reds occupied the strategic center of the nation; the Whites were on the fringes White opposition was ideologically fragmented, including reformists, Mensheviks, Czarists; this wartime coalition proved to be incompatible. Trotsky had increased the efficiency of the Red Army, introducing strict military discipline (deserters for example were shot) and making use of czarist officers and their military experience.

U.S.S.R. Red Army able to conquer Ukraine by end of 1920 By 1921 Civil War was over Ukraine merged with Russia in 1922 1922 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics official Georgia, Armenia, & Azerbaijan join up by end of 1922 Essentially all of old Tsarist empire is back with exception of Finland, the Baltic states, & Poland BUT - Soviet land and economy were devastated, leading Lenin into a program of economic reform known as the NEP

Early Soviet State

The New Economic Policy attempt to rebuild agriculture & industry through a free market system Largest businesses remained under government control (railroads, banks, etc.) many dissidents were shipped off to the gulags (Labor Camp) The NEP did work & Lenin was ready to return to Marxist principles But his health deteriorated after a 1922 stroke, and Lenin died in 1924: this created a power vacuum and a struggle between Trotsky and Stalin

Leon Trotsky intellectual, head of the Red Army Favored the doctrine of World Revolution felt that the USSR could not survive as the sole comm. state the USSR must therefore seek to export revolution opposed the NEP

Josef Stalin favored “Socialism in One Country” the USSR should strengthen itself and lead the comm. world by example as a pragmatist (practical person), he supported the NEP experienced as a bureaucrat, he became the Party’s General Secretary in 1922: here he appointed many new communists—these allies were crucial to Stalin’s rise to power power struggle lasted until 1928, when Stalin’s complex system of alliances allowed him to succeed and become an totalitarian dictator

Five-Year Plans Goal—make Soviet Union the leading industrialized nation New factories, mines, railroads, etc. collectivization was implemented Each collective expected to supply the government with fixed supply of food peasant opposition was crushed/starved after some protest, the kulaks were liquidated, starved in order to feed urban workers—the “terror famine” (8 million people) Little to nothing left for farmers themselves Severe famine between 1933-1934 killing 5 million

Second Five-Year Plan Emphasis on heavy industry – threat of Nazi Germany’s new industrialization Machines increased fourteen-fold while consumer goods became scarce & food was rationed

The Great Purges Secret police created suspicion & fear Stalin purged a million members of Communist Party Even his personal generals Executed Millions sentences without trials Sent to gulags – around a million a year died of exposure or malnutrition

Stalin was able to do this b/c the gov Stalin was able to do this b/c the gov. was firmly in place & all threats had been eliminated through state terror & propaganda Women in particular supportive Stalin combined communism and dictatorship in this time, setting the tone for future comm. leaders By 1941, the USSR was among the top 3 economic powers Industrialized faster than any country ever Able to avoid world Depression