The Russian Revolution 1917-1922

1. The Russian Revolution1917-1922 (actually there were 2 revolutions!!!) Tsar Nicholas II Rasputin Lenin

2. Early 20th Century: Russian Social Hierarchy

3. World War I: “The Last Straw” Corrupt military leadership. Average peasant had very little invested in the war! Poorly supplied troops. Result: chaos and disintegration of the Russian Army. Spreading discontent.

4. Who was in charge in Russia before the revolution? Czar (Tsar) Nicholas II of the Romanovs was in power in 1913. Weak and ineffective as a leader = he failed to solve Russia’s political, economic, and social problems. He did NOT want his power limited. He went to the ‘front’ during World War One and left his wife, Czarina Alexandra, in charge. The Czarina started listening to Rasputin, a strange ‘holy man’ because she believed his “miraculous” powers helped eased the suffering of her son who suffered from the genetic disorder, hemophilia (blood doesn’t clot normally). Many people did not trust the Czarina or Rasputin.

5. Last of the Romanovs Nicholas II Alexis (hemophiliac) Alexandra

6. Gregory Rasputin: A hard man to kill Dec. 29, 1916 Group of nobles tried poisoning him with cakes and wine laced with cyanide. Then he was shot in the chest with a revolver. Rasputin ran away and was shot again. They beat him until he was unconscious and threw him into the river! He officially died from drowning!

7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmKxKylgtmM

8. “Rasputin” Performed by: Boney M, a West German disco group There lived a certain man in Russia long agoHe was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glowMost people looked at him with terror and with fearBut to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dearHe could preach the bible like a preacherFull of ecstasy and fireBut he also was the kind of teacherWomen would desire Rah Rah RasputinLover of the Russian queenThere was a cat that really was goneRah Rah RasputinRussia's greatest love machineIt was a shame how he carried on

9. He ruled the Russian land and never mind the czarBut the kasachok he danced really wunderbarIn all affairs of state he was the man to pleaseBut he was real great when he had a girl to squeezeFor the queen he was no wheeler dealerThough she'd heard the things he'd doneShe believed he was a holy healerWho would heal her son Rah Rah RasputinLover of the Russian queenThere was a cat that really was goneRah Rah RasputinRussia's greatest love machineIt was a shame how he carried on But when his drinking and lusting and his hungerFor power became known to more and more peopleThe demands to do something about this outrageousMan became louder and louder.

10. This man's just got to go! declared his enemiesBut the ladies begged "Don't you try to do it, pleaseNo doubt this Rasputin had lots of hidden charmsThough he was a brute they just fell into his armsThen one night some men of higher standingSet a trap, they're not to blame"Come to visit us" they kept demandingAnd he really came Rah Rah RasputinLover of the Russian queenThey put some poison into his wineRah Rah RasputinRussia's greatest love machineHe drank it all and he said "I feel fine" Rah Rah RasputinLover of the Russian queenThey didn't quit, they wanted his headRah Rah RasputinRussia's greatest love machineAnd so they shot him till he was dead Oh, those Russians...

11. The Two Revolutions of 1917 The March Revolution (March 12) The November Revolution (November 6) Led by Vladamir Lenin and the Bolsheviks (Reds).

12. The Revolutions of March & November 1917 are known to Russians as the FEBRUARY and OCTOBER revolutions. In 1917, Russia still used an old calendar, which was 13 days behind the one used in Western Europe. Not until 1918 did Russia adopt the western calendar.

13. March Revolution In March of 1917 (only a few months after Rasputin was killed!) the Russian monarchy collapses! Nicholas II abdicates (gives up his power). A temporary government is established to deal with World War One! The Russian people had no faith in this new temporary government they wanted a strong leader!

14. April – November of 1917 A MARXIST follower by the name of Lenin returns secretly to Russia and gathers support for a COMMUNIST Revolution! Lenin takes over the temporary government! And he and his friend Trotsky set up the Bolshevik Party. BOLSHEVIK means ‘majority,’ even though they were the minority!

15. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Lenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks and the first leader of Communist Russia. Lenin became a revolutionary at age 17 after his older brother was executed for attempting to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. His true name was Ulyanov, Lenin is an alias used to hide from the Tsar’s police. Lenin was smart, organized, hard working, and greatly respected by his followers.

16. Leon Trotsky Trotsky was generally considered Lenin’s second in command and was the leader of the Communist Army that was known as the Red Army. He was an idealist -someone who felt being true to beliefs was more important than practical matters.

17. Lenin Steps In A tremendously charismatic personality Promised “Peace, Land, Bread” “All Power to the Soviets” Bolshevik party membership exploded Consolidated Bolshevik power

18. The November Revolution The events of November 6 All private property of wealthy was abolished and divided among the peasantry Revolutionary army created: “Red Army” Bolshevik Party renamed Communist Party in March of 1918

19. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: March 1918 Russia thought this humiliating treaty would be nullified since all of the west was on the verge of revolution. Communist leaders needed all their energy to defeat the enemies at home!

20. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Shortly after gaining power, Lenin made good on his promise for peace. He signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in March 1918 to remove Russia from WWI. The treaty was very much in Germany’s favor; it surrendered Poland, Finland, and Ukraine to Germany. Lenin felt the loss was okay since after the worldwide Communist Revolution he foresaw the treaty would be meaningless. The West was upset to lose an ally in WWI.

22. Land Russia lost after World War 1

23. Russian Revolution Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdpEaPxNW0g&feature=related Re-enactment and original footage http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/13037-lost-empires-of-asia-and-russia-russian-revolution-video.htm

24. The Civil War:(1917-1920) • Ending WWI led to a terrible Civil War as the Bolsheviks (Reds) fought against those who wanted to take power away from them (Whites). • The Whites included many different groups who were not united in their fight. This allowed the Reds to win by 1922. Roughly 200,000 people were killed in the Civil War. • The Allied Powers assisted the Whites against the Reds, hoping to bring Russia back into the war. British, Japanese, French, and American troops fought against the Red Army. This action was not forgotten in Russia and later was a cause of hostility. Russian political cartoon showing the feeling that the White Army (the dogs) are being led by the Western powers. (Uncle Sam and the other powers holding the leashes.)

25. Death of the Tsar • Tsar Nicholas II and his family had been held captive near the city of Ekaterinburg. • On July 17, 1918, as the White Army approached the city, the Tsar and his entire family were executed by a firing squad to prevent them from falling into the protective hands of the Whites. • His son Alexei was only 13 when they shot him. They also shot the family doctor, maid, cook, valet, and dog (such hatred of the Romanovs). Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Alexei

26. War Communism: 1918-1921 • During the Civil War Lenin instituted war communism: • Government controls of the economy and society designed to help the Bolsheviks win the war. • War Communism: • Paid workers in needed supplies rather than wages. • Confiscated food from farmers and redistributed it to cities. Farmers only allowed a subsistence level of food. • Nationalized industry - the government took control and managed all factories and railroads. Private ownership was ended in these cases. “Have You Signed Up As a Volunteer?”

27. “Tens of thousands of peaceful people had fled…during that space of time, rushing away from the Red Terror with nothing but the clothes they stood in, as people rush in their nightdresses out of a house on fire…Peasants had deserted their fields, students their books, doctors their hospitals, scientists their laboratories, workmen their workshops, authors their completed manuscripts…We were being swept away in the wreckage of a demoralized army.” – Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime

28. The Red Terror • The Red Terror was the Bolshevik program to eliminate all political enemies in the USSR. • Among the groups who were victims of the Red Terror: • Military deserters. • Striking workers. • Members of rival political parties. • Kulaks (wealthier peasants who did not want to give up their harvest) • Clergy • Cossacks (ethnic groups in Southern Russia and Ukraine) • The Red Terror was carried out by the secret police, known as the Cheka.

29. The USSR • After victory in the Civil War, Lenin established a new nation known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR) • It is also commonly called the Soviet Union. It was made up of European and Asian peoples. • This new constitution (1922) gave all citizens over 18 the right to vote. • The capital of the USSR was moved to Moscow from St. Petersburg to locate it closer to the center of the nation. • Today the USSR is: • Russia • Estonia • Latvia • Lithuania • Belarus • Moldova • Ukraine • Georgia • Armenia • Azerbaijan • Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Turkmenistan • Tajikistan • Uzbekistan

30. Flag of the U.S.S.R. Red = Communism Hammer = Factory workers Sickle = Farmers and peasants Star = Communist Party

31. Ch. 28, Sec. 2: From Lenin to Stalin

32. Death of Lenin • Lenin suffered 3 strokes between 1922-23 which left him bed ridden and unable to speak. • Lenin died January 1924 at the age of 53. Despite the objection of his wife, his body was embalmed and has been displayed to the public in a mausoleum in Moscow to this day. • The city of St.Petersburg was renamed Leningrad in his honor until the break up of the USSR in 1990. Lenin’s Last Photo in 1923?

33. The Mausoleum is open every day from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, except Mondays and Fridays. Visitors still wait in long lines to see Lenin's body, for which entrance is free of charge. Visitors are required to show respect while in the tomb; photography and videotaping inside the mausoleum are forbidden, as are talking, smoking, keeping hands in pockets, or wearing hats (if male). The mausoleum is still heavily guarded. The family of Lenin's embalmers states that the corpse is real and requires daily work to moisturize the features and inject preservatives under the clothes. Lenin's tomb is kept at a temperature of 16 °C (61 °F). Debate continues as to what to do with Lenin's body. In January 2011, United Russia party created a website with voting on a question whether Lenin's body should be buried.

34. USSR Under Lenin: Social Policy • In 1920 Lenin established laws for free education. Schools were instructed to teach Marxist beliefs to students. • Women received expanded rights in the USSR. Abortion was legalized and divorce became easier. Even titles such as Miss and Mr. were replaced by a gender neutral “comrade”. • State policy was atheism and church property was taken, clergy executed, and religion mocked. Nonetheless, many still secretly practiced their faith. • Family life was changed as civil marriages replaced religious. Children of unwed mother received protections they did not previously have. • However, as the Civil War left 7 million homeless children in the USSR, the need for stronger family ties was seen and policy became more traditional. • Inheritance laws, which were initially abolished by Lenin, were gradually re-established. • Stalin would once again outlaw abortion, make divorce more difficult, and pay women for having large families in response to population in the USSR decreasing in the 1930s. • Women continued to maintain equal status of men and even served in combat roles during World War II, unlike all the other major participants.

35. Joseph Stalin • Stalin was less important during the revolution but gained power as events moved forward. • Stalin was an excellent administrator and had friends in many different areas of the government who owed him favors. • Stalin believed in the value of acting practically to achieve his goals. • He gained power through ruthless measures and launched the Great Purge and other acts of terror to gain absolute power. Like Lenin, Stalin’s name was an alias. It means “steel”. His birth name was Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughasvili

36. Open your notebook and write this title & take notes as you read -Ch. 28, Section 2:From Lenin to Stalin Stalin Gains Power(pg. 708) – 1 sentence (main idea of pghs.) Stalin’s 5 Year Plan (pg. 708) – 1 sentence * Mixed Industrial Results(pg. 709): 1 sentence * Revolution in Agriculture(pg. 709): 1 sentence * A Ruthless Policy(pg. 710): 1 sentence * The Great Purge(pg. 710): 1 sentence