Russian RevolutionCauses Consequences

• Military defeat▫ Losing battles in WWI

• Weak Economy▫ Economic strains from WWI▫ Many men joined the armies leaving

farms unattended causing food shortages (famine)

• Social Unrest ▫ Workers rebelled due to poor

working conditions and they wanted higher pay

• March 1917- Food riots and strikes broke out in St. Petersburg-caused by wartime misery

• Bad Leadership▫ Government was corrupt and

oppressive▫ Tsar refused to initiate reforms

• Ends tsarist rule in Russia• Withdrawal of Russia from

World War I• Creates the first Communist

state▫ Formation of Soviet Union▫ Russia eventually evolves

into a world power• Industrial growth and

organization of economy on five-year plans▫ Lenin redistributes land

• Moscow = New capital of Russia

• Comintern (International office of communism) developed

• Leon Trotsky Red Army • used lower classes and peasants to build a successful army loyal to the government

• Lenin New Economic Policy • promised some freedom to small business and landowners • Food production began to increase and regime was able to prepare durable

structure

• A new constitution set up a system of socialist republics• U.S.S.R.- The federal system of socialist republics established in 1923

in various ethnic regions of Russia and was dissolved in 1991• Controlled by CommunistsHad mixed impacts-- it preserved ethnic Russians

but did little to impact minority groups like Jews• Supreme Soviet developed which acted as a parliament but was controlled

by communists • Comintern-Encourages the formation of communist parties elsewhere

• Overall: Communists take over with authoritarian rule and make it more efficient than the last form of government, even enforced a political police

Russian Stabilization

• Vladimir Lenin- founder of the Bolsheviks and leader of the Russian Revolutiono First head of the U.S.S.Ro War Problem: Solved this by signing treaty with Germany that ended

hostilities and gave up parts of Western Russia- known as Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

o Supported his New Economic Policy (combined capitalism with socialism), redistributed land, and nationalized banks and industry

• Joseph Stalin- Successor to Lenin led through WWIIo Fought for position by crushing his opponentso Strong nationalist view of communism (less focus on International

Communism)o Represented the anti-Western strain on Russian traditiono Established a Five Year Plan to replace the New Economic Policyo Pushed agricultural collectivizationo Furthered Cold War with the U.S.

Key Players