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World History > Unit 2: Russia & the revolution > Flashcards

Unit 2: Russia & the revolution Flashcards

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1
Q

Social classes in Russia prior to the revolution

A

The Ruling and Upper Class or aristocracy- were the minority,owned 25% of the land and wealth of the country,included the royal family and nobility.

The emerging middle class- bankers,factory owner, store keepers- also a minority who were starting to obtain wealth (this group along with the Ruling/Upper Class both would be considered the bourgeoisie according to marxism)

The industrial workers -were the majority-worked in factories ,were exploited and very poor,paid low wages, worked long hours and in dangerous conditions

The Peasants- also part of the majority,they lived by farming and were extremely poor,they were also exploited by farm/property owners (both the industrial working class and the peasants would be considered the proletariat)

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2
Q

Marxism

A

Created by Karl Marx

  • blamed capitalism for terrible working and living conditions in London
  • published The Communist Manifesto

BASICALLY - a form of socialism where there was public ownership of all land and means of production( factories ).

-Marx predicted that the proletariat would rise up and take control of the means of production form the bourgeoisie. After the revolution they would destroy capitalists and a classless society would emerge and everyone would share the wealth

IT IS COMMUNISM

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3
Q

Proletariat

A 
Those with no wealth
- in  the case of Russia- The industrial working class and the peasants
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4
Q

Bourgeoisie

A 
Those who have the wealth.
In the case of Russia - The Ruling and upper class or aristocracy
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5
Q

What are the reasons for discontent in pre-revolutionary Russia

A

PLIGHT OF THE PEASANTS AND FACTORY WORKERS
-the majority of the people
- both were very poor and were exploited , and lived hard,unhappy lives.
factory workers- very poor,paid low wages,worked long hours in dangerous conditions
Peasants- lived by farming,extremely poor, exploited by farm/property owners
- IMPACT OF RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR 1904-1905
Russia lost its imperialistic war with Japan over Korea. They were humiliated and the leadership of the Czar was questioned.

  • THE AUTOCRATIC GOVERNMENT OF CZAR NICHOLAS THE SECOND
  • It was believed that he had divine right to rule( he was chosen by God) - he did not allow anyone, even his closest advisers to question his decisions, and gave no political power to the people

BLOODY SUNDAY
- In January 1905 conditions for urban/city workers had been intolerable-Father Gapon and 200,000 unarmed workers marched to the Czar’s Winter palace in St.St. Petersburg with a petition and were fired upon by the guards . Hundreds were killed and injured. The event turned public opinion against the Czar-harming the relationship between him and his people

INFLUENCE OF GRIGORI RASPUTIN
-The people saw Rasputin a man notorious for is immoral behavior living with the Czar and Czarina, and believed that he had an influence on the Czar and Czarina. They did not know about their son’s blood clotting disease. The people believed that Rasputin was having an affair with the Czarina.

IMPACT OF WW1
Involvement in the war was disastrous for Russia. Czar Nicholas(who had no military experience or expertise whatsoever ) took personal control of the armed forces-millions of Russians died as a result of his incompetence- again his leadership was questioned.
-food shortages caused by the war caused suffering for the Russian people as well(during the war priority was feeding the soldiers on the front)
- Russians wanted out of the war

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6
Q

Grigori Rasputin

A
  • A Serbian Monk(?)
  • Entered Court life in 1905
  • was able to help Czar Nicholas’ son Alexis (heir to the throne) with his blood clotting disease,hemophilia.
  • Because he helped their child he had control and influence over the Czar and Czarina. - Russian people believed he was having an affair with the Czarina Alexandra) not proven
  • also believed that he controlled the decisions of the Czarina while the Czar at the front during the war.
  • In 1916 he was assassinated -poisoned ,shot, and pushed into a river and was drowned
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7
Q

What was the Impact of all the discontent in pre-revolutionary Russia

A

THE IMPACT IS REVOLUTION

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8
Q

Part 1: The February/March Revolution

A
  • Workers in Petrograd, and other major cities, went on strike-They refused to put up with their living/working conditions and the leadership of Czar Nicholas the second any longer. Hundreds of thousands of people were involved and forced the Czar to abdicate ( give up his throne)
  • Provisional Government took council of Russia
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9
Q

The provisional Government

A
  • Lead by Alexander Kerensky
    -temporary government
    -was made up of two parts…
    The Duma- The Russian Parliament
    The Petrograd Soviet- council of workers,soldiers,and intellectuals that tried to determine the authority of the whole provisional government.
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10
Q

What did the Provisional Government fail to do?

A

The provisional Government did not stay in power for very long because it failed to do three important things

  1. It decided to keep Russia in the First World War because it wanted to honour Russia’s commitment to France and Britian (her allies)-and underestimated how much Russian citizens wanted to get out of the war.
  2. It failed to solve the food shortages in Russian towns and cities- remember the food was sent to the soldiers at the front, supply lines were poor. The peasants and city workers were still living extremely difficult lives.
  3. Finally, it failed to carry out land reform (or give peasants their own land,which they had wanted for hundreds of years)

These mistakes were detrimental for the Provisional Government, and led to The October/November Revolution

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11
Q

Part 2: The October/November Revolution

A

From(April to September 1917) Vladimir Lenin and his Bosheviks (an extremist group who believed in the writings and teachings of Karl Marx) tried to undermine the Provisional Government by gaining influence and control over the Petrograd Soviet. Lenin promised the Russian People “ Peace,Land, and Bread”-all the things they wanted.
In the October/November part revolution Lenin and his supporters took control over key institutions,such as telegraph and telephone offices,railway stations, newspaper offices and government institutions in a few cities. The result -Lenin created the first communist nation in the world.

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12
Q

How did the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk enable Lenin to consolidate power in Russia?

A

The First decision Lenin made was to get Russia out of The First World War- It was his Boshevik government that signed the Treaty of Brest Litovsk,taking Russia out of the war. This made him quite popular in Russia,though the terms were harsh.
(He also instituted land reform that the provisional government failed to do.He took land from the Czar,noble,the church and other landowners and gave it to the peasants. This gave him support from the peasants.
He then had to defeat all his opponents and enemies,and create a communist economy.)

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13
Q

Who fought the Russian Civil War?

A

The Russian Civil war was fought between the ‘Reds’ (Lenin and his communists) and the Whites (anti-communists)

REDS

  • Lenin
  • The Red Army (led by Leon Trotsky)
  • Lenin’s supporters

WHITES

  • Czarist soldiers and supporters
  • The Allies
  • Finns,Poles, Estonians who didn’t want a strong Russian Government
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14
Q

The reds

A

REDS

  • Lenin
  • The Red Army (led by Leon Trotsky)
  • Lenin’s supporters
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15
Q

The whites

A

WHITES

  • Czarist soldiers and supporters
  • The Allies
  • Finns,Poles, Estonians who didn’t want a strong Russian Government
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16
Q

What is the CHEKA? And the Red army?

A

The CHEKA is the Russian secret police. To ensure Lenin continued to control Russia he instituted the “red terror”-The CHEKA tortured and killed all opponents of Lenin,including the Czar and his family(July 1918).

Terror was also used to frighten the population so they would obey the new communist government. Trotsky and the red army got rid of all other opponents (the whites) throughout Russia.

17
Q

War Communism

A

Economic reforms that would create communist economy.
Involved
- Government control of the economy(banking,mining,oil, petroleum, and larger factories (with more than 10 workers)
- Taking food from the peasantry in order to feed the Red Army and the workers in urban areas ( this caused resentment-peasants started to grow only what they needed)-this often lead to bloody clashes between the peasants and The Red Army when they tried to requisition (to take) good from the peasants
- Rejecting foreign investment-communists wanted state control of their economy with no outside inference and few countries wanted to invest in a communist nation.

18
Q

The Bosheviks

A

An extremist group who believed in the writings and teachings or Karl Marx

19
Q

What does war communism involve?

A
  • Government control of the economy(banking,mining,oil, petroleum, and larger factories (with more than 10 workers)
  • Taking food from the peasantry in order to feed the Red Army and the workers in urban areas ( this caused resentment-peasants started to grow only what they needed)-this often lead to bloody clashes between the peasants and The Red Army when they tried to requisition (to take) good from the peasants
  • Rejecting foreign investment-communists wanted state control of their economy with no outside inference and few countries wanted to invest in a communist nation.
20
Q

What were the results of War Communism?

A
  • Economic Collapse(agriculturally and industrially
  • A severe drought in 1921-1922 resulted in deaths of 4-5 million Russians

This meant that Lenins revolution was in trouble. He had won the civil war, and controlled the people and the economy- but at what cost? If Lenin didn’t do something to alleviate the suffering of the Russian people they might revolt again- against him

21
Q

Due to the results of war communism what did Lenin become fearful of?

A

Lenins Revolution was in trouble. Since war communism had made the lives of the people no better( in fact maybe even worse) than they were under the rule of the Czar. He was fearful that the people would revolt again. This time against him. This he knew he had to do something, he was forced to change his economic policy/ The New economic policy.

22
Q

The New Economic Policy

A

In 1921, Lenin was forced to change his economic policy-he introduced the New Economic Policy or NEP. He realized that in order to reduce the suffering of the Russian people( caused in part by “war communism” he would have to re-introduce elements of capitalism into the economy.
-Peasants were allowed to sell any surplus (extra) product for a profit.( this created a rich group of farmers called the kulaks) they started to produce more agriculture products and the result was that agricultural output increased in Russia

  • Factories with less than 20 workers returned to private ownership and could make a profit- the result was that industrial output increased
  • Because of the return to some form of capitalism- foreign investors started putting into Russia(through loans and investment)
23
Q

What elements of capitalism were re-introduced as part of the NEP?

A
  • Peasants were allowed to sell any surplus (extra) product for a profit.( this created a rich group of farmers called the kulaks) they started to produce more agriculture products and the result was that agricultural output increased in Russia
  • Factories with less than 20 workers returned to private ownership and could make a profit- the result was that industrial output increased
  • Because of the return to some form of capitalism- foreign investors started putting into Russia(through loans and investment)
24
Q

What was the result of the NEP?

A

Due to the NEP, from 1922-1927 the standard of living in Russia gradually improved because of the NEP. Lenin’s communist revolution had succeeded.

World History (4 decks)

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