What led to the Rise of Communism?

Impact of WWI

Russians wanted Tsar to end the war

Russian soldiers unhappy, ill-equipped, food shortages, lack of pay.

Shortage of Food

What led to the Rise of Communism?

Socio-Political Reasons

Farmers wanted fairer distribution of land

People want a fairer government

Lenin

Vladimir Illich Ulyanov

•Lenin’s Older brother Alexander was a “revolutionary” that tried to organize an assassination attempt upon Alexander III.•Alexander caught and hanged for treason 8 May1887.

•Vladimir Illich Ulyanov goes to University but follows his brother’s footsteps by attending anti-Tsar rallies.

•After one protest demonstration he was arrested and taken to the local police station. One of the police officers asked: "Why are you rebelling, young man? After all, there is a wall in front of you." "The wall is tottering, you only have to push it for it to fall over.” (Response Ulyanov gave)

• St. Petersburg University expels Ulyanov but says: if you can pass the exams we’ll give you a degree, but you can’t come to classes. One year later Lenin takes the exams for the 4 year law courses and aces all! University has to give him a degree.

•Ulyanov continues to study Karl Marx’s ideas and protests Tsar’s government. Calls himself a “Marxist.”

•Tsar’s secret police exiles Ulyanov to Siberia (3 years). He is considered a dangerous radical to Tsar Nicolas’ government

Lenin’s was sure of himself, sarcastic, was not rigolo (a barrel of laughs), difficult to get along with. Lenin was organized and determined.

• Ulyanov continues to protest by publishing newspaper “Spark(“truth) from abroad and uses it as a propaganda tool. •Changes his name to Lenin. •Promotes the “Bolshevik” party and his idea of “Leninism”

•Bolshevik “majority” - party founded by Lenin, came to power as a result of the October phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and founded the USSR. They are professional revolutionaries who believed they were the vanguards (forefront) of the working class of Russia.

•Leninism is a political theory and practice of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary vanguard party. Developed by and named after Russian revolutionary and politician Vladimir Lenin . Leninism comprises political and socialist economic theories, developed from Marxism and Lenin's interpretations of Marxist theory within the agrarian Russian Empire of the early 20th century. Leninism reversed Marx’s order of economics over politics, allowing for a political revolution led by a vanguard party of professional revolutionaries (Bolsheviks) rather than a spontaneous uprising of the working class as predicted by Marx.

Tsar forced to abdicate and a Provisional Government is set up

•During the political turmoil of Nicholas’s abdication, German authorities offer to smuggle Lenin back to Russia.

•Even provide him with train ride from Switzerland!

Provisional Governmentestablished in the Winter Palace and led by Kerensky, and

contributed to the breakdown of its own authority

Failure of the Provisional Government

Choose to keep Russia in WWIChoose to keep Russia in WWI

No Land ReformsNo Land Reforms

Struggle for Power with Soviets

Struggle for Power with Soviets

Soviets = Groups of Russian workersSoviets = Groups of Russian workers

Russia continues to get defeated by Germany

Russia continues to get defeated by Germany

Government comprised of rich landowners

Government comprised of rich landowners

Lenin arrives and gives famous trains station speech where he promises 3 things….

Can you guess what are the 3 things that the Russian people want?

Result….

In conjunction with the Provisional Government, the Petrograd Soviet issued Order No. 1 directed at the Army to obey the Provisional Government as long as their orders did not conflict with Soviets. During this period of Dual power each was vying for power and as the Soviet was increasing in popularity and number, Lenin conspires with Trotsky and overpowers Kerensky’s Provisional Government.

Lenin assumes authority and delivers his promises:1) Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed at a great expense (The week before signing, the Germans had just captured:

•6,800 officers, •54,000 men, •2,400 guns, •5,000 machine-guns, •8,000 railway trucks, •8,000 locomotives, •128,000 rifles & •2 million rounds of ammo

2) Land confiscated from Church & Nobility, given to peasants.

3) Food redistribution4) Election (Bolsheviks lose, so they scrapped that)

http://cla.calpoly.edu/~lcall/outline.weekfive.htm

l

So…the people have their 3 wishes, the Tsar has given up and “Leninism” means everyone will share and everything will be perfect, right? Well,there’s still one major problem….any guesses?

What about the Tsar’s supporters? (want to return to old ways)Rich nobility? (want land back)Politicians (want power too)Allies (USA/England, etc….communism in Russia, then what?

Result…

CIVIL WAR!!!

Bolshevik Communists(Red Army)

Vs. Tsar supporters/Anti Communists(White Army)

Civil War

White Army• Imperial Army officers –

loyal to Tsar

• Cossacks – land owners who freely farmed in Southern Russia

• 40K Czechs

• Small contingents of Brits, US, Italy, Japan, France, Canada

RED ARMY• Factory workers

• Disaffected soldiers and sailors

CHEKAThe Extraordinary Commission for Fighting Counter Revolution and Sabotage (Cheka) was created immediately after the October Revolution, during the first days of Bolshevik government. The agency, established in December of 1917 Ostensible purpose of investigating counter-revolution and sabotage, soon began mass arrests, imprisonments, and executions of "enemies of the people", targeting "class enemies" such as the bourgeoisie, members of the clergy, and political opponents of the new regime. Cheka played a role in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion in 1921, and orchestrated the campaign of repression that came to be known as "Red Terror".

When Lenin was told the Soviets had abolished the death penalty he stated:“How can you make a revolution without executions?”

Romanov Family...• What to do with Nicholas, Alexandra

and children?

• Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, Alexei?

http://www.angelfire.com/biz5/romanovs/index.html

• In the beginning left alone.

• Eventually “house arrest”

• Then Lenin decides that they must be shot.• “How can we have a revolution without executions?”

• According to Trotsky:

The decision [to kill the imperial family] was not only expedient but necessary. The severity of this punishment showed everyone that we would continue to fight on mercilessly, stopping at nothing. The execution of the Tsar's family was needed not only in order to frighten, horrify, and instill a sense of hopelessness in the enemy but also to shake up our own ranks, to show that there was no turning back, that ahead lay either total victory or total doom. This Lenin sensed well.

ROMANOV FAMILY

Romanov family brought to a house in Ekatrinebourg, shoved into a cellar, then shot. After a number of roundswere fired into the family, a soldier bayoneted those remaining alive.

Bodies were reportedly burnedin acid, then thrown into a mine shaft

ROMANOV FAMILY

Repercussions of the Kornilov Affair• The Kornilov affair weakened Kerensky and provided

Lenin with the opportunity he had been waiting for. The incident had two important effects that hastened the downfall of the provisional government. First, it destroyed Kerensky’s credibility in the eyes of the military and made him look foolish and unstable to the rest of the country. Second, it strengthened the Bolsheviks, who used the incident very effectively to boost their own platform. It also gave the Bolsheviks an opportunity to greatly increase their store of weapons when the panicked Kerensky asked them to come to his aid. Altogether, the affair finally set the stage for the Bolsheviks to make a real attempt at revolution that autumn.

Bolshevik Communists(Red Army)

Vs. Tsar supporters/Anti Communists(White Army)

New struggling gov’t Noble support, Allied resources, etc..

Who’s going to win…

RED ARMY!!Why?Trotsky’s organizational skills (He’s a military genius)

By 1920 Civil war is over, Red Army has won, but at severecosts to Russia.Stalin promoted to General Secretary by LeninDrastic measures must be taken, including “War communism”/NEPNew Economic Policy (Mixed Economy):Peasants allowed to make profit by selling extra goods. Legalized private trade, small scale private manufacturing, sounds like?Change name of country to Union of Soviet Socialist Republics U.S.S.R

Finally, things starting to settle down when guess what happens?...

Lenin dies

• Now what????http://www.aha.ru/~mausoleu/lenin_mausoleum_images/lenin_in_tomb.jpg

Trotsky vs. Stalin

Trotsky

• Military genius/intellectual

• Organized revolution for Lenin

• Worried about communism beginning in Russia first

• (Supposed to happen in industrialized countries)

• Goal--> provide $, support, etc. to get small colonies of industrialized countries to revolt .

• Eventually lead to worldwide “permanent revolution”

• Communist “Idealist”

http://ww

w.socialistview

point.org/may_02/trotsky.jpg

Stalin

• Hardliner/Propagandist

• Political organizer/connections• Believed U.S.S.R. should become strong and powerful as a symbol

to rest of world of communist success. • Goal--> U.S.S.R. become so powerful that other countries

around the world will want to emulate USSR and become communist also (once USSR is so, they can help these countries).

• Communist “Realist”

http://web.elsatnet.cz/panek/w

eb/obr/photos2/stalin.jpg

Even though Trotsky’s intellectually smarter anda military genius, Stalin uses his political connectionsto assume power and convinces others that Trotskyhas the ability to become a “Soviet Bonaparte”and eventually has Trotsky exiled from the country.

So, Stalin becomes the next leader of the USSR...