French and Russian Revolutions

Revolution

A group of people who decide to over throw the government for a new system

French Revolution: 1789

When the 3rd Estate rebelled; creating a National Assembly bc they wanted a democratic government while the 1st and 2nd Estates wanted to keep a monarchy
**Monarchy--> Gave 1st/ 2nd Estate power bc 3rd Estate would pay taxes to support the government he 1

French Revolution Motive

French wanted ideas to change the government and society (3 Estates; wanting EQUALITY between Estates
"Liberty, Fraternity, Equality

Long Term Causes FR

Enlightenment philosophy and American Revolution leaving France in debt

Short Term Causes of FR

- social injustices of Old Regime
- Economic crisis in France
- National Assembly being formed
- King Louis XVI poor rulership

Louis XVI

- weak ruler, indecisive, allowed matters to drift
- paid little attention to government advisers

Old Regime : 1770

- French social & political system
- Divided into 3 Estates (social classes)
**similar to Caste System in Hinduism

French Rulers (in chronological order)

Louis XVI- Robespierre- Napoleon

3rd Estate "working class

97%-- paid very high taxes
- no power to influence government
- treaded unfairly compared to 1st/ 2nd Estate
- wanted a democratic government

National Assembly

(cause to FR)
3rd Estate delegates passes laws & reforms
**1st/2nd Estate didn't like it

Tennis Court Oath

When the 3rd Estate decided to break from the Estates general & draw up their own constitution--> getting rid of the Estates

Bastille: 1789 (Start of FR)

- The political prison/ armory stored
- Partisan city workers alarmed by the kings concentration of troops at Versailles

Robespierre: 1792

Jacobin leader-- slowly gained power
- created the committee of public safety
- Lead the Reign of Terror

Committee of Public Safety

Protected new establish republic against foreign attack & internal rebellion

Reign of Terror (1792-93) impacting FR

- Robespierre saves France from being conquered by other countries
- Countries backed away from France bc of fear SO ideas of equality changed--> became more focused on find a structure then equality

Legislative Assembly

Power to create laws & approve or reject declarations of war

Czar: Alexander III

- Retained to the principles of autocracy: form of government where Alex III had total power
- Alex III mistreated anyone who weren't Russia because he thought that person was dangerous
**Similar to Hitler--> mistreating Jews

What did Alexander III do to prevent revolutions?

1. Imposed strict restriction codes on published materials/ documents (including private letters)
2. Having his secret police carefully watch schools--> teachers had ago send detailed reports of each student
3. Political prisoners were sent to Serbia

Czar Nicholas II: 1894

Continued tradition of Russia autocracy which made him not see issues occurring during his time

Russia industrializes: 1863- 1900

# of factories doubled
Growth of factories created problems:
1. Low wages
2. Bad working conditions
3. Child Labor
4. Workers go on strike
**Similar problems to when Britain was industrializing in 1750s

Proletariat

Workers would rule the country

Bolsheviks "Radicals

Small group of workers willing to sacrifice anything or everything for change
*Lenin: main leader of Bolsheviks

Mensheviks "Moderate

Wanted a broad base of popular supper for the revolution

Russian Revolution Motive

Russians wanted to change the basic needs of life; wanted peace

The 3 Russian Revolutions

1. Bloody Sunday (1905)
2. March Revolution (1917)
3. November Revolution/ Boshevicks (1917)

Bloody Sunday: 1905

- Workers petitioning for better working conditions and more personal freedom
- Nicholas II ordered police officers to shot the crowd (protests mainly but some were children or innocent people)
- Nicholas did that because he thought they were disrespectin

Causes to Bloody Sunday

1. Starvation caused by being in debt from Russo- Japanese War (1904-05)
*During RJW: Russia was beat badly
2. Russia industrializes (1863-1900)
- unhappy workers being paid low wages
- bad working conditions
- child labor
- treated unfairly

Bloody Sunday: Effects

Nicholas creates DUMA: constitutional government
*Duma not a good thing bc Nicholas lied about the changes he would make(lied for 2 years)
*Changes he said he'd make: create a monarchy

March Revolution: Causes 1917

1. 1914: Nicholas dragged Russia into WWI
** Russia Army= weak, poorly equipped...no match for Germany Army
2. People had enough w/ Nicholas II (Czar) ruling

Rasputin

Holy Man" who Czarina Alexandra (Nicholas wife) allowed to make decisions in Nicholas II absence

March Revolution: occurs during the Revolution

- Nicholas II steps down from Czar
- Provisional Government (temporary government) led by Kerensky was formed
- Kerensky hopes to keep Russia in war; losing the support from many

March Revolution: Effects

- Kerensky goes back into WWI --> allowed him to lose many support of workers or peasants
- Decides to go back into war bc: Russia was allies w/ England and US; Kerensky wanted to stay allies so had to go back into War n

Soviets

Local councils consisting of workers, peasants, & soldiers
*Had more influence compared to provisional government

Bolsheviks Revolution or November Revolution: 1917

When armed workers (Bolsheviks Red Guards) took over government offices; arrested leaders of the provisional government....basically when Russia wanted to over ride the provisional government

Leon Trotsky

Leader o the Bolshevik Red Gaurds/ Red Army

Why did Lenin go to Germany

- Bc he believed Russia need a communist revolution; began to write and recruit new followers (going against the Czar belief)
- Arrest in prison & 3 years of being exiled in Siberia
- After, goes to Germany bc can't go back to Russia--> people in Germany

1917 November Revolution or Bolsheviks Revolution: Causes

- Kerensky power ended
- Lenin returns bring in communism

Bolshevik Revolution: :Lenin wins the peasant support...HOW?

Orders all farmland is given to them...workers were given control of factories

Lenin Restores Order: New Economic Policy

1. Allowed peasants to sell their crops instead of turning them into the government
2. Government kept control of major industries (ex. Bank) BUT let some small businesses operate by private ownership

Russia Participation of WWI: Ending--> Treaty go Brest-Litovsk

- Bolshevik signs a peace treaty w/ Germany to stop all fighting
- Treaty of Brest Litovsk: Russia surrendered a large part of Russia to Germany...ending Russia's participation in WWI

End of Russian Revolution

1. Lenin restores economy by "New Economic Policy"
2. Bolshevik rename their party: communist party
3. Lenin dies in 1922 --> Stalin becomes dictator of Russia

Stalins Plan

- wanted to transform the Soviet Union into a totalitarian stated
- wanted to create the perfec t communist state in Russia

Stalins new industrial polices (Five Year Plan)

- Created a "Five Year plan" to help Soviet's economy
- Increased the output of steel, coal, & oil
- Lead to shortages of housing, food, & clothing

Totalitarism

Government that takes goal control over everyones public or private life

2 "Weapons" of totalitarism

1. Police terror
2. Propaganda/ Censorship
3. Indoctrination

Police Terror

- Dictators of totalitarian states use terror or violence to force obedience
- Sometimes would spy on citizens by intimidating them
- Would use brutal force, even murder to achieve their goals

Propaganda/ Censorship

- Biased information used to sway peoples to accept certain beliefs or actions
- Allowing others to hear only what you want them to hear
*similar to what Chairman Mao did in China

Indoctrination

Instruction in the government's beliefs to mold people's minds

How does Stalin control Russia ?

- built a police state to maintain his power
* his secret police would stop riots & keep the Soviet Union under control
- controlled newspapers, radios, sources of info
- used art to promote his ideas
- destroyed churches and exiled church leaders

Great Purge in 1937

Stalin's campaign of terror directed at killing anyone who threatened Stalin's power

1928: How did Stalins control agriculture? (collective farms)

- Had the government take control of people's farms
- Put them into larger government own farms aka collective farms

Collective Farming:1928

When the government took over small privately owned farms and combined them into large government own farms
*caused peasants to protest by killing live stock or destroying crops
*peasants were mad bc government was taking away their farms

Command Economy

When the government made all economic choices

How does Stalin change the economy?

Stalin built a command economy
Command Economy: a system which the government made all economic decisions

How does Stalin's rule benefit woman?

Allowed women to have:
1. Equal rights
2. Work in factories or farms
3. Tp be educated

Kulaks

wealthy peasants or farmers