the russian revolution pt ii lecture from lenin to stalin lecture notes
TRANSCRIPT
The Russian Civil War• After Lenin seized control of Russia in October
1918, the country fell into a 3 year Civil War – White Army –loyalists to the Czar– Red Army –Communists workers and soldiers
• In the onslaught of the Red Army, Kerensky helped Nicholas II and his family to escape the Red Terror
• The Red Army soon found them in a basement and executed Nicholas and his entire family
The Russian Civil• The war claimed 15 million Russian lives during
the fighting
• Most of the Russian economy had been completely destroyed ie factories, bridges, roads, and farms
• In the end, the Lenin and the Bolsheviks had beaten back the Whites and formally declared Russia a Communist State
Russia after the Revolution • A new Constitution for a "democratic"
socialist country with an Elected Legislature and all citizens had the right to vote
• United all Russian Republics under one Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic
• In reality the Communist party remained supreme, used secret police and held most of the power
Lenin's Policies• Lenin needed to rebuild the economy and
industry after the Civil War
• Created New Economic Plan (NEP)
• Small business could remain in private ownership for profit; some capitalism
• The state controlled banks, trade and large industries
• The Russian Economy slowly gained strength again
The Death of Lenin
• The years of revolution and civil war had severe effects on Lenin’s health
• After 2 strokes and an assassination attempt, Lenin resigned from active politics in 1922.
• In March 1923, he suffered a 3rd stroke and was no longer able to speak
• He died in January 1924 at the age of 53
Stalin's Rise to Power• Lenin preferred Leon Trotsky as a successor
• Lenin believed Stalin was too powerful and not tolerant enough
• Trotsky was a scholar and leader of the Communist Revolution
• Stalin was a politician in the Communist party that had amassed great power through organizing his loyal group of followers.
Stalin's Rise to Power• Stalin was from the peasant class so he had a
lot of support from the Russian people.
• Stalin pressured Trotsky out of the Communist Party
• Trotsky left the USSR in 1929 and fled to Mexico
• He was murdered by a secret agent of Stalin's
Stalin’s Plan• Soviet citizens would work not for the individual for the
overall good of the working class
• He called the economic plan the FIVE-YEAR PLAN. – The government decided the quantity, and price of all products such as
tanks, airplanes and tractors.
• All private industry is state owned.
• He called for construction of massive industrial centers to support military buildup and a strong economy.
• Peasants had to give up their small plots of land for state-owned farms- Collectivation
Totalitarianism in Russia
• Stalin had brought the Soviet Union into a complete totalitarian state
• Russians lost their freedoms, could not earn a better life, and lived in fear of the government
• Stalinist Russia set the stage for other Totalitarians to rise up and establish complete control over their countries and their people