1. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answers.
the czar
the peasants
the czar, the officials, the nobles, and the middle classes
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2. The Russian Revolution

3. Big Ideas What problems existed in Russia before the revolution?
Why would people support the Bolsheviks?
What is communism?

4. Background During WWI, the Russian military was unprepared
Czar Nicholas II wanted to run the army
No military experience
This kept him from the capital
Alexandra (cousin to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany) and Grigori Rasputin made important decisions
Rasputin- assassinated by conservatives

5. Background Economic concerns
Working-class women struck due to bread shortages and rationing
A general strike shut down all the factories
Nicholas ordered in troops
Many refused to shoot and joined the rebels
The Duma set up a provisional gov’t
The Czar abdicated the throne
His brother rejected it= no czar

6. The Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks were a small faction of a Marxist party
They wanted to overthrow the capitalist system
Vladimir Lenin came to Russia, hoping for the Bolsheviks to gain power
Soviets- Councils representing workers and soldiers
Lenin wanted to gain soviet support

7. The Bolsheviks
Bolsheviks promised to redistribute land, transfer control of factories to the workers, transfer gov’t power to the Soviets, and end the war.
Nov. 6, The Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace
Provisional gov’t collapsed
Lenin stayed in power (Gave some power to soviets)
Bolsheviks renamed themselves Communists
They withdrew from WWI
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Russia gave up E. Poland, Ukraine, Finland, and the Baltic Provinces

8. Civil War Soon after Communists took control, civil war broke out.
White Army: czar loyalists, liberals, anti- Leninist socialists
Aided by the Allies
Red Army: Communists
The Red Army won
Royal family was captured and killed

9. Civil War Communists were able to put their ideals to work
Controlled banks, farms, and industries
Used revolutionary terror to further their goals
Cheka (secret police) sought out anyone who opposed the Communists
Allies sent in troops- Communists used this as a way to appeal to Russian patriotism
1921- Communists have complete control over Russia

10. What is Communism?
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto, which introduced communism
It’s the idea that everything is commonly owned (no private property)
Anything you need is shared throughout the community (only works in small groups)
Workers control the means of production
He thought a communist revolution would happen in England, where there’s a lot of factories.

11. What is Communism? Russian communism is different.
The government takes everything that is produced
They distribute it to the people (based on need)
They usually take more than their fair share
This leaves many people hungry
No incentive to work if everything is provided for you and there is no room for advancement.

12. People don’t like to share.