1. Background to the East-West Conflict Background to the East-West Conflict A brief overview of the Soviet Union

2. The Origins of Communism   During the 18th and 19th century the way people conducted their everyday lives changed dramatically.   Europe moved from an agrarian based society to an industrialized region with factories being introduced to all the major cities on the continent.

3. The Origins of Communism   The basic premise of communism is equality.   There was a huge gap growing between rich and poor during the 19th century.   Writers of the time began to question the “growing gap” between rich and poor.   They advocated for a “new” social order.   A reconstruction of society on the basis of equality.

4. Background to communism   With the new industrial revolution taking place working conditions deteriorated as factory owners and managers were driven by economic interests.   Long hours, little pay, and child labour were common.   Many people familiar with these conditions began to search for a better social system.   Karl Marx was an advocate for reform from Germany and wrote the Communist Manifesto.   This became the framework to design a society based on equality.

5. Karl Marx-the father of communism   Karl Heinrich Marx, b. May 5, 1818, d. Mar. 14, 1883, was a German economist, philosopher, and revolutionist whose writings form the basis of the body of ideas known as Marxism.

6. Marxism and Russia   Marx viewed human evolution as a series of stages toward freedom.   Marx saw capitalism in conflict with this philosophy and predicted revolution would occur across Europe.   A key point is that these ideas were conceptualized with Europe in mind. How would they apply to Russia???

7. Origins of communism   Vladimir Ilich Lenin had been active in improving social conditions in Russia during the late 19th century and became very interested in the work of Karl Marx.   Lenin was born in 1870, died 1924.   He is primarily responsible for applying the Marxist framework to Russia.

8. V.I. Lenin

9. Russia to the Soviet Union   Russia had been considered a “backwards” empire by many during the late 19th century.   Unlike other countries, there was a small aristocracy and a huge peasantry.   The Tsar and upper classes seemed oblivious to the daily toil and hardship felt by the peasantry.   Huge losses of life in the beginning of the First World War and poor working conditions made the climate right for revolution.

10. And then along came Joe...   Stalin wished to modernize Russia.   Joseph Stalin was born in 1879 and ruled the U.S.S.R from 1929 to 1953.   “To do in ten years what took the west a century to complete.”

11. A propaganda poster glorifying the October Revolution

12. Barrett Khan 2005