Russian Revolution:
CausesThere are many causes to the Russian Revolution some are:
- Imbalance in social structure - Poverty, Misery, Exploitation - World War 1 strained Russia's resources - Russia is in debt - Losing the Russo Japanese war - Czar Nicholas used up all the money - Famine |
EffectsThe effects of the Russian Revolution are:
- The establishment of a socialist government - Industrial growth and economic development - Withdrawal of Russia from World War 1 - Educational reforms - End of Autocratic rule - Emergence of Russia as a World Power - Formation of the Soviet Union |
Leon Trotsky:Leon Trotsky was a communist theorist, a writer and a leader in the Russian Revolution. He was fascinated with Marxism, and would often think and read about it or debate revolutionary ideas. So his ideas and passive talks of revolution over time changed into active revolutionary planning. Trotsky helped found The South Russian Workers ' Union, which he was later arrested for activities he did with the union. He met V. I. Lenin on the Russian Social Democrats' revolutionary news paper.
WhenLeon heard of Bloody Sunday in Russia, he decided to go back. By late 1905 Trotsky had become a leader of the 1905 revolution. Then again in the 1917 Russian Revolution, he quickly becomes a leader. He joined the Bolshevik Party and allied himself with Lenin. The revolution was a success, so Lenin became leader of the new Soviet Government and Leon Trotsky became second hand to Lenin. He was the peoples commissar for foreign affairs under Lenin and then he became in charge of the Red Army. Once Lenin died Trotsky was slowly but surely pushed out of important roles in the Soviet government and soon after that her was Exiled but eventually made it 7 years later to Mexico. He there wrote about Lenin and criticized him, however Stalin had written about him saying that he(Trotsky) was a major conspirator in a fabricated plot to remove Stalin from power. Stalin then hired henchmen to assassinate Trotsky, and he succeeds in doing so. |
Joseph Stalin (1879-1953)
Stalin's preturbing childhood set the stage for his anger against certain officials and aspects he sought to destroy in Russian government. Feeling unfarely treated by life, because of his deformed arm and small pox, his desire for respect grew. His first attempt at gaining respect was through religous appreciation, where he studied to become a preist. But while in school, the city's active revolution distracted Stalin, leading him to a completley new desire, to become an organizer of the
revolution. Consumed by the Russian revolution, Stalin risked arrest everyday, through his illegal distribution of revolutionary newspapers. Although Lenin found Stalin churlish at times, he valued his loyalty, and appointed him after the Revolution to various low-priority leadership positions in the new Soviet government. Stalin climbed up in ranks quickly, but as his power grew, he manipulated the people around him into gaining even more control. Lenin lay on his death bed in 1924, unable to stop Stalin's destruction of the old leaders of the Party. Stalin depleted brain power from Russia, making him the sole intellectual force in the country. To make Russia into a major power, he begins to industrialize Russia, forcing collective agriculture on the people and instituting the Five Year Plan to coordinate all investment and production in the country. Stalin infused this into society through the cost of human lives. He set up camps called Gulags to vanquish opposing citizens and authority that he saw as a threat. These Gulag camps mass murdered Russian citizens as did Hitlers concentration camps, thus Stalin immediately saw the connection to strike a non-aggression pact with Hitler, in which they agreed to divide up Poland and leave each other alone. All seemed well until Hitler attacked the unprepared Soviet army. The shocked Stalin scrambled to make a decent defense to this attack, but the length it took to build his army up took many lives and empowered the Germans. The Nazis gained much territory in this time and continued to expand. The Red army victoriously began liberating countries in Eastern Europe before Americans began to attack Germany. In the Potsdam Conferences, Stalin gained the support of Roosevelt and Churchill , while managing to arrange for the liberated Eastern Europe countries to remain in the Soviet sphere of influence. He secured three seats for his country in the newly formed UN and a permanent seat on the Security Counsil. Stalin finally gained the respect he craved through the recognition of the Soviet Union as a world superpower. He lost respect from returning soldiers and refugees who were arrested and shot or sent to labor camps as traitors who he deported; nationalists were not allowed to return home. The people developed a plot to kill Stalin in 1953 and he was shot as a hero to the Russia. It wasn't until Stalin's excesses were revealed to the Party that the world began to question Stalin as the great man he had been depicted.
revolution. Consumed by the Russian revolution, Stalin risked arrest everyday, through his illegal distribution of revolutionary newspapers. Although Lenin found Stalin churlish at times, he valued his loyalty, and appointed him after the Revolution to various low-priority leadership positions in the new Soviet government. Stalin climbed up in ranks quickly, but as his power grew, he manipulated the people around him into gaining even more control. Lenin lay on his death bed in 1924, unable to stop Stalin's destruction of the old leaders of the Party. Stalin depleted brain power from Russia, making him the sole intellectual force in the country. To make Russia into a major power, he begins to industrialize Russia, forcing collective agriculture on the people and instituting the Five Year Plan to coordinate all investment and production in the country. Stalin infused this into society through the cost of human lives. He set up camps called Gulags to vanquish opposing citizens and authority that he saw as a threat. These Gulag camps mass murdered Russian citizens as did Hitlers concentration camps, thus Stalin immediately saw the connection to strike a non-aggression pact with Hitler, in which they agreed to divide up Poland and leave each other alone. All seemed well until Hitler attacked the unprepared Soviet army. The shocked Stalin scrambled to make a decent defense to this attack, but the length it took to build his army up took many lives and empowered the Germans. The Nazis gained much territory in this time and continued to expand. The Red army victoriously began liberating countries in Eastern Europe before Americans began to attack Germany. In the Potsdam Conferences, Stalin gained the support of Roosevelt and Churchill , while managing to arrange for the liberated Eastern Europe countries to remain in the Soviet sphere of influence. He secured three seats for his country in the newly formed UN and a permanent seat on the Security Counsil. Stalin finally gained the respect he craved through the recognition of the Soviet Union as a world superpower. He lost respect from returning soldiers and refugees who were arrested and shot or sent to labor camps as traitors who he deported; nationalists were not allowed to return home. The people developed a plot to kill Stalin in 1953 and he was shot as a hero to the Russia. It wasn't until Stalin's excesses were revealed to the Party that the world began to question Stalin as the great man he had been depicted.
LeninV.I. Lenin was a socialist who followed the teachings of Karl Marx. Lenin was exiled out of Russia during World War I during a time where the people of Russia were not happy with their Czar. Lenin was smuggled back to Russia from Switzerland by Germany to start a revolution in Russia. Germany relied on Lenin for this revolution because of his hatred for the Czar. The government’s unwillingness to bring change to Russia is what made Lenin take further actions. Councils of workers and soldiers were set up in Russian cities called Soviets. These were originally set up by the government but they were soon taken over by a radical socialist party. Lenin and Leon Trotsky were the leaders of the revolutionary socialist party called the Bolsheviks.They took Karl Marx ideas and changed them to help with what Russia was dealing with. Lenin gained support from many people by making the promise of “Peace, Land, and Bread.” The promise by the Bolsheviks was that they would be the ones to guide the revolution in Russia and that they would put an end to the Russian involvement in the war, and end to land shortages, and an end to food shortages. When the government lost control of the people of Russia in 1917 the Bolsheviks overthrew the government by leading soldiers, sailors, and factory workers. Bolsheviks who were also called Communist changed the land for peasants and gave workers control to factories and mines. In 1918 Russia signed the treaty of Brest-Litovsk which was a costly agreement for Russia giving Germany a lot of land but took Russia out of fighting with Germany so Russia could modernize. Lenin’s Bolsheviks brought an uprising to nationalism in Russia but Lenin achieved his goal and executed the Czar. In 1921 after the Bolsheviks had taken over banks, mines, factories and railroads Lenin came up with the New Economic Policy. Under this plan the government could still control banks and large industry and foreign trade. This helped the economy recover. In 1922 Lenin and his Bolsheviks had taken over most of Russia. The communist government made the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics also called the Soviet Union which was made up of diverse amount of people but Russia controlled the states of the largest republic; Russia. Lenin left a long lasting legacy for Russia he brought so much change because he thought that only a revolution could bring the changes needed by Russia. |
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Review Questions:
1. What was Lenin's ultimate goal and motivations? Do you think Lenin achieved his goal?
2. Do you belive that Lenin's actions and id eas helped Russia or hurt it? Explain using specific examples and ideas.
3. Connect Stalins policys to those of Lenin.
1. What was Lenin's ultimate goal and motivations? Do you think Lenin achieved his goal?
2. Do you belive that Lenin's actions and id eas helped Russia or hurt it? Explain using specific examples and ideas.
3. Connect Stalins policys to those of Lenin.