Russia from Czar to Communism

Tsar Nicholas II – ruler of Russia in 1905 1924: Lenin dies and is mourned. 1914: Russia joins World War 1 and does very badly 1918 onwards: The communists change Russia. For example, some Russians get electricity for the first time.

1918 – 1921: There is a war between those who don’t want the Communists to be in power and those who don’t (the Russian Civil War). Soldiers in the war treat the peasants badly.

Poor Russian peasants in 1905 Jan 1905: The Tsar orders his troops to shoot those who are protesting against him. This causes a revolution 1926: Stalin comes to power. Huge statues of him are put up, leading his people to victory!

November 1917: The Communists come to power. Statues of their leader, Lenin, are put up. March 1917: There is a revolution against the Tsar and he flees

1900

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The Tsar had absolute and divine rule

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Autocracy

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Censorship

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Secret Police

1905  Sailors Mutinied  The Russo-Japanese War  Economic Depression  Bloody Sunday  The 1905 ‘Attempted Revolution’

The Causes of the 1905 ‘Nearly Revolution’

Government policies to develop Industry Poor Working Conditions Peasants were dissatisfied with their living conditions The economic slump Tsar Nicholas II never visited the factories or farms Poor harvests Causes of the 1905 Revolution Bloody Sunday Redemption payments losing the war against Japan food shortages Middle Class The governments violent and oppressive policies

Law and Order

  The Secret Police (Okhrana) remained very active.

All Russians had to carry internal passports and register with the police if they travelled away from home.  Although freedom of speech and the press had been granted in 1905, newspapers were heavily fined for printing articles which upset the government and were sometimes censored.

censorship

1914 

World War I begins

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Increased Nationalism

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But like the Crimean and Russo-Japanese war resources are depleted

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At two battles in 1914, Russia lost two entire armies (over 250,000 men)

1915 • •

Many soldiers had no rifles and no ammunition Casualties reached 2 million

• • • • 1916 The Tsar Nicholas II took command of the army at the front Tsarina Alexandra was left in charge of Russia. She turned to Rasputin for advice.

There were mutinies at the Front In the large cities there were shortages of food

1917

NEWSFLASH

 Riots break out in Petrograd and soldiers refuse to fire  The Tsar abdicates his power  The Dumas sets up a Provisional Government  A large group of workers and soldiers make up soviets

The time is right!

The Provisional Government (P.G.) are unpopular because they shoot peasants who take land by force. Crime is rocketing: the P.G. don’t seem to be in control ! Winter is coming … The Bolsheviks are very popular in the Petrograd Soviet, and have lots of support!

Lenin returns to Russia

The Bolsheviks take over Petrograd!

7 th November 1917. Trotsky, a leading Bolshevik, organises the Red Guard so they take control of: •The train stations and bridges •The main telegraph office •Other key buildings in Petrograd !

Kerensky fled and the Bolsheviks have taken the city!

Lenin’s ideas are: “Peace, Bread and Land!” and “All Power to the Soviets” So he wants: *An end to the War and signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918 *Land given to the peasants *Soviets should take power - “No co-operation with the Provisional government!”

And Leaves a Legacy •1919 Lenin creates the Cheka (secret police) to control the Russian people •Communists adopt plan – “war on communism” •Factories, banks, mines, and Railroads are under their control •Peasants and farmers must feed the Red Army •Policy almost destroys Russia: factory output down, and peasants stop producing

Bolshevik regiments marching to Smolnyi (1918)

under banners emblazoned with All Power to the Soviets, Long Live the Revolution. Source: Albert Rhys Williams, Through the Russian Revolution. New York: Boni and Liveright, 1921.

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1918-1921 Civil war breaks out between the: Bolsheviks ( Red Army ) And Everyone else/imperial officers ( White Army ), Democrats, Mensheviks, Nationalists from other countries, and Allies

Photograph used with the kind permission of the David King Collection, London The famine affected both the countryside and the cities. There were reports of cannibalism in some districts. This was written 1922 "Sometimes mothers and fathers feed their children human meat as a last resort. Sometimes a starving family eats the body of one of its junior members. Sometimes parents at night seize part of a body from a cemetery and feed it to their children”.

What does this tell you about the conditions in Russia at this time ?

•Stopped the Practice of requisitioning food •Peasants now had to supply amount of what they grew to the government •Any extra they were allowed to keep or even sell for profit!

Lenin’s answer To the Problem: The New Economic Policy

•Small factories (those employing less than 20 workers) were privatised.

New Rouble was introduced to end inflation.

Programme of electrification continued and extended to rural areas.

•However, all important industries, such as coal and steel remained nationalised

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Russia was improving and then…….

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Lenin dies in 1924

On January 21, 1924 Lenin died. Millions of people were overcome with sorrow... On the morning of January 27 his remains were brought to Red Square, where an endless mass of people streamed past the coffin. The working people of the entire world also paid their last tribute. Factory workers in many countries stopped work for five minutes in homage ...For the first time in the history of mankind the death of one man moved hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. Everyone had heard the name of Lenin…

From a Soviet Textbook published in 1976

Joseph Stalin

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Takes control of Communist Party

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Wants to increase power of the USSR

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Stalin controls entire society

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Uses secret police, propaganda, and terror to achieve order.

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Thousands are arrested, jailed, killed or exiled for their differing view points. 1934 - The Great Purge

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Churches were destroyed and leaders killed or exiled.

1928-1939 Five Year Plan  Make the economy fully industrialized  High production goals for transportation, oil, coal, and steel  USSR created a command economy = gov’t made all decisions  All resources devoted to the effort  Russia became a powerful country  But the people lacked food, housing, and clothing for many years      Agriculture The government took control of all farms ending the NEP Created large government farms = Collectivization Citizens could keep personal items but everything else belong to the collective.

When peasants resisted millions were killed Agricultural out put rose

Union Soviet Socialist Republics (1922)