A Brief History of Russia (Part II) From 1917 to Present Day
Soviet Era (1917-1991) Rise of the Soviet Union FEDERAL STRUCTURE REVOLUTION (1905-1917) Bolsheviks vs. Mensheviks vs. The Romanovs V.I. LENIN (VLADIMIR ILYICH ULYANOV) FEDERAL STRUCTURE USSR (UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS) -1924
Rise of the Soviet Union REVOLUTION (1917) Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Lenin Introduced Marxist Philosophy Command Economy Central Government makes ALL decisions about production and distribution
SOVIET LEADERS Joseph Stalin Purges of Dissidents killed 30-60 million Government Control Over ALL Aspects of Soviet Life (5 Year Plans) Secret Police (KGB) kept citizens under control. Collectivized Farming (SOVKHOZ) Concentration on Heavy Industry Famine caused 6-8 million deaths in 1932-33 (caused by the government)
Russia’s Command Economy led to shortages and long lines.
Cold War Nikita Kruschev – Cuban Missile Crisis – Oct. 1962 A period of high tension between the USSR and Western Europe and the USA. Lasted from 1945 until 1991 Nikita Kruschev – Cuban Missile Crisis – Oct. 1962 Leonid Breshnev – Détente policy eased tensions with Europe and the USA
SOVIET LEADERS Mikhail Gorbachev – Perestroika - reforms that led to the end of communism and the Soviet Union Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster 1986 – 100,000 people relocated Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan - 1979
Modern Russia (1991- present): Introduction of democracy and capitalism.
The New Russia 1991 - Present Leaders – Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin Ongoing issues with Chechnya Westernization of Russia Introduction of outside cultural influences (fast food restaurants)
Introduction of Capitalism & Market Economy has improved life for many Russians