Unit 7 The Rise of Totalitarian Governments: The Russian Revolution

1. Unit 7The Rise of Totalitarian Governments:The Russian Revolution

2. The Russian Revolution Long Term Causes of the Russia Revolution A. Oppression of the Serfs 1. Situation – Permanently bound to the noble whose land they worked 2. 1861 – Alexander II issued a decree freeing the serfs

3. B. Social Conditions 1. Rigid class distinctions – Class inequality a. upper class/nobility 1.)czar 2.) Church Officials – the clergy of the state controlled Russian Orthodox/preached obedience to the czar

4. 3.) nobles – have land, power, and privilege b. Middle class and workers desired a voice in the government; reform is resisted c. peasants want land

5. 2. Russification a. subject peoples, such as Poles, Finns, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians and Armenians, were pressured to adopt the Russian language, culture, and religion b. bitter resistance to attempt to destroy their national heritages.

6. 3. Persecution of Jews a. conditions – - forbidden to own land - barred from educational institutions - required to live in restricted districts

7. b. pogroms – - victimized recurrently by government inspired outbursts of violence - serve the government by diverting attention of the people from their own deplorable conditions - in 1881 many Russian Jews flee, mainly to the U.S.

8. C. Autocracy of Czars 1. Definition -ruler with unlimited power 2. Examples a. Nicholas I – -realizes serfdom was wrong, but needs support of the landlords -limits education for the rich -censors press -secret police

9. b. Alexander III – “autocracy, orthodoxy, and nationality”

10. Unit 7The Rise of Totalitarian Governments:The Russian Revolution C.S.S. 10.7.1 Understand the causes and consequences of the Russian Revolution, including Lenin’s use of totalitarian means to seize and maintain control.

11. D. Decembrists’ revolt (1825) 1. Who were the Decembrists? Russian army officers who were veteransof wars with Napoleon in Western Europe

12. 2. What do they want? political reform-limit the power of the czar and a bill of rights 3. Result of revolt? crushed by Nicholas I 4. Legacy – Nicholas I rules with an “iron hand”

13. E. Defeat in Crimean War (1853-1856) 1. Reasons for war – official – to protect Orthodox Christians in Turkey pragmatic – to gain the Dardanelles and the Bosporus (straits) 2. Outcome – Britain and France aid Turkey and defeat Russia

14. F. Rise of Marxism 1. Karl Marx – the father of Communism 2. Marxism – teaches that there will be a violent overthrow of capitalist society by the workers, and the formation of a socialist state

15. II. Immediate Causes of the Russian Revolution A. Defeat in Russo-Japanese War (1904) 1. Reason for war – official – control of Korea pragmatic – to divert attention from domestic problems 2. Outcome – humiliating defeat – leads to riots

16. B. Revolution of 1905 – “Bloody Sunday” 1. Cause – News of the disaster of the Russo-Japanese War unleashes pent-up discontent created by years of oppression 2. Effect – - loss of faith and trust in the czar - Duma is created, however, it has no real power and is dissolved 3 months later

17. C. Losses in World War I – 1. On the battlefront a. soldiers received inadequate clothes, food and battle equipment b. officers, mostly nobles, often lack ability c. Russian armies met with defeat after defeat d. casualties ran high

18. 2. On the home front a. factories proved unable to satisfy military and civilian needs b. railroad transportation broke down c. cities faced food shortages d. prices increased

19. D. Czar’s Incompetence 1. Nicholas II has a long list of serious mistakes: a. Russo-Japanese War b. Revolution of 1905 – Bloody Sunday c. Dissolves the Duma d. Enters World War I

20. e. moves his headquarters to the front so he could inspire his troops to victory – this leaves him out of touch on the home front 2. Czarina and Rasputin’s influence E. Strikes and Riots

21. Unit 7The Rise of Totalitarian Governments:The Russian Revolution

22. III. The Russian Revolution A. First (“Moderate”) Stage: March Revolution - The Czar is Overthrown 1. Russians were ripe for revolution a. soldiers - war weary and deserting b. peasants - rioting for bread c. workers - striking d. Duma/Middle Class - members demanding reform

23. 2. Nicholas II abdicates - forced from his throne a. soldiers refuse to fire on striking city workers in St. Petersburg b. rioting spreads c. railroad workers delay the czar’s return from the front d. Duma ignores czar’s command to dissolve

24. e. realizing his authority was gone, the czar abdicates on March 2, 1917 (ends three centuries of Romanov rule)

25. 3. The Provisional Government Fails (March-November 1917) a. The Duma chooses a temporary government to rule Russia 1.) Alexander Kerensky is the leader of the provisional government dominated by middle class liberals

26. 2.) Their goal is to create a constitution (They guaranteed civil liberties, freed political prisoners, and try to establish a west European form of democracy)

27. b. Reasons for failure: 1.) Fateful mistake – decide to continue war with Germany 2.) unable to provide the cities with food 3.) refuse to approve land seizures by the peasants until after the war 4.) radicals ignore them

28. 5.) soviets, elected councils of workers and soldiers, gain power. They are seen as the true representatives of the people.

29. Unit 7The Rise of Totalitarian Governments:The Russian Revolution

30. B. Second (“Radical”) Stage: November (October) Revolution – The Communists Seize Control 1. The radicals (revolutionaries) are split into 2 groups

31. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION Political Spectrum Radical Liberal Moderate Conservative Reactionary Duma Czar SR SD Peasants Marxist Urban Bolsheviks Small group of radicals Mensheviks Industrialize first

32. a. Social Revolutionaries (the SR’s) 1.) peasant support is seen as crucial 2.) rural socialism will lead the revolution because of Russia’s special case of an enormous peasant class. 3.) land redistribution

33. 4.) replace czar with a democratically elected government

34. Unit 7The Rise of Totalitarian Governments:The Russian Revolution

35. b. Social Democrats (the SD’s) 1.) Marxist 2.) revolution will be led by an urban working class 3.) overthrow the czar 4.) worldwide Marxist revolution

36. 5.) the SD’s split a.) Bolesheviks (means majority) 1. Lenin is the leader 2. Believed that the working class was too small and too poorly educated to stage a revolution. A tiny determined group of Marxists is needed to show them the way-a “dictatorship of the proletariat.”

37. b.) Mensheviks (means minority) 1. Believed Russia would have to be industrialized before a Marxist revolution could take place 2. Believed Lenin contradicted Marx.

38. 2. Lenin returns to Russia with the help of Germany 3. Bolsheviks gain support a. The narrowness of their party, with tight organization and discipline, is a great advantage in the chaos of 1917. b. the war goes from bad to worse

39. c. Bolsheviks saved St. Petersburg 1.) General Kornilov tries to seize power to put an end to the revolution, and perhaps return the czar. 2.) The Bolshevik Red Guard defend the capital and Kornilov fails.

40. d. Lenin’s slogan of “Peace,Bread, and Land; captured the peoples imagination. Appeals to soldiers, city workers, and peasants respectively. e. Bolsheviks gain control of St. Petersburg Soviet.

41. 4. Lenin seizes power November (October 24) 1917 – Bolshevik Red Guards took over the government, the leaders of the provisional government are arrested.

42. The Immediate Effects of the Russian Revolution A. Only Bolsheviks control the government 1. When elections are held in November the SR’s win a majority in the new national assembly. 2. The Bolsheviks close the assembly at once. The democratic revolution dies with its first election.

43. 3. “dictatorship of the proletariat” – a small group of Bolsheviks would rule in the name of the people.

44. B. Peace with Germany ; withdrawal from WWI 1. The Bolsheviks accept Germany’s severe terms in the Treaty of Brest- Litovsk (March 1918) a. Surrendered one fourth of Russia’s European territory, including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russian Poland, and the Ukraine. b. give up many mines and factories

45. 2. Many patriotic Russians are outraged 3. Lenin is unconcerned about the lost land. He was certain the socialist revolution soon would spread to Germany.

46. C. Civil War (1918-1920) 1. Bolshevik Opposition a. “White “ armies form to fight the Red Bolshevik Army

47. b. The Allies, including the United States sent small armies to Russia to help defeat the Reds 1.) resent Communist Russia’s withdrawal from the war 2.) fear it policy of world revolution c. Newly created Poland attacks Russia desiring additional territory.

48. 2. “Red Terror” – to protect the revolution the Communists acted ruthlessly a. Czar Nicholas and his family are shot b. The Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police, executed thousands as enemies of the revolution. c. An estimated 15 million Russians die during the civil war.

49. 3. Bolsheviks win a. Red Army is well led and organized by Leon Trotsky. b. peasants and workers are determined to prevent the return of nobles c. Russian nationalism – resents foreign intervention d. disunity among the Whites

50. D. Economy in Ruins – Result of war and revolution