Russian Revolution

The Czars, Lenin, Stalin.. How are they alike and how are they different?

Czars: No constitution, no political party system to check the Czars power, secret police, pogroms
Lenin: Economic reforms, New Economic Plan (NEP); moderate mix of socialism and capitalism, political reforms, Bolsheviks became communists, Russia becomes

Describe the rule of Czar Alexander III and Nicholas II and how they dealt with calls for reform by the Russian people.

Czar Alexander III - Harsh, against revolutionaries and other liberal movements, pogroms
Czar Nicholas II - Harsh and weak, Russian economy went bankrupt because Russo-Japanese war, Russia's entry into WW1 became unpopular
Both; strict on anyone who seeme

Know the impact of WW1 on the Russian government.

More in debt, war becomes unpopular, defeated by Germany many times, rationing led to starvation, WW1 revealed the weaknesses of Czarist rule and military leadership

What major events led the Russia people to lose faith in the Czarist government and revolt?

Russo-Japanese war, Bloody Sunday, WW1

Describe the circumstances leading up to Lenin's takeover of Russia.

Provisional government takes place, Alexander Kerensky wanted to keep Russia in the war and ended up losing support of soldiers who didn't want to fight anymore and lost support of peasants and workers who wanted an end to food shortages, these forces for

How did the political and economic structure of Russia change after the Russian revolution?

Lenin takes control, (NEP) takes place, Bolsheviks become communists, Russia becomes the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR)

Describe Lenin's actions immediately after the Bolshevik revolution.

Snuck back into Russia after fleeing to western Europe, ordered that all farmland be distributed among the peasants and workers take over factories, accepted treaty of Brest-Litovsk ending WW1 with Germany

Describe Lenin's New Economic Policy and its purpose.

New Economic Plan (NEP), allowed some private ownership of property, mix of capitalism and socialism, central planning of the economy by the state, communist party makes decisions on individual jobs

Describe Stalin's 5-year plans and their purpose.

Command economy with collective farms, government makes all economic decisions, industrial revolution, goals were set for the growth of steel, coal, oil, and electricity, consumer industry goods slowed down, government controlled every aspect of a workers

Who fought for control of the USSR following the death of Lenin.

Stalin

What are the weapons totalitarian governments use?

Police terror, indoctrination (government slants education), propaganda, censorship, religious or ethnic persecution

The Bolsheviks and Mensheviks believed in the teachings of what philosopher?

Karl Marx

As part of the Five Year Plan, Stalin started which two Revolutions?

Industrial revolution and Agricultural revolution

Describe life under Stalin.

Education controlled by government (indoctrination), State control of the economy (command economy), Police Terror, religious persecution, propaganda.

Pogroms

Organized violence against Jews.

Soviets

One of the local representative councils formed in Russia after the downfall of Czar Nicholas II.

Bolsheviks

Group of revolutionary Russian Marxists who took control of Russia's government in November 1917.

Totalitarianism

Government control over every aspect of public and private life.

Autocracy

Type of government in which all power lies with one individual.

Command Economy

An economic system in which the government makes all economic decisions.

The Great Purge

A campaign of terror in the soviet union during the 1930's, in which Joseph Stalin sought to eliminate all communist party members and other citizens who threatened his power.

Duma

Provisional Government.

Provisional Government

A temporary government.

Kulaks

A class of wealthy peasants.

Collective Farms

Large government controlled farms formed by combining many small farms.