Title: The Russian Revolution and the birth of the Soviet Union
1The Russian Revolution and the birth of the
Soviet Union
- Totalitarian Government in the Soviet Union
2Totalitarian government is the exact opposite of
liberal democracy
- Suppress individual liberties
- Abolish all competing political parties
- Eliminate or regulate private property
- Use the bureaucracy and technology to impose its
ideology and enforce its commands
3-the ultimate goal of a totalitarian state is
- Total control of the individual- what is
believed, what values are held - There are no private moral judgements, no
individual thought, no individual conscience - People have no natural rights, they are
building blocks for a new social order...
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6- Czar Nicholas II - Autocracy, Orthodoxy
and Nationalism - Unlike his predecessors, he was weak, incompetent
and suspected of being under the influence of his
German-born wife Alexandra, and a half-crazed
monk named Grigori Rasputin.
7- There were two revolutions in 1917
- The February (March-western calendar)
- The October (November)
8The November 6th Revolution
- The second revolution was instigated and inspired
by a radical socialist party then known as the
Bolsheviks. Its leader was Vladimir Lenin.
9Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
- 1870-1924
- Third of five children to a respectable middle
class family
10Alexander Ulyanov idolized by his younger
brother
- Implicated in an attempted conspiracy to kill
Czar Alexander III, he was executed.
11- Vladimir was arrested and exiled to Siberia in
1887 for participating in anti-government
demonstrations
12- In 1890, Lenin was given permission to enter the
law school at St. Petersburg. - By 1897, exiled again for his anti-government
speeches and pamphlets - In 1900 exiled to Switzerland
13Vladimir Ulyanov became a folk legend
- All Soviet books called Lenin a genius and the
greatest thinker who ever lived.
14World War One The Battle of Tannenberg, 1914
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16- In 1915, Czar Nicholas decided to go and direct
the war from the front lines - Czarina allowed a crazed monk named Rasputin to
run the homefront
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19Demonstrators gathering in front of the Winter
Palace in Petrograd, just prior to the Russian
Revolution, January 1917.
20Economic Causes
- Illiterate and oppressed peasant majority
- Striking workers shut down industries
- Inefficient transportation system
- Food and fuel shortages
21Social Causes
- Extreme differences in classes
- Peasants desire for land
- Deprivations resulting from the war
22Political Causes
- Autocracy - weak and ineffectual ruler
- Spread of Marxist ideas
- Charismatic leaders such as Lenin and Trotsky
- Enormous losses in The Great War
23- Abdication March, 1917
- Nicholas Romanov became a private citizen
24- The provisional government the Kerensky
Government because its primary figure was
Alexander Kerensky made a fatal mistake it
remained in the war.
25- Lenin (living in Switzerland) was secretly aided
by the German govt to return to Russia
26Upon returning to Russia, Lenin promised Peace,
Bread and Land and All Power to the Soviets.
27- Lenin.
- October. Power to Soviets.
Land to Peasants. Factories to Workers. Peace to
all Nations.
28Leon Trotsky- architect of the October (November)
Revolution
- Seized the headquarters of the Provisional
Government as well as key govt buildings,
railway stations, telephone exchanges, electric
generating plants - Next morning, all soviets approved the takeovers.
29The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 1918
- Lenin gave up 1/3 of the population, 3/4 of
Russias iron resources and 9/10 of its coal
supply plus a huge indemnity to Germany - The Bolsheviks accepted Germanys harsh
conditions in order to focus on securing
powerthe real revolution was yet to come. - News of the treaty contributed to a civil war
the Reds vs the Whites - which lasted until 1921.
30- Czar Nicholas II and his family were first exiled
to Siberia but later, in July of 1918 were killed
31The Bolsheviks didnt cause a revolution, they
captured it.
32- Lenin suffered a stroke and paralysis in 1922
- his health slowly deteriorated until his death in
1924
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34Iosef Vissarionovich Dzhugashavili1879-1953
- Stalin transformed the Russian Empire into the
Soviet Union from a poor, undeveloped
agricultural country into one of the worlds
industrial and military giants.
35- Stalins early years
- 1888-1894 attended local church school
36- Tiflis Theological Seminary
37Stalin arrest records
38As a revolutionary, Stalin .
- helped organize workers strikes
- set up a secret press to spread Marxist
ideasdistributed illegal pamphlets - participated in train and bank robberies
- by 1912, was a member of the inner circle of the
Bolshevik party.
39- Lenin and Stalin in Finland
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41Stalins second death strategy
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43- 1927 expelled from the Communist party
- 1928 exiled to Siberia
- 1929 deported to Turkey/Mexico
- 1940 murdered
44 Planned Economy or Command Economy
45Stalins Industrial policies
- Initiated five year plans to promote the
production of heavy machinery - Focused on building steel mills, cement plants
and oil refineries. - Limited production of consumer goods like
clothing and cosmetics.
46Stalins Agricultural policies
- Eliminated wealthy, land-owning kulaks
- Initiated Collectivization- large government
farms called collectives replaced private
plots.
47Stalins Political policies- Dictatorship of the
Communist Party
- Created a secret police with unlimited power to
crush dissenters critical of Soviet life - Strictly controlled the minority nationalities
- Used show trials to eliminate and intimidate
all potential rivals - Used art literature to glorify himself and the
Communist State
48Stalins Social/Cultural policiesThe Cult of
personality
- Mandated expanded education at all levels
- Promoted educational opportunities for women
- Censored all forms of creative thinking and
expression - Replaced religious teachings with Communist ideals
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67- THE END. any questions my comrades?
68Any Questions?The End