User:Atcovi/History/Reading Summary: Revolutions in Russia

SETTING THE STAGE: The Russian Revolution was like a firecracker with a very long fuse. The explosion came in 1917, yet the fuse had been burning for nearly a century. The cruel, oppressive rule of most 19th-century czars caused widespread social unrest for decades. Army officers revolted in 1825. Secret revolutionary groups plotted to overthrow the government. In 1881, revolutionaries angry over the slow pace of political change assassinated the reform-minded czar, Alexander II. Russia was heading toward a full-scale revolution.

Summarize the text in your own words. Be very detailed and highlight important events, groups, ideas and people.

Czars Resist Change

 * Alexander III succeeds his father, Alexander II, in 1881.
 * Alexander III practices autocracy like his grandfather, Nicholas I, a form a government in which the ruler has total power.
 * Anyone who questioned the government, practiced another religion other than Orthodox Christianity, or spoke another language was labeled "dangerous".
 * To crush revolutionaries, Alexander III posed these measures:
 * 1) Strict censorship
 * 2) Secret police
 * 3) Teachers sent reports about students.
 * 4) Political prisoners were sent to Siberia.
 * 5) Jews were the target of discrimination.

Russia Industrializes
Because Russia was behind the rest of western Europe in terms of industry, Nicholas I campaigned to move the country "forward". A "program" to achieve this was launched by his most capable minister:
 * Factories doubled from 1863-1900.
 * 1) Government sought foreign investors and raised taxes for Russian industries. This step proved to be a success when the Russians became the 4th ranked producer of steel in the world.
 * 2) The Trans-Siberian Railway began in 1891 and was completed in 1916. The railway connected European Russia with Russian ports on the Pacific Ocean.

Revolutionary Movement Grows
The growth of factories brought in problems dealing with the working conditions, the wages and child labor. To protest these problems, Russian workers held up politically organized strikes against the government.

Marxists
As a result of the strikes, many groups were established. Marxists became successful in creating a following in Russia. These Marxists believed that the industrial workers would be able to overthrow the czar. After overthrowing the government, they would rule by the proletariats, the workers. Eventually, these Marxists split up into two groups: The leader of the Bolsheviks was a man named Vladimir Illyich, commonly known as Lenin. As an excellent organizer and ruthless individual, he managed to cause a stir in Russia. Eventually, Russia became too dangerous as the czar regime tried to hunt him down and he eventually fled to western Europe. There, in western Europe, he managed to keep in contact with other Bolsheviks--and there, he waited for a time when he could safely return to Russia
 * 1) Mensheviks
 * 2) *Moderate group: Wanted a general base of support for the revolution.
 * 3) Bolsheviks
 * 4) *Radical group: Wanted a small number of dedicated revolutionaries willing to sacrifice everything for a change.

Crises at Home and Abroad
Not only was a revolution a recognizable thought, but the Russian government had to deal with wars/conflicts outside of home, including the Russo-Japanese War. In the late 1800s, Russia and Japan competed for control over Korea and Manchuria. As a consequence of Russia breaking a series of agreements over Korea and Manchuria, the Japanese attacked the Russians in Manchuria in February of 1904. Russia was no match for the Japanese and a series of losses brought more urges to revolt back at home. On January the 22, 1905, about 200k workers and their families arrived at the czar's Winter Palace in St Petersburg, petitioning for better working conditions. As a result of their continue protest, Nicholas II's generals' soldiers fired into the crowd, killing hundreds of citizens. This day is known as "Bloody Sunday". In retaliation, violence against the government erupted across Russia. As a result, Nicholas II created the Duma, Russia's first parliament. Although seemingly a success, Nicholas II got rid of the Duma after a few months of hustling and bustling over sharing his power.
 * Russo-Japanese War
 * Government causes more urges

Russia eventually, by Nicholas II, get dragged into WWI. This was a costly mistake for Russia, as Russia was not prepared for this war by any stretch of the imagination. Russia had weak generals and poorly trained troops who fell to the destruction campaign of the Germans. Around 4 million Russian soldiers were either killed, wounded or taken as prisoners.

In 1915, in order to combat this, the czar moved his headquarters to the war front in hopes of encouraging his soldiers to victory. While he was at the war front, his wife was back "at home", taking care of the government. Eventually, her weak-minded wife fell into the rule of Rasputin, a person that claimed he had the ability to heal people.

Rasputin calmed Nicholas II's wife's son, so as an act of gratitude from his wife, she allowed Rasputin to make key political moves. Rasputin opposed reform movements and managed to get his friends to political status. Eventually, Rasputin is killed by nobles [of the government] in 1916, fearing his role in government affairs. Meanwhile, the Russians continue to fall under Germany in WWI.

The March Revolution
In March 1917, female textile workers went to Petrograd to riot about the shortages of bread and fuel. Protesters also protested phrases like "Down with aristocracy". Initially, the soldiers obeyed orders to shoot rioters, but soon, they started to agree with them.

The March Revolution eventually forced Nicholas II and his family out of power--a year later, they were murdered. After Nicholas II is forced out, the leaders of the Duma established a temporary government--led by Alexander Kerensky.

A poor leader, he led an unprepared Russia into WWI. His popularity among the citizens of Russia diminished--soviets, or people who were local councils whose occupations usually were dealing with labors (workers, peasants, etc.).

The tactical Germans, believing that he was going to hurt Russia's offense against the Germans, decided to ship Lenin back to Russia. He returned to Russia in April 1917. There, he started a revolution.

The Bolshevik Revolution
Composed of: ...but all wanted to defeat the Bolsheviks.
 * Lenin proved to be a successful German's tool and he and the Bolsheviks eventually took over the Russian government.
 * November 1917 - Armed factory workers, self-proclaimed "Bolshevik Red Guards", invaded the White Palace in Petrograd and managed to totally topple the Russian government. After gaining power, Lenin and the Bolsheviks ordered that all the farmland in Russia be distributed among the peasants and the factories to be ruled by the workers. Lenin also managed to get into peaceful terms with the Russians through the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918. Although now out of the war, civil unrest started to flare up due to the "embarrassing" conditions of the treaty.
 * White Army
 * 1) Supported the return of the czar.
 * 2) Others that wanted a democratic government.
 * 3) Socialists who opposed Lenin's style of socialism.

Leon Trotsky expertly commanded the Bolsheviks and prevented the White Army of domination.

The civil war that spawned from this left Russia in complete destruction, with several dead, famine and a worldwide flu epidemic. The Russian Revolution sought to destroy existing social and political practices, and ended up with a state-controlled society.

Lenin Restores Order

 * March 1921 - Lenin puts off the idea of a state-controlled society with the NEP, New Economic Policy. Reforms:
 * Peasants to sell their crops instead of gov't.
 * Gov't allowed private ownership of some small factories, businesses and farms.
 * Foreign investment.

Due to the NEP and the peace after the civil war, Russia started to improve. In order to tackle nationalism (which was seen as a threat to Russia's peace), these precautions were taken: Russia was renamed to the "USSR" in 1922 in honor of the councils that sparked the Bolshevik revolution. The Bolsheviks were also renamed to the Communist Party after Karl Max's writings. Karl Max used the term, communism, to describe the classless society that would exist after the worker's rise to power.
 * Tackling nationalism
 * Lenin organized Russia into several independent-governing republics under a general gov't.
 * USSR and Communist Party

The problem with Lenin is that he made the USSR a dictatorship of the Communist Party, and not the workers--like Karl Max promoted.

Stalin Becomes Dictator
After Lenin suffered a stroke, competitions for the czar position was set up. Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin, "Stalin" meaning a man of steel in Russian, were up for the job. Stalin was a very hard and stiff man.
 * 1922-1927 - Stalin worked very hard to become the ruler of the USSR. Stalin, in 1922, worked as a general secretary for the party, in which he started to put his supporters in the powerful positions in government.
 * 1928 - Stalin becomes the dictator.
 * 1929 - Trotsky is exiled.

Questions
Answer the following questions in complete sentences (7 is a paragraph): 1.	How did World War I help to bring about the Russian Revolution? 2.	What groups made up the Red Army and the White Army? 3.	Why did the Bolsheviks rename their party the Communist Party? 4.	How did the czar’s autocratic policies toward the people lead to social unrest? 5.	What do you think were Czar Nicholas II’s worst errors in judgment during his rule? 6.	Which of the events during the last phase of czarist rule do you think was most responsible for the fall of the czar? 7.	Write a paragraph analysis of Lenin’s leadership in the success of the Bolshevik Revolution.
 * WWI managed to help bring about the Russian Revolution when Germany, who was fighting Russia in WWI, sent Lenin to Petrograd in 1917. Lenin caused a stir in Russia--and thus the revolution.
 * The groups that make up the Red Army are Lenin's supporters [for the Red Army] and Nicholas II's supporters, Democrats, and socialists that disagreed with Lenin [for the White Army].
 * The Bolsheviks renamed the party to the "Communist Party" after Karl Max's writing.
 * The czar led to social unrest because they only wanted to make their lives comfortable and not the Russian citizens' lives comfortable (fixing working conditions).
 * I believe when Czar Nicholas II brought Russia into WWI that [that] was the worst error in his judgment as a ruler.
 * I believe that when Lenin was sent back to Russia, this action by the Germans was the most devastating action to the czar's rule.

Lenin's leadership in the Bolshevik Revolution was the key to winning Russia. If it wasn't for his tremendous work, Russia wouldn't have been like how it is today. Lenin came during a time of political dislike towards the government, which made his mission of starting a revolution so much easier. Lenin not only managed to swiftly attain the hearts of many through intelligent work, but Lenin also manages to improve Russia as a whole. Lenin improved Russia's general well-being when by creating the NEP, which improved Russia's industrial life.