苏联 Flashcards
Alexander II’s Reforms (r. 1855-1881)
● Crimean War(1853-1856) loss
leads to Alexander realizing
Russia needs to advance in a
hurry
● Abolishes Serfdom 1861
● Creates Zemstov - local elected
councils
● Invested heavily in industry and
transport
○ Built the Trans-Siberian Railway
● ARII gets assassinated 1881 by
anarchists ‘People’s Wil
Pre-Revolution Russia
● Absolute Monarchy - Romanov Dynasty
○ Nicholas II(r.1894-1917) is last Tsar
● Despotic political system(autocracy)
○ Very few rights granted to people
○ Serfdom was only recently abolished(1861)
○ 80% of pop. are peasants
● Mostly agrarian society
○ Limited industry although growing rapidly since 1890’s
○ Workers in industry grossly mistreated in comparison to Europe
● Russian Christian Orthodoxy
Lenin
● Middle class Russian
● Established marxist values in Russia but developed them
in exile in Europe
● Thought revolution was possible in a non-industrialized
country
● Believed an elite few(Vanguard) was needed to lead the
revolution
● Disagreed with Marx, thought communism would rise
where capitalism is weakest
1905 Revolution
● Liberals tried to gain reform
○ Worker strikes
○ Peasant unrest
○ Military mutiny (recent loss to Japan)
● Violently put down by Nicholas II on ‘Bloody Sunday’
○ Killed over 1000 people
○ Nicholas puts in mild reforms due to the unrest
● Lead Nicholas to create the ‘Duma’ (State Legislature)
○ Filled with liberal Democrats
○ Power mostly limited
1917 - February Revolution
● Happened in Petrograd (St. Petersburg)
● Political and Social unrest for 8 days
○ Bread rioters
○ Industrial workers
○ Dissatisfied soldiers
● 1300 killed in the revolution
● Lead to the collapse of the Tsarist regime
○ Nicholas II would abdicate
○ Duma established ‘Provisional Government’
○ Creates Russia as a Democracy
Provisional Government
● Sets out to form a constitution
● Largely classical liberal
● Support for gov’t wanes as it fails to solve social issues
● Releases political prisoners
○ Bolsheviks were released (Russian Communists)
■ Bolsheviks start to plan overthrow of democracy
● Bolshevik vs. Menshevik
○ Bolsheviks believed in communist revolution
○ Menshevik believed in progressive reform
Lead up to October Revolution
● Lenin forms Soviets(Workers Councils)
● Petrograd Soviet lead by key marxists
● April Theses published by Lenin
○ An attempt to align Bolsheviks who were in exile
○ Believed Bourgeoisie were taking power from the proletariat
○ Democracy = Bourgeoisie rule
○ “All power to the soviets”
● July Days
○ Bolshevik demonstrations in Petrograd and Moscow
● Lenin forms the Bolshevik Red Guard
○ Paramilitary thugs
■ Radicalized soldiers/army deserters/factory workers
October Revolution
● Revolution was lead by the Bolsheviks
● Red Guard seized control of government buildings
○ Infiltrated and gained control of the winter palace
○ Little resistance
■ Although soviets propagate that they fought a mighty battle
● Power handed over to the Soviets, Soldiers and Peasant
deputies
Russian Civil War (1917-22)
● Red Army Vs. White Russians
● The Reds - Soviet Communists/Bolsheviks
● The Whites
○ Classical Conservatives(monarchists)
○ Capitalists
○ Alternate forms of Socialism
● Due to the White russians having multiple factions it was
difficult to organize
● Red Army is successful in gaining control
The Soviet Union (USSR)
● Communism was in power in Russia from
1917-1991
● Much more of an international feel than
fascism
● Not nationalistic in the sense that communism was marketable to other nations
● Trying to stop communism would be a major effort for the west during most of the 20th century
Russian Civil War (1917-22)
● Red Army Vs. White Russians
● The Reds - Soviet Communists/Bolsheviks
● The Whites
○ Classical Conservatives(monarchists)
○ Capitalists
○ Alternate forms of Socialism
● Due to the White russians having multiple factions it was difficult to organize
● Red Army is successful in gaining control
Lenin’s Policy
● Leon Trotsky organized the suppression of all troops opposed to communism
● The ‘Cheka’ (secret police) was created
● Bolshevik party was the ‘vanguard’ of the revolution
● Formed a dictatorship of the proletariat
● Politics and Economics becomes highly centralized
War Communism
● Economic policy during the civil war
○ Gov’t took control of banks, transport
facilities and heavy industry
● State forcibly acquired grain from the
country to put towards the war effort
● Peasants given strips of land
● Foreign trade was now a state monopoly
● Decree passed to end all capitalism
○ Any factory over 10 workers was nationalized
● Proletariat don’t end up any better off than
they were before.
○ Sometimes worse
New Economic Policy (1921-28)
● NEP created out of the failures of War communism
● Peasants could start to make a profit again
● Food source became more stable in both rural and urban areas
● Free market capitalism, with state control
● Characterized as a mixed economy
Trotsky v. Stalin
● There were disagreements in the politburo between Stalin and Trotsky creating factions
● Trotsky(left wing faction)
○ NEP betrayed communist values
○ Wanted rapid industrialization
○ Voluntary collectivization by the poor peasants
● Stalin (right wing faction)
○ Stay the course with NEP
○ More slowly towards industrialization
○ More nationalist than internationalist
● Stalin gained support of the lower level party officials
○ Take control of the Soviet Union in Lenin’s absence
Politburo
highest governing committee in
Communist Russia
Stalin’s 5 Year Plans
● 1928 - Stalin decided rapidly industrialize
○ Time to compete against the west/capitalists
● Build industry such as iron, steel and machine tools
● Took upon centrally planning to ensure economic success
● Industry grow 400% from 1928-1940
● For workers conditions weren’t great
○ Often worse than 19th century Europe
○ Crowded living quarters
○ Lack of food
○ Lack of sanitation
● Agricultural production didn’t match industrial
Collectivisation of Agriculture
● NEP Agriculture
○ Still food shortages
○ Kulaks were ‘hoarding’ grain to drive up the price (allegedly)
● Stalin reverses NEP(1929)
○ Kulaks were considered enemies of the state
● Forms collectivisation
○ Replaces private run farms with huge state run/owned farms(collectives)
○ All farmers work together to yield crops
○ Personal farms are banned
Dekulakization
● Previously weak agriculture was blamed on Kulaks(scapegoat)
● Stalin took their land for the state
○ Peasants were to form collectives on this land
● Kulaks were forcibly removed from their homes
○ Many were shot or sent to siberian labour camps
○ Millions died because of this
● 1937 - 90% of grain produced was collectivized
● Policy did not successfully solve the food issue in Russia
○ Millions would starve
Holodomor
● 1932-33 genocide in the Ukraine
● Stalin implemented collectivist policies
● Used the grain from the farms to sell to the west to help industrialize Russia
● Left millions of Ukrainians to starve(7-10 million died)
The Purges (1936-38)
● Fear within Stalin and leadership that they were losing control
● Under Stalin disloyalty would lead to execution (even before purges)
● Increased paranoia leads to Stalin starting to attack his own.
● He either killed or sent these people to the Gulag
○ Members of the Politburo
■ Show Trials/Forced confessions
■ Highly publicized
○ Within all ranks of the Communist party
○ Citizens (killed women and children of ‘enemies’)
○ NKVD members (Members of Stalin’s secret police
○ Bureaucracy
● 600,000 people died (approx.)
Gulag
System of labour camps in the soviet union where many people would die
