Russian Revolution
Growing Tension Czarist Russia like a bomb with a long fuse Exploded 1917, but fuse burning for ~100 yrs
Autocratic Czars Russia unstable to begin with : Czars respond to revolutionary pressure with secret police and persecution of minorities
Industrialization Late 1800s: Russia industrializes Terrible working conditions, low wages Some favored revolution
Marxist Bolsheviks Bolsheviks- a radical Marxist (Animal Farm?) communist group Believed in revolution of workers and peasants (AF?) led by revolutionaries Leader: Lenin (AF?)
Bloody Sunday 1905: Soldiers fire on workers petitions for legislature and working conditions Nicholas agreed to legislature later that year, but soon dissolved it Unrest!!
WWI Russian army weak and unprepared, Nicholas joins troops Wife governs with crazed holy man/hemophilia healer Rasputin 4 million Russians die in war Revolts and strikes across country
Revolution, 1917 March: Nicholas steps down, weak provisional representative gov Soviets (local councils of workers) gain control November: Lenin and his Bolsheviks arrest provisional gov, redistribute farmland and take over factories (cuz they’re commies)
Civil War Disunited White Army (czarists, democrats, moderate socialists) fight unified Red Army (Bolsheviks) 14 million die from fighting and famine Reds win
Reforms – Bolsheviks now “Communist Party,” one- party dictatorship – Russia now “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” --communism aims for global revolution, so often avoids nationalism
Stalin assumes power Stalin (“man of steel,” AF?) increases power from 1922 until full control in 1928 Lenin dies 1924 Stalin drives out competition (Trotsky, AF?)
Don’t worry, he gets less attractive