RUSSIA – A BACKGROUND PRE – REVOLUTION

By the 20th Century A major crisis was due and had to happen Russia was an unfair society and needed social, economic and political reform. WHY????

Political Nicholas II – autocratic and ineffective Ruled a country covering one-sixth of the earth’s total land surface Massive personal wealth Backed by a large army and secret police Political parties banned – critics ended up in prison or exile Press was censored

Yet Many Russians worshipped the Tsar and peasants typically had a picture of the Tsar on a wall of their hut.

His rule His word was law He appointed his ministers But did not have to listen to them AND could ‘hire and fire’ them at will He was a true autocrat.

SOCIAL

Peasants Only 40% ethnic Russians 80% were peasants – subsistence farmers 60%+ = illiterate Life expectancy = 40 Low tech and low investment Land ownership rare Land owned by communes (OBSCHINA ) which organised taxes and allotted strips of land Peasants could not leave the commune without the consent of the elders Discipline and punishments harsh – even to exile in Siberia Drought and crop failure common 1891 = famine + cholera and typhus = 400,000 dead 1890 – 64 % of peasants called up for military service were declared unfit.

YET..Yet… Some did prosper and it was generally the shortage of land rather than shortage of food that was the irritant. Rural population grew Faith in Tsar remained strong BUT hunger for land would grow.

Industrial and urban Russia had grown industrially but living and working conditions were horrendous Average working day was 14 hours Trade unions banned but some strikes took place Potential for hotbed of political activism

Strikes in Russia 1910-1914 Year Number of Strikes 1910 222 1911 466 1912 2032 1913 2404 1914 4098

Unrest prior to 1905 The passivity of the Russian people had limits May 1896 – riots in St. Petersburg 1902 - Street demonstrations in Rostov on Don 1901-1907 arson of manor houses in rural areas became commonplace 1904 – Viacheslav Plehve – Minister of the interior assassinated by Social Revolutionary

Revolutions 1905 March 1917 November 1917 Failed – Tsar still in control but establishment of Duma. March 1917 Food shortages led to looting & strikes Many in the army joined the protesters, police refused to do anything Group of middle class duma members called themselves the Provisional government. Tsar realised he had no support so abdicated. November 1917 Provisional Government kept Russia in war Peasants had seized land, Provisional Government did not support them Bolsheviks seized power using their Red Guard of armed workers. “Peace! Bread! Land!” Lenin

Civil War 1918-21 Bolsheviks had overthrown the Provisional Government by other political parties (Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries) thought it undemocratic. Lenin took all land from Church & nobles and gave it to the peasants, (for support) He surrendered to Germany, and lost a lot of land in the peace treaty. Lenin renamed his party the Communist Party in January 1918. Many army officers were ashamed of the surrender so sided with the Social Revolutionaries & Mensheviks and began to raise an army (the Whites) Britain, France, USA & Japan agreed to help the Whites Lenin’s Red army faced Whites on all sides. July 1918 Bolsheviks murdered the Tsar & his family Slowly the Red army won the Civil War

War Communism In order to win the Civil War the communists put together an army of 3 million men, who all needed to be fed and supplied. Lenin introduced a policy known as War Communism – a system that gave the communists direct control of all trade and industry. At the same time Russian was suffering from soaring inflation and money became almost worthless. Peasants did not want to accept money in return for produce – so shortage of food in towns. Communists responded by sending out requisition squads of soldiers to take food from the peasants without payment. Peasants angry, so cut down the amount they produced – terrible famine 1921-1922 – 5 million people died.

New Economic Policy After War Lenin introduced New Economic Policy – aimed to boot the economy and remove opposition from workers & peasants. He allowed small-scale private businesses and peasants to be able to sell produce from farming, (as long as they paid a tax) Requisition squads stopped raiding farms so peasants not interested in rebellion.

Rise of Stalin In 1922 Stalin was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party as he was a good administrator. Lenin died of a stroke in 1924. After his death a committee of seven (known as the Politburo) ruled the Soviet Union. Stalin was on this committee. Stalin started handing out key jobs to his supporters. Stalin took control of the Politburo. By 1929 five of the other six men in the Politburo had been driven out.

Collectivisation In 1929 Stalin decided that the economic freedoms of the NEP should be abandoned. The state would at once take direct control over every aspect of economic life. He introduced a programme of collectivisation in agriculture. This meant that the thousands of small privately owned farms would be combined into a small number of large collective farms run directly by the state.

Collectivisation Stalin thought bigger farms could make better use of machinery and production would increase. During the 1920s some peasants had prospered under the NEP. This led to a growth in the class of better-off peasants known as kulaks. Stalin did not trust the peasants, so decided to destroy the Kulaks as a warning to others.

1928-1941 Five-year Plans – to increase output. Purges – Opposition (real or imagined) rooted out. People shot or sent to labour camps (gulags) Secret police and terror tactics Supporters gained privileges, higher wages & better housing. August 1939 – Nazi-Soviet Pact June 1941 – Hitler invades the Soviet Union.