1. Do This Now… Sit in assigned groups
Then, discuss what political ideas were popularized in Russia as a result of the 1905 Revolution
Be prepared to share with the class

2. What political future was right for Russia in 1917?

3. Aftermath of Revolution of 1905
Continued growth of discontented working class
Vast majority of workers concentrated in St. Petersburg and Moscow
Russian Peasants

4. Conservatism Continues: 1905-1917
Tsar paid no attention to the Duma; political parties suppressed
Nicholas was personally a very weak man; he became increasingly remote as a ruler
Numerous soviets thus began to appear
Local political councils dedicated to further action
Nicholas II Wedding

5. Alexandra: The Power Behind the Throne
Even more blindly committed to autocracy than her husband
She was under the influence of Rasputin
Scandals surrounding Rasputin served to discredit the monarchy
Alexandra
Rasputin

6. World War I: “The Last Straw”
War revealed the ineptitude and arrogance of the country’s aristocratic elite
Peasants became casualties by the millions
Average peasants had very little invested in the War
Russian Peasant Soldiers in WWI

7. Russian Peasant Soldiers in WWI
World War I (cont)
Ill-trained, ineffective officers, poorly equipped (Russ. was not ready for ind. war) – the result was mass desertions and 2 million casualties by 1915
Result: Chaos and Disintegration of the Russian Army
Battle of Tannenberg (August, 1914) – massive defeat at hands of Germany
Russian Peasant Soldiers in WWI

8. The Collapse of the Imperial Government
Nicholas left for the Front—September, 1915
Alexandra and Rasputin throw the government into chaos
Alexandra and other high government officials accused of treason
Depiction of Rasputin

9. The Collapse of the Imperial Government (cont)
Rasputin assassinated in December of 1916
Complete mismanagement of the wartime economy
Industrial production plummeted, inflation and starvation were rampant, and the cities were overflowing w/ refugees
Cities became a hotbed for political activism, especially in St. Petersburg
Rasputin Again

10. The March/February Revolution
Origins: Food riots/strikes
Duma declared itself a Provisional Government on March12
Tsar ordered soldiers to intervene; instead they joined the rebellion…the Tsar thus abdicated on March 17
Menshevik Alexander Kerensky headed the Provisional Government
Very Popular Revolution
Kerensky favored gradual socialist reform and saw the war effort as #1 priority
Kerensky

11. The Petrograd Soviet
Leftists in St. Petersburg formed the Petrograd Soviet, which they claimed to be the legit gov’t
Germany was aware of the Russia situation
Germany helped political exile, Vladimir Lenin return so he could lead Soviet

12. Soviet Political Ideology
More radical and revolutionary than the Provisional Government
Most influenced by Marxist socialism
Committed to Class Struggle and Revolution
Lenin

13. Lenin Steps into This Vacuum
Lenin tremendously charismatic personality
“Peace, Land, Bread”
“All Power to the Soviets”
He preached that the war was a capitalist/imperialist war that offered no rewards for the peasants/workers
Empowers the extreme Bolsheviks against Kerensky’s Mensheviks
Lenin Propaganda

14. The 1917 Choice
Russians left with a choice for Russia’s political future:
Democracy
Peasant reform
Gradual socialist government
Immediate socialist change

15. What political future was right for Russia in 1917?

16. Overview of Today Today, we’ll be debating Russia’s future in 1917
Four groups will be arguing for potential political futures for the country
Two groups will be role playing as citizens and interrogating the groups
At the end, the citizens will vote for which option they want

17. Individual Group Assignments
In your groups you will be provided with a set of directions and materials
Read the directions and work as a group to complete your assigned tasks and responsibilities
You have 35 minutes to complete all your assigned tasks

18. Do This Now… Sit in groups from previous class
Take out class materials
Option groups, reacquaint yourselves with your arguments and prepare to present
Citizen groups, reacquaint yourselves with your questions and prepare to interrogate the option groups
Be prepared to share with the class

19. Presentations and Questions
Each of the four options will present
After each group presents, citizens will interrogate
Will repeat until finished

20. Closing Arguments
To begin, one person will express his or her views on the subject, citing their evidence and reasoning as support.
Then, a person from the other side will respond
Before speaking, you must summarize what the person before you said, saying “I understand that you feel . But consider this .”

21. Decision Time! Citizens: Option Groups: You have 10 minutes
Independently decide which option you think is best based on your role
On a scratch piece of paper create a Top 5 List that explains your Top 5 reasons for supporting your selected option
Option Groups:
Flip note taker over and write an argument for which option you PERSONALLY believe to be right for Russia
You have 10 minutes

22. What was the deciding factor for the choice of the Russian citizens?
Discussion
What was the deciding factor for the choice of the Russian citizens?

23. Beginning of the End
Lenin formed the Military-Revolutionary Council and in May 1917 he urged the Pet. Soviet to pass Army Order # 1
This gave control of the army to the common soldiers; discipline thus collapsed, and Kerensky was undermined

24. The November/October Revolution
Leon Trotsky gained the confidence of the army, which seizes power
Lenin went on to consolidate his power in Jan when he disbanded the Constituent Assembly
All private property was abolished and divided among the peasantry
Largest industrial enterprises nationalized
Army seizing power
Leon Trotsky

25. November Revolution (cont)
Political Police organized: CHEKA
Revolutionary army created with Trotsky in charge = “Red Army”
Bolshevik Party renamed Communist Party in March of 1918
Red Army

26. Why Revolution?
Lenin’s 1st task was to get Russia out of the war so he could concentrate on internal reform…
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk negotiated with the Germans, giving them much Russian territory, population, and resources
Signing of Treaty