The Russian Revolution The story of Russia to USSR Readings: Spodek, pp

Nicholas I ( )  Hated Industrial Revolution and French Revolution  Wanted to make world safe for autocracy  Fought against progress in Russia and Europe

Alexander II ( )  Son of Nicholas I.  He came to the throne during the Crimean War  Emancipated the serfs in 1861

Alexander III ( )  Increased the repressive powers of the police  Limited the power of the local assemblies  Pograms against anyone who was not Russian

Nicholas II ( )

Russo-Japanese War ( )  Imperialistic Conflict over Korea and Manchuria  Russia trying to ward off rebellion

Bloody Sunday-January 22, 1905  Began in St Petersburg  Disaster of Russo-Japanese War revealed corruption and incompetence of czar  Created Duma, limited economic reform

World War I/ Rasputin  Had control over the Tsar Nicholas II and the Tsarina  Was murdered in December 1916  World War I was a disaster.

The Revolutions of 1917  February Revolution (March 8, 1917)  Czar Nicholas Abdicates

How Do Bolsheviks Get Power?  Lenin arrives in Petrograd (St. Petersburg)—April  Lenin calls for armed insurrection —Oct. 16, 1917 (Russian Calendar)  October Revolution begins, October 24, 1917 (Russian Calendar), November 6, 1917 (Western European Calendar)  Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin

Treaty of Brest Litovsk— March 3, 1918 March  Lost 32% of the land  Lost Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania  Much of the Ukraine  Much of Belarussia

Civil War and Lenin’s Rule  From  Reds  Whites  Creation of USSR  Nationalization of all land and banks  New Economic Plan  Lenin dies of a stroke

Power Struggle after Lenin’s Death and Stalin’s Rule  Forced collectivization  “The Great Famine”  “The Great Terror”  Purges  Gulag

Contemporary Problems  Cold War with US from  Mikhail Gorbachev’s Glasnost allowed Democracy to Emerge  Perestroika—socialism not possible in capitalist world  Resigns December 25, 1991  End of Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War

Boris Yeltsin  Problems: – Economy was a mess – Workers not paid – National Debt – IMF and World Bank Money to Cronies – Politics a Mess

Today in Russia and the Former Soviet Union  A weak Boris Yeltsin names Vladimir Putin, former KGB agent, Premier then President  Communists Still Have Some Power: Many want stability of Old System back

Today’s Russia (continued)  Ethnic groups want autonomy or Independence  Putin has destroyed Chechnya  Reports of rapes and pillage  Nationalists want powerful Soviet Union  Questions still needing answers

Winners and Losers  Winners – Communist Party – Some Workers – Massive Literacy Project— all those who learn to read and write – Vastly improved health care—all those who lived longer and healthier – Women  Losers – Poorest peasants – Traditional Russian upper classes – Many of those in traditional Russian middle classes – Those killed or imprisoned because of oppressive regime – Jews, Muslims, other ethnic minorities