Russia and world war one
- Army badly equipped
- Russian people were starving
- March 1917- revolution and Tsarism ends
Provisional Government failed
- It was weak politically. It was not elected and was made up of different parties
- It was challenged by the Petrograd soviet
- It was unpopular because it refused to hand over land to the peasants
- It continued the war and was blamed for defeats of the Russian army.
- It failed to solve food shortages and other economic problems.
- The Bolsheviks offered alternative polices which were more popular.
Bolshevik revolution
- Planned the Bolsheviks to strike at the same time as the all-Russian congress of soviets was meeting in Petrograd.
- Seize important buildings and bridges in Petrograd.
- Red guards took over the capital: seized the telephone exchange, telegraph agency, state bank and bridges over the river
- Although Lenin was in charge Trotsky did most of the planning
- Seized 2 major cities –Petrograd and Moscow
- Guards took the winter palace that same night
- Lenin set up a new government called “the council of the people’s commissars.
Communist believed that everyone is equal. All wealth and property should be divided equally amongst everyone. Communism would be achieved through a violent revolution- the working class (proletariat) would over throw the middle class (bourgeoisie) and aristocracy. All land property and industry would be taken over and shared equally.
Stalin’s early life
- Extreme poverty to absolute power
- Georgian- Georgia- southern Russia
- Land of tribalism and blood feuds
- 3children had died in infancy
- beaten by his father – left elbow seriously injured aged 7
- father was a drunk
- mother wants him to be a priest very intelligent reading writing by 4-5
- Seminary- learning about other theories. Reads Marx and his communist views
- Turned away from the priesthood for a higher call communism.
Role in communism
- Sees his mission/role as spreading communism views
- Organizes protests and demonstrations and rallies
- Sentenced to 3 years in exile in Siberia.
- 1905 bloody Sunday happens in October
- “My wonderful Georgian” organized bank robberies etc.
- accused of being a double/secret agent
- 1913-1917 in exile beyond the artic circle
- Pravda editor- went against Lenin- just out of exile
Russia 1917-1924
March 1917-Tsarism collapses and provisional government take over
October – November 1917
- Bolshevik revolution led by Lenin and Trotsky who leaves Mensheviks to join Bolsheviks.
- Small scale revolution although later Bolsheviks propaganda portrays it as a revolution of the people.
- New Bolshevik government set up. Lenin becomes leader
- Pull out of world war one.
- Seize land owned by tsar, rich landlords and the church and hand it over to the peasants making Bolshevik popular.
First steps towards a communist dictatorship
- Bolshevik party rename themselves the communist party.
- Provisional government had promised a constituent assembly, a permanent parliament so communist parties hold elections. However they fail to win a majority, gaining only 175 seats while the social revolutionaries win 370.
- Lenin shuts the assembly down.
- This was the first step towards setting up a communist dictatorship. Lenin intended to create a communist dictatorship which held as much power as the tsar.
- He also set up Cheka a secret police force. Anyone suspected of being anti-communist was arrested, tortured and could be shot without trial.
- An assassination attempt on Lenin failed and as a result 50 000 opponents of communism were arrested and executed.
1918-1921 Russian Civil War
- Lenin’s enemies began to organize themselves and became known as the “white” whilst the communists were known as the “Reds”. They included landowners, religious groups, and royalists.
- Also foreign intervention from countries alarmed by the Revolution, fearing the communists planned to spread Revolution throughout the world. These countries include Britain, France, USA and Japan all of which sent arms and men to help the Whites.
- Whites were eventually defeated. They were weak, not united, lacked one leader and very brutal.
War communism
- To make sure the Red army had enough supplies and food during the civil war, Lenin extended state control over the economy.
- He called this war communism. The state took control over the factories and seized surplus grain from the peasants – many peasants resisted, hiding the grain and then preferred to grow less rather than just give it away free.
- The results were that grain production fell and then a drought in 1921 led to famine. More than 4million Russian starved to death.
New Economic Policy (NEP)
- State control of the economic imposed by war communism was relaxed. Smaller industries and factories returned to private ownership.
- Production was then sold on the open market for profit (capitalist).
- Grain was no longer seized from the peasants. Instead they had to give a fixed amount to the government in tax, keeping any surplus which could be sold on the open market at a profit.
- Important industries such as coal, steel, railways and the banks remained under state control.
- Lenin thought the NEP would increase industrial production and farm output.
- However there was some opposition from within communist party who saw it as going against communist principles
- Generally the NEP was a success. Factories and peasants responded by increasing their production of industrial goods and grain.
- NEP was marked by seven years of relative prosperity compared to the previous seven years of world and civil war.
- However the NEP did create problems. Some peasants – the Kulaks- became rich at the expense of others.
- Traders and businessmen in towns called Nepmen made huge profits by buying goods and food cheaply and selling them at much higher prices
- To many this was a betrayal of communism and a return to the old system.
The creation of the USSR
- By the end of the civil war in 1921 the communists controlled most old the Tsar’s former empire.
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As they captured areas they were turned into socialist republic. By 1923 these socialist republics had come together as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
- In theory the new state was a democracy with parliaments elected by the people.
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In practice the communist party was the only party so the USSR was run by a dictatorship of the communist party.
Lenin died in 1924. He had made sure the communist party kept control of the country. He had achieved this partly by introducing popular policies but mainly by force and terror.
How Stalin outmaneuvered Trotsky.
Stalin was clever:
- Believed in “socialism in one country” which was popular with the people because it involved them doing something about there own future.
- Being general secretary of the communist party
- Could remove opponents and replace them with his supporters
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Told Trotsky the funeral was on the 26th so he couldn’t make in back but he could have been back for the actual funeral 27th.
- Trotsky didn’t appear at the funeral whereas Stalin appeared as chief mourner and Lenin’s closest friend
- Associated himself with Lenin wherever possible
- Didn’t want war or revolution all over the world
- Stalin seemed to be the man who understood the Russian people thoughts and feelings
- Testimony was stopped from being read at Lenin’s funeral as it criticized him and what he was all about.
Trotsky made mistakes
- Was arrogant
- Offended other senior party members
- Failed to take Stalin’s/opponents seriously
- Made little effort to build up any support in the ranks of the party
- Frightened people of USSR by wanting to spread permanent revolution throughout the world
- Scared incase they were involved in new wars and conflicts.
Stalin was lucky
- Trotsky was unfortunate in falling ill late in 1923 with malaria-like-infection just when Lenin was dying, and Trotsky needed to be at his most active.
“Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary General, has unlimited authority in his hands and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of using that authority with sufficient caution.
Comrade Trotsky, on the other hand, is distinguished not only by his outstanding ability. He is personally probably the most capable man in the present central committee but he has displayed excessive self-assurance and preoccupation with the purely administrative side of the work”
Triumvirate: when any three people share power.
Duumvirate: when any two people share power.
1924- Lenin’s funeral.
Stalin appears Lenin’s chief mourner.
Stalin forms a triumvirate with other leading politburo members.
Zinovier and Kamenev, there three worked to cut of there opposition Trotsky and Bukharin because between them they controlled important posts in the party.
1925- Trotsky is sacked as Commissar of War Stalin introduces to Russia his idea of
“Socialism in one country” Stalin is free of his biggest rival.
1926- Stalin turns against Zinovier and Kamenev and allies with Bukharin in a
Duumvirate.
1927- Zinovier, Kamenev and Trotsky are expelled from the communist party.
1928- Trotsky is exiled to Siberia. Stalin turns against Bukharin.
1929- Trotsky is expelled from Russia and Bukharin expelled from the country
Stalin is leader of the communist Party. Removed all opposition and gathered support.
Why did Stalin’s idea of “socialism in one country” become the accepted way forward by the Russian rather than Trotsky’s idea of World revolution?
- More appealing to the people
- Involved people doing something about their own future
- It enabled Stalin to get rid of Trotsky
- Gain support of politburo members and the Russian people
- Russian had just had world war one, revolution, civil war and another revolution un-prepared to fight more.
Stalin’s Economic Policies
Why did Russia need to be modernized?
Industrialization- wants to be war ready
Stop risk of invasion
Very backwards way of farming (traditional)
Mainly a farming country
Some industrialization has taken place but not much
Wants Russia to be a strong industrialization
- Stalin make Russia industrially strong than spreading communism revolution around the world
- Trotsky assassinated in 1940
- 1929 started to enforce his polices to modernize Russia
- NEP is capitalist not communism
- 1921 Russia’s economy was run under NEP
- Allowed private ownership. But Stalin wanted complete government control over what being produced
- Introduced a series of 5 year plans- have to do this, this and this by then then and then targets to be met.
- Lay down production plans- make so much in 5 years – Gosplan- state planning agency laid down production targets for a 5 year target.
- Each individual had a target if not the person would be punished –beaten, financially
- Terrorized people into doing what Stalin wants.
Collectivization a communist method of farming where all resources are pooled and farms combined and all the labor is shared evenly.
The farming was run under the NEP- some farmers had done well kulaks.
- Simple and primitive
- Mass production in farming as well as industry
- Fierce resistance through Russia
- 1930 -89million tones of grain
1934 – 69million tones of grain (agree or starve)
- Had peasants exiled and killing 13million in total. To ensure power and terror
How did his economic polices strengthen his position of dictator?
He told people/industry how much to make and when for – 5year plan- and he enforced them because of terror he had 13million killed.
How did propaganda and the “cult of Stalin” strengthen Stalin’s position?
Propaganda- is where certain media is used to misinform and influence people and what they thing about certain things.
Cult of personality
Hero worshiped of the leader of the country. Propaganda used to make people aware that Stalin was playing a part in every aspect in there lives. Message Stalin was looking after the people. (History was re-written to show Stalin as Lenin’s most trusted adviser. Trotsky completely removed)