Communist Revolutions in Russia and China Before the revolutions – monarchs were from a long

lasting dynasty• QING – 1644-1912• Romanov Tsars – 1300s to 1918

PROBLEMS – economic, social class tensions, rebellions, war

Revolution part 1 – Dynasty fell and a provisional government took over (semi-democratic)

Problems continued, Provisional government failed, radicals gained power

Civil War and Communist victory 1921-1991 Soviet Union 1949 - ? Peoples Republic of China

Russian Revolution & Communist

Russia

Russia = Soviet Union = USSR

THE FALL of TSAR’s Government

PROBLEMS in Russia: lack of freedom, poor leadership, major economic problems, & food shortages.

EVENTS that challenged the Tsar’s authority: westernization, defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, “Bloody Sunday”, 1905 Revolution, & losses during World War I.

Stages of Russian Revolution1916-1917 Soldiers, rural and urban

workers, & intelligentsia lead protests.

Bloodless Revolution in March 1917: the Tsar abdicated the throne and a PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT was set up.

PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT failed as Russian losses in WWI and economic problems continued

Radical movements gained support and momentum.

The BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION

1917 The Bolsheviks (one of the radical communist groups) and their leader, Vladmir LENIN, gained enough support and power to seize control of the government “on behalf of the people”

The BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION

CIVIL WAR: 1918 - 1920

Civil War began as forces against the communists fought back.

Red (Bolshevik) Army vs. White (anti-Bolshevik) Army

CIVIL WAR: 1918 - 1920

The Tsar and his family were executed before the communists won and took complete control of the country.

COMMUNIST RULE Land was redistributed

(collectivization)

Industrialization (5-Year Plans) Women gained status

Military was built-arms race

A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic. Joseph Stalin

A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic. Joseph Stalin

A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.

Joseph Stalin

Psycho!“To choose one’s

victims, to prepare one’s plan, to quench a strong desire for vengeance, and then to go to bed . . .there is nothing sweeter in the world.”

Josef Stalin

How bad was Stalin & his government?

• 1 million imprisoned or exiled between 1927 to 1929

• 6 to 7 million killed by an artificial famine in 1932-1934

• 1 million executed during the ''Great Terror'' of 1937-1938

• Most other estimates from reputed scholars and historians tend to range from between 20 and 60 million.

The Gulag System

There’s Trotsky at a Lenin speech.

Where’d he go?

There’s Trotsky again with Lenin.

Where’d he go?