Rise of Communism

  Rise of Bolsheviks  fighting for rights of working class (proletariat) against the czar  Huge costs of World War I  Country was not prepared both militarily and industrially  Many Russians died in victory and defeat  Huge cost leads to anger against the czar Reasons for Revolution

  Czar was seen as a failure  Failed when he took control of military  Soldiers lost faith in leadership  Shortages of food and other goods forced the population and soldiers to suffer  Caused desperation among the people to survive  Unpopular decision of Czar’s wife by relying on Gregory Rasputin Reasons for Revolution

  Revolution begins: March 8, 1917  All the Russians (civilians, soldiers, and government) refused to obey Czar  Protests were taking place – people demanding food  Police officers and soldiers ordered to shoot protesters, but they refused  Czar ordered the Duma (legislative body) to shut down  Politicians refused to shut down government  March 15, 1917 – Czar Nicholas II steps down as Czar The Revolution

  After Nicholas II steps down – New government is formed led by Alexander Kerensky  Reasons for Bolshevik Revolution:  New government was seen as weak  New government was going to continue fighting World War I  Civilians wanted food and land – new government was doing nothing for them  Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, promised to fix all these things Bolshevik Revolution

  November 1917 – Bolsheviks attack and overthrow Kerensky’s government  Bolshevik/Communist Policies:  No private ownership of land – land distributed amongst the people but owned by government  Factories were taken by Bolsheviks and then turned over to the workers to control  Gave power to the people to control daily lives  This was not allowed by the Czar or Kerensky governments Bolshevik Revolution

  Peace settlement with Central Powers was a major problem for Russia  Russian Army had no fight left – Germany and her allies lay harsh terms to Russia for peace  Russia had to settle for losing vast amounts of land to its enemies for peace  Led to Civil War amongst Communists  1920 – Civil War ends with Lenin’s Bolsheviks winning and maintaining power Issues with Communist Government

  Policy set to save the Russian Economy from total collapse  Allowed for some capitalism in the country  Goods could be sold for profit  Food production was encouraged  Once economy was stable, Russia rejoins with some old lands that was a part of the empire – country is renamed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) or Soviet Union New Economic Policy