Tsar's Russia & revolution, Hitler's rise to power revison notes.

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The Tsarist Regime

Very unpopular because:

  • Many thought it was an outdated leadership; he was an absolute ruler with no government.
  • The country was mostly peasants (75%) yet the noble class owned the country’s wealth.
  • Bad working conditions for workers in towns. Most peasants went into to towns and this caused crowding.
  • Russia had lost a war with Japan in 1905 – Tsar Nicolas started the war to gain support again but he lost which made Russia look weak
  • Mirs – were local councils which interfered with peasant affairs and could decide whether a peasant was allowed to buy land or not.
  • It seemed to be influenced by a holy man called Rasputin

The Tsar set up a government because of all the demos and protests – bloody Sunday was almost a full scale revolution.

Duma was the government that he set up. He dismissed it the first time because he thought they were demanding too much.

He set up another one and then he dismissed it again because he thought some SLDP members were terrorists and the Duma wouldn’t allow him to arrest them.

SLDP – Social Democratic Labour Party

Prime Minster Stolypin set up Kulaks (peasant bank) to help peasants buy land without having to use Mirs. Many resented those with access to Kulaks as they still had to use the less efficient Mirs.

The Tsar decided to join world war one. The loyalty and and patriotism grew because of this. However by the end it made everyone dislike him more because:

  • 1.7 million soldiers were dead; many though this was because they were badly equipped and badly led.
  • They had lost land to the Germans
  • Because of all the money going toward the war; it caused more starvation and inflation quadrupled.

The war speeded up the process of change. People had had enough.

Revolutions of 1917

Reasons for Revolutions:

  • Economic chaos, people were starving and women started protesting for food which led to riots
  • Trains were being used for military purposed instead of agriculture purposes
  • The war had caused 9 million deaths and many blamed the Tsar because he was leading the army
  • The troops turned against the Tsar orders and joined the rioters

The Petrograd soviet was set up to co-ordinate protests. The Duma realised that the government was failing so they set up a provisional government.

The provisional government forced the Tsar to leave the throne (abdicate)

First Revolution – women marched in Petrograd for peace and bread. They wanted the war to end and for Russia to focus on getting food for everybody.

Uprisings all over Russia, 250,000 on strike. Steel factories and armaments factories on strike. Cossacks (loyal soldiers) went against Tsar.

Tsar said he wanted to share power but 3 days later they forced him to abdicate.

The Bolsheviks and Lenin

A party that came out of the SLDP. They wanted to have a majority party and get as many people involved unlike the Mensheviks (minority)

Lenin was their leader. He was exiled by the Tsar but the Germans helped him get back in thinking he could cause another revolution.

He didn’t want to work with the provisional government and wanted another revolution.

He made an April thesis which said:

  • Peace – an end the to the “capitalist” war
  • Land – should be given to peasants
  • Bread – food should be given to those who need it
  • Nationalise banks
  • Revolution against the provisional government and power given to soviets – elected committee.

The provisional government had problems – inflation was up and they didn’t end the war.

Order No. 1 – order which stated that the army should disobey all orders from the provisional government and listen to Petrograd Soviet.

Lenin prepared for a revolution but when he tried to take on in July 1917 he failed and was forced to go into exile. The leader of the PG – Kerensky said that Lenin was a German agent.

Trotsky was leader of the Petrograd Soviet and set uyp the Red guards – a Bolshevik army.

More and more soldiers started disobeying the PG and peasants started attacking Kulaks and took land away from the church.

General Kornilov – the chief of the army wanted to take over.

Kerensky gave guns to Red Guards to save his own back but the coup never happened because Kornilov’s men abandoned him.

Bolsheviks now had power and Lenin encouraged them to take over.

October Revolution

The Bolshevik Central Comitee voted to seize the power from provisional government. The red guards attacked the winter palace and took over and arrested ministers. They also took over important stations and telephone exchanges.

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Lenin’s new government had many new decrees:

Decree on Land (540 Acres given to Peasants)
Decree on Peace (Intended to make peace)
Decree on Press (Banned newspapers)
Decree on Work (8 hour day, 48 hour week, holidays)
Decree on Unemployment Insurance (insurance to injured, ill + unemployed)

Decree on banking (all banks under Sovnarkom control)
Decree on Marriage (Allowed easier divorces + non-religious weddings)

Banned other parties and set up Political Police force (Cheka)

Elections were held and the Bolsheviks lost but Lenin was ruthless and wanted to keep power to he cheated and destroyed the socialists.

Treaty of ...

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