1. Lenin & Russian Revolution

2. The Romanovs

3. The War & the Tsar
over ½ all arable land owned by the aristocrats
long standing food shortages
inefficient war effort (politically, militarily & economically)
of 15.5 million soldiers, 1.7 mill dead, 4-5 mill wounded, 2.4 mill POWs & 1.5 mill deserters

4. Nicholas II went to the front and left his wife the Tsarina in charge; she was influenced by Rasputin, a semi-mad monk; people blamed them for the deaths and the other problems

6. March Revolution (Coup d’Etat)
200,000 strikers were joined by women waiting in bread lines
called for the overthrow of the
Tsar
The Cossacks (troops of the Tsar) refused to attack them
Troops who were sent out to stop the protestors shot their own commander and joined the protestors

7. The Tsar abdicated
The Soviet (council of radical workers) and the Duma (parliament) declared a Provisional Government – temporary

8. Lenin First modern dictator of the 20th century
Had a lifelong hatred for the Czarist regime
Formed a revolutionary group based on the writings of Karl Marx
Leader of the Bolsheviks
(All-Russian Communist
Party)
Anti-terrorism

9. Provisional Government
Kerensky (socialist revolutionary) was the leader of this provisional government
BUT -real power was in the hands of the elected leaders of the Soviet workers & soldiers
The govt.’s goal was to pursue war more effectively, but the people wanted peace & this gave Lenin his chance

10. Provisional Government cont’d
Peasants were growing tired of waiting for land reform
Kerensky mistakenly thought Russians wanted to be democratic
Challenged by the army’s commander General Kornilov; with help of Bolsheviks, the coup failed
Kerensky lost even more support

11. Lenin
Bolshevik leader comes home from Switzerland where he was in exile
Germans smuggled him back to Russia because they thought he would cause trouble for Russia; knew he’d pull Russia out of the war
His slogan was “Peace, Land, and Bread”

12. Lenin’s April Thesis Communist Revolution Immediate peace
Seizure of land from aristocrats
Soviets (councils of workers a& soldiers) to have all power
Seizure of factories

13. October Revolution “Peace, Bread, Land”
“Peace, Bread, Land”
Bolsheviks with Lenin in control take power without significant government or army resistance

14. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Signed on March 3, 1918; negotiated by Trotsky (Lenin’s army Lieutenant)
armistice on the Eastern Front of the First World War -- was very humiliating for Russia
Russia loses 1/3 population, 1/3 agricultural lands & ¾ of its industries (coal & iron ore)
Germany takes control of Finland, Poland, Baltic & Ukraine & demands reparations from Russia

15. http://au. encarta. msn. com/media_1461500646/treaty_of_brest-litovsk

16. The Civil War Whites vs Reds
War was unleashed by Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Bolsheviks (Reds) controlled Petrograd, Moscow and the central Russian Heartland
Whites (&Cossacks) were hostile forces surrounded the Bolsheviks
Allies supported the Whites with equipment and some troops. Reds were internationally isolated.

18. Civil War
Reds (Communists) were outnumbered but they did control transportation lines
Reds troops had superior morale & determination
Trotsky was a good organizer & motivator
White army suffered lack of unity (generals were jealous of one another)
Western support of the Whites made them appear to be tools of foreign governments while the Red army was clearly fighting for an independent Russia

19. Reds Victorious in Russia became the USSR around 1923 (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) Bolsheviks became known as the Communists

20. Lenin’s Economic Policies
War Communism
Lenin’s plan to stabilize the economy
Peasants were forced to give up all surplus crops to feed the Red Army
Workers were told where to work & often forcibly moved hundreds of kilometers to a new factory
By 1920, 37,000 factories were overtaken by the state
There were food shortages & strikes & riots; very serious dissatisfaction

21. NEP – New Economic Policy
Plan to rejuvenate the economy; intended as a temporary measure
Return to individual economic initiative & profit; Peasants were to hand over a fixed proportion of their crops as tax to the state, but allowed to keep leftovers for self or sale
Firms returned to former owners & incentive schemes were set up to encourage more production
Agricultural output increased rapidly
This threatened communism (ironically)

22. Lenin’s death & Emergence of Stalin
1924 Lenin died; power struggle ensued
Left wing – Trotsky. Opposed to the NEP, wanted a militant & socialist policy at home to promote revolution abroad – worldwide Communism
Right wing – believed that world revolution did not have to happen right away. They approved of the NEP
Center – believed socialism could be built in one country. Stalin was the leader. This idea appealed to most Russians

23. Task – Global Forces p.72-75 in paragraph form, answer these two questions
1. In the five years between March 1917 and the end of 1921, the Bolsheviks emerged as the absolute rulers of Russia. Explain the success of the Bolsheviks during this period.
2. “The Provisional Government’s records combined remarkable liberalism with an inability to solve pressing, crucial problems”.
What were the “pressing, crucial problems” which led to the downfall of the Provisional Government and the seizing of power by the Bolsheviks?