Russian Revolution

1. Russian Revolution 1917-1939 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfZ6Fcsx-Ds

2. Life under the Czar • Most people in Russia were poor peasants called serfs who lived on land owned by wealthy landowners • Student protests, peasant revolts, and worker strikes were common • The Russo-Japanese War ended in a humiliating defeat for Russia and showed that Czarist rule was weak and disorganized

3. World War I • Men were not well armed and lacked food and supplies • Czar Nicholas II went to the front lines to help the troops, which left his wife, Alexandra, in charge • The people did not trust her because she was German • The Czar was incompetent on the battlefront

4. Failures of the Czar • Czar Nicholas II attempted to be patriotic and commanded the army on the frontlines • He is very incompetent as a military commander • He ignores the needs of the commoners • WWI brought great suffering to the Russian people • It brought shortages in housing, food, and fuel • Russian armies were ill-equipped and were soundly defeated • 1.7 million killed • 5 million injured

5. Rasputin • Self-proclaimed “Holy man” • He eased the suffering of Alexandra’s hemophiliac son • He influenced Alexandra so much that people were placed in positions of power because HE said so • Alexandra was warned about Rasputin’s power yet did nothing • Rasputin was killed by Russian nobles who feared the loss of the monarchy

6. Rise of the Bolsheviks • Vladimir Lenin believed that a Revolution of the people over the powers that be and bring rise to a “dictatorship of the proletariat” • Lenin and the Bolsheviks promised the people “Peace, Land, and Bread” • Lenin was able to unite the workers in revolution and drive the temporary government out

7. The People Rise Up!

8. Neglect of the Workers and the Poor • Disease and famine spread across Russia • The troops fighting the war did not have food and supplies and neither did the people • Lenin’s promises appealed to the people because the current government could not provide the people with food or land

9. March Revolution 1917 • Bread riots • Soldiers sent to end the violent protests side with the demonstrators • Czar Nicholas is forced to resign (abdicate) • Bloodless revolution • Provisional government set up with Kerensky in charge • Kerensky kept Russia in the war

10. November Revolution 1917 • Wages increased between revolutions • Cost of food and other necessities increased at a higher rate • Prices were increasing at much higher rates than wages and salaries • Bolsheviks take power

11. November Revolution 1917 • Civil War breaks out • Bolsheviks prevail through shear brutality – even when out numbered • Vladimir Lenin led the revolution based upon his own interpretations of the writings of Karl Marx • Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest-Litvosk with Germany to get out of war

12. The End of the Romanovs • In March of 1917 the Czar Nicholas II abdicated his power and then a temporary government was formed • In July of 1918 the Czar and his entire family were executed.

13. Marxism • Believed humanity was changing, Industrialization was to blame. Horrified by working conditions. • Capitalists were getting richer than workers creating a significant gap between the two • Believed one of the following would happen: • Rich must distribute wealth • A worker led violent revolution

14. Leninism • Lenin fascinated by industrialization, wanted to bring that to Russia • Differed from Marx in his belief that the world wide communist revolution had to be led by a power elite forcing it forward – not just the common man.

15. Leninism • Communist Party was the only party allowed. • The use of force and terror through the secret police (Cheka) was necessary and good for the cause • Used slogans, include “Bread, Land, Peace and All Power to the Soviets.”

16. Lenin’s Death • Died in January 1924. • Believed Leon Trotsky should replace him as leader. Trotsky had successfully led the revolutionary army. Had a vision of the Soviet Union in line with Lenin. He wanted to focus on agriculture

17. Lenin’s Death • Lenin believed that Stalin could not handle the power that came with leadership. Stalin believed in the industrialization of the nation. • Stalin takes control, has Trotsky killed.