3B – Ideas that shaped the Russian Revolution

Key words, figures & events Autocracy

Karl Marx

Tsar Nicholas II

Stalinism

Leninism Joseph Stalin

Vladimir Lenin

Agrarian

Tsarina Romanov

Sergei Witte Industrialisation

Bloody Sunday

1905 Revolution

Reform

Russo-Japanese War

Fundamental Laws October Manifesto

Duma

Kulaks

Peter Stolypin World War One

Military defeats

Rasputin

Commander-in-chief

Discontent

Marxism

Shortages

Abdication

Preconditions

Protests Strikes

Provisional Government

Army

Petrograd Soviet

Dual Government

Soviet Order #1

Threats

April Theses

Alexander Kerensky

June Offensive

‘Peace, bread & land’

‘All power to the Soviets’

July Days Problems

Grigori Zinoviev Lev Kamenev Leon Trotsky Finland Red Guards

General Kornilov

Congress of Soviets Winter Palace

Aurora Smolny Institute Revolution

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Peace Land

Decrees Sovnarkom

General Yudenich

Admiral Kolchak General Denikin

Reds

Greens

War Communism Whites

Civil War

Right

Left

New Economic Policy

Kronstadt Rebellion

Julius Martov Mensheviks Bolsheviks

Rykov

Bukharin

Communist Party

Politburo

Permanent revolution

World revolution

Socialism in one country

Collectivisation

5-year plans

Tomsky

Terror

Liquidation

Sergei Kirov

Export

Ukraine

Famine

Gosplan

Stakhanovites Exile

Socialist realism

Purges

Show Trials

Foreign policy

Cheka

Gulags

????????

Narrowing our focus

• 1905 Revolution

• World War One

• February Revolution

• October Revolution

• Civil War

• War Communism

• New Economic Policy

• Socialism in one country

• Collectivisation

• Industrialisation

Ideas

AUTOCRACY

MARXISM

LENINISM

STALINISM

Autocracy

• Government by one person

• 1855 – 1906 – Russia had no national parliament or officially recognised political parties

• Political repression

• Reform from above

• Romanov dynasty

• Problems that had developed under Tsarism / autocracy: • Desire for political reform

• The political and social system

• Weakness of Tsar Nicholas II

Marxism • History was a series of revolutions – oppressed classes revolt against

oppressors or class that controls means of production.

• Followers of Marxism believed it was inevitable that the proletariat would eventually rise up against the bourgeoisie and take power. • Differences emerged over how that would occur though.

• Initially a socialist state would emerge, eventually any government or state would wither away until a communist society emerged with no private ownership or authoritarian government.

Leninism

• The revolutionary theory of Vladimir Lenin, largely inspired by Marxism.

• Lenin believed revolution not as inevitable as many others argued. • Believed a strong, small revolutionary elite needed to lead the revolution and

implement Marxist theory in the name of the workers.

• Argued well paid workers who had a vote would be reluctant to revolt (thus betray the working class)

• Argued democracy was used by capitalists to manipulate people.

• Need for strong state in transitional stage – Dictatorship of the proletariat.

So, Leninism / Lenin believed…

• Revolution would be accomplished by small group of professional, dedicated revolutionaries. They were needed to develop the revolutionary consciousness of workers and focus their actions.

• Believed revolution would occur during a period of conflict between capitalist powers and that it would occur in a weak / underdeveloped country (Like Russia) and then spread to more industrialised countries.

• Did not think middle classes in Russia were strong enough to carry through a bourgeois-democratic revolution. Believed working class could develop a revolutionary government of it own with poor peasants who had a history of mass action in Russia – the bourgeois and socialist revolution could be rolled into one.

Stalinism

• Stalinism = the policies and ways that Stalin governed.

• Strongly associated with regime of terror & totalitarianism.

• ‘Socialism in one country’ • Collectivisation • Industrialisation

• Concept of the ‘Party’ evolved – Communist Party given increasing power in the Soviet state.

‘Stalin offered the people a mixed diet of terror and illusion’

Historian Isaac Deustcher

‘Democratic rights threaten the position of the bureaucracy, and hence democracy is incompatible

with Stalinism. In basic terms on a world scale, the forces of Stalinism have done everything in their power to prevent socialist revolution.’

https://www.msu.edu/~mageemal/iah201/stalinism.html - Taken from the Encyclopaedia of Marxism

Weekly outline / content

Weekly Outline – 3B Ideas that shaped the Russian Revolution

• Week 1. Introduction – background to Russia – Russian society

• Week 2. Industrialisation – opposition to Tsarism (pre 1905)

• Week 3. The 1905 revolution – Nicholas and Alexandra – World War 1

• Week 4. Revolutionary ideas and leaders

• Week 5. The February revolution

• Week 6. The Provisional Government and the problems it faced

• Week 7. Threats to the Provisional Government

• Week 8. October Revolution

• Week 9. Bolsheviks deal with opposition

• Week 10. The Civil War

• Week 11. Lenin’s death – Stalin gains leadership

• Week 12. Impact of the Revolution

• Week 13. Stalin’s regime

• Week 14. Stalin consolidate

Introduction – background to Russia – Russian society

• Autocracy • Romanov dynasty • Tsar Nicholas II – 1894 • Divine right

• Society • Mostly peasants • Many nationalities • Class divisions • Minority in power – Royals, Church/Clergy, Army, Bouregoisie

• Economy

• Backward • Agricultural • Attempts at industrialization 1890s – Sergei Witte

Industrialisation – opposition to Tsarism (pre 1905)

• Some attempts at industrialisation in 1890s – led by Sergei Witte

• Many opposition groups • Liberalism • Populism • Marxism

• Marxism • Ideas of Karl Marx • History a series of class struggles • Fall of capitalism inevitable • Working class rise up • Inspired a number of revolutionary groups in Russia

The 1905 revolution – Nicholas and Alexandra – World War 1

• Long-term discontent • Class divisions • Most of pop. not involved in decision-making process • Series of poor harvests

• Short-term discontent • Russo-Japanese War • Bloody Sunday = spark

• October Manifesto

• Reforms & repression – 1905-1914

• Nicholas & Alexandra • Tsar’s leadership abilities

• Tsarina – German, Rasputin

• Family life

• Divine right to rule / commitment to Autocracy

• Response to crises

• World War One • Some initial successes, many defeats followed.

• Discontent spread quickly – military defeats, food & fuel shortages, Tsar chooses to lead war effort more directly, ‘Winter of discontent’

The 1905 revolution – Nicholas and Alexandra – World War 1

Revolutionary ideas and leaders

• Marxism

• Vladimir Lenin – Leninism

• Joseph Stalin – Stalinism

• Leon Trotsky

The February revolution

• Long-term discontent – similar reasons & themes to 1905

• Short-term factors • World War One

• Military defeats

• Tsar’s decision to become C-in-C

• Tsarina & Rasputin

• ‘Winter of discontent’ – food & fuel

• Protests & strikes

• Use of force

• Army joins strikers

• Tsar forced to abdicate, brother refuses throne, Romanovs RIP

The Provisional Government and the problems it faced

• Group of Duma ministers – govern until elections can be held.

• Dual Govt • Petrograd Soviet & Prov Govt

• Soviet Order #1 • Gave Soviet control of armed forces.

• ‘Power without authority’

• ‘Authority without power’

• Problems the Provisional Govt faced: • War

• Land

• Food & fuel shortages

• Elections

Threats to the Provisional Government

• Revolutionary leaders and groups • Lenin’s return – April Theses

• June offensive

• July Days

• Kornilov Revolt

• Bolsheviks

October Revolution • Vladimir Lenin – abroad

• Leon Trotsky

• The Smolny Insitute

• Lenin returns

• Revolution!

• Congress of Soviets

• Sovnarkom

• Decrees

Bolsheviks deal with opposition / secure control

• The Cheka

• Constituent Assembly

• Decrees

• Peace – Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

• Civil War

The Civil War

• Reds, Whites, Greens

• Bolsheviks strengths – reasons for success

• White weaknesses

• War Communism

• Famine

• New Economic Policy

Lenin’s death – Stalin gains leadership

• Lenin’s will / testament

• Factions

• To New Economic Policy or not?

• ‘Socialism in one country’ v ‘Permanent / World Revolution’

• Stalin undisputed 1928

Impact of the Revolution • Arts, culture, socialist realism

• Life in Russia • Family life

• Religion

• Women

• Education

• Ideas

• Assessing Lenin’s role

Stalin’s regime • Leadership struggle

• 1928 – Stalin undisputed

• Socialism in one country • Ending the NEP • Collectivisation- Sovkhoz & Kolkhoz • Industrialisation • 5-year plans • Stakhanovites • Liquidation of the Kulaks • Consequences

Stalin consolidates – Controlling the USSR • Authoritarian control

• Secret police

• Labour camps

• Cult of the leader

• Education

• Propaganda & censorship

• State control of arts & sciences

• Only one political party

Key figures • Karl Marx

• Tsar Nicholas II

• Tsarina Alexandra

• The Romanovs

• Vladimir Lenin

• Sergei Witte

• Peter Stolypin

• Julius Martov

• Leon Trotsky

• Joseph Stalin

• Grigori Zinoviev

• Lev Kamenev

• Nikolai Bukharin

• Mikhail Tomsky

• Alexei Rykov

• General Denikin

• Admiral Kolchak

• General Yudenich

• Marshal Tukhachevsky

• Sergei Kirov

• Vyacheslav Molotov

• …

• …

• …

• …

Key themes / ideas to structure revision around • Content / chronology / narrative – weekly outline

• What happened when? Key dates & events etc • Who was involved? • …

• Ideas • What are the main ideas that shaped Russia? • How did they shape Russia? • What impact did they have? • …

• Making conclusions

• Leadership – Tsar, Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin – Cohesive / Divisive

• Cohesion

• Division

• Society

• Economy

• Politics

• International relations

• Key figures

Skills • Document Study / Source Analysis

• Historical context

• Message

• Issues / usefulness

• Ideas / events

• Essays • Essay structure

• Argument / analysis

• Supporting evidence / detail

• Planning

Revision

• Content

• Themes / Ideas

• Skills