history- russian revolution Flashcards
Serfdom
Rigid social structure : Landowning nobles Small middle class Serfs (laborers)
Pogroms
Violent mob attacks on Jews
Conditions in Russia during 1800s - early 1900s
Many problems : famine, filled prisons, peasants want power, defeated by Japan
Russification
Suppressing non-Russian culture and forcing Russian culture (language, etc) on people
Tsar Nicholas II
Weak ruler that causes public and social problems
Russo-Japanese war
Over Korea and Manchuria
Humiliating defeat makes Russian ppl realize they need reform and liberals begin striking/protesting
Bloody Sunday
Peaceful protest outside Tsar’s palace, petitioning for justice (free speech and right to vote), while praising the tsar -> Nicholas scared-> flees palace and calls soldiers->troops open fire on unarmed, peaceful citizens
Father Gapon
Orthodox priest that organized Bloody Sunday’s march
Effect of Bloody Sunday
Kills the hope of the ppl and their trust in the tsar
Causes workers strikes, peasant revolts, etc
Nickname Bloody Nicholas II
1905 revolution
1905 revolution effect
Duma is created
The Duma
Elected national legislature, liked by moderates, disliked by socialists
Nicholas II wife
Alexandra
Heir to the throne after Nicholas II
Alexei
Rasputin
A monk / sorcerer that became extremely powerful in Russia
Why did Rasputin become powerful in Russia
Alexandra turned to him because he said he was able to help alexei
He eventually became really close to the family and held influence over them
Trams-Siberian Railroad
Longest railway in the world
Connected Moscow and Vladivostok
Why was tsar Nicholas absent for a period of time
He went to else the army because 1/3 of Russia’s soldiers had no guns
Who ruled in Nicholas’s absence
Alexandra and Rasputin
What did the Russians claim about Alexandra
She was an enemy spy bc she was born in Germany
What caused March rev/ tsar abdication
The war was going badly
People are starving and angry
What illness did alexei suffer from
Hemophilia
March rev
Tsar abdicates
Provisional govt led by Alexander Kerensky cokes to power
Provisional government
Set up by Duma
Temporary govt
Middle class liberals working on a new constitution for a republic
Creation of the soviets
Revolutionary socialists set up soviets
Soviets are councils of workers and soldiers
Bolsheviks
Radical socialist group
Led by Vladimir Lenin
Why does Lenin hate the tsarist govt
He was always considered a threat to the gift bc his brother was murdered for trying to kill the tsar
Bolshevik beliefs
Revolution is the only way to bring about change
Contorted version of Marxist beliefs
Alexander Karensky / success of provisional govt ?
Karensky not making any reforms
Launched a offensive against Germany that proved to be a mistake
What did the failed offensive against Germany cause
Mutiny
When did the bolsheviks come to power
The November revolution
November rev
Mutinous soldiers join with red guards (armed factory workers) and easily overthrow provisional govt and out bolsheviks in power (made lots of promises and “defended” the people even thought no violence actually ensued)
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Signed by Lenin to achieve peace with Germany
Who was the Russian civil war between
Reds and whites
Who made up the reds
Communists who have mistrust in the west, and want to drive out foreigners
Who made up the whites
Counterrevolutionaries (allies, democrats, tsarists,etc)
Who wins and why
Reds bc they use terror and brutality and are located in the middle of Russia which makes it more difficult for the whites to attack them
Cheka
Secret police under … who executed people suspected of talking bad about bolsheviks ?
Changes made to Russia under Lenin and bolsheviks
Renamed USSR (Soviet Union) Has a democratic and socialist constitution Political power and resources and means of production belong to workers Outlawed every party except communist party
Lenins New Economic Policy (NEP)
Allowed small businesses to open for private profit -> not “pure” communism -> just a break from communism to help economy recover
What problem did marx’s communism face in russia (about communist rev)
Communist rev should occur in developed countries, purposely left Russia out bc Russia = undeveloped
How did Lenin solve the problem (about communist rev)
By rewriting communism to say that a Revolutionary elite should lead the peasant masses
Totalitarianism
When the govt has total control over every aspect of your life
Set up by dictators
How did Stalin come to power and how did he maintain it
Came to power by joining bolsheviks and getting involve in Government committee within communist party -> took lenins place when Lenin died
Maintained power by using terror and secret police and purges and by controlling the way ppl think
Collectivization
Transfer control of all forms to the govt
Purges
Stalins effort to “cleanse” the communist party of anyone who posed any threat to his control
The Great Purge
Stalin and secret police charge ordinary citizens for no reason -> feared rival party leaders were plotting against him
Used show trials to get confessions out of them
What was the reality of communism in Russia
Theoretically, ppl should all have equal power, realistically- small communist party used terror to enforce its own will
Trotsky
Helped Lenin lead rev
And wanted rev against capitalism
When Lenin died, Stalin killed him bc he was his only competition
Five year plans
Building heavier industry
Govt distributed all resources and owner all businesses
