The Russian Revolution 1905-1941

Absolute ruler
Nicholas II No parliament Complete power

The government of the Tsar was unpopular

Peasants: 75% Very poor, used inefficient farming methods

Industrial workers: Poor living conditions, low wages.

Land owned to small noble class

 The Church taught that the Tsar must be obeyed

In 1905, Russia was defeated by Japan

Strikes Demonstrations Bloody Sunday

 Troops fired into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators in St Petersburg Nearly a popular revolution

1905: War lost

Food shortages=demonstrations and strikes

Whats capitalism?
Capitalism is the economic system based on business This is unjust because thousands of workers were receiving very low wages for labour that made a small elite class very rich.

The country needed peace for the reforms

But..

While
Tsars family was influenced by Rasputin He was finally killed by angry nobles in 1916

Problems of Russia during WW1

Food shortages High casualties Shortage of munitions Bad military leadership Inflation

Revolutionary Parties
Bolsheviks Mensheviks Cadet Party (KDT)

Revolutions
1905: First demands February 1917 October 1917

February revolution of 1917

Demonstrations and food riots in the capital of Petrograd

 Tsar Soldiers were ordered to fire on the mobs

Bolshevik forces marching on Red Square.

 Many refused and deserted to join the rioting workers

 The Tsar gave up the throne

A photograph of Czar Nicholas II taken after his abdication in March 1917

Provisional Goverment

 Leadership of Prince Lvov til July

 Later, Kerensky

 Russia was now a Republic

 Opposition leaded by the Bolsheviks

Revolutionary opposition was widespread

SRP (Social Revolutionary Party) wanted a peasants revolt SDLP (Social Democratic Labour Party) wanted a Communist state Many leaders had been in exile

SRP (Social Revolutionary Party) wanted a peasants revolt

SDLP (Social Democratic Labour Party) wanted a Communist state

SDLP
Marxist Party in Russia They hoped to create a situation where a Marxist revolution could take place The party quarrelled and it split into 2

Bolcheviks
The Majority Lenin

Mencheviks
The Minority Martov

Marxism

Communist Manifesto (1848)

Engels

Concepts
Class struggle (=lucha de clases) Proletariat (=Proletariado) Bourgeois revolution (=Revolucin Burguesa) Wither away (=Dictatorship of the Proletariat, dictadura del proletariado)

Class struggle (=lucha de clases)

Proletariat (=Proletariado)

Bourgeois revolution (=Revolucin Burguesa)

Wither away (=Dictatorship of the Proletariat, dictadura del proletariado)

Marxism
History has been a process of development towards an ideal society

Change comes because of a class struggle between rich, middle class (bourgeoisie) and working class (proletariat)

Class struggle = Lucha de clases

Proletariat has been exploited by the rich and later by the bourgeoisie

Monarchy was a Feudal system dominated by the rich upper class.

This would be replaced by a bourgeois revolution, setting up an Industrial Capitalist state

Eventually the state would wither away

Feudal peasants work

Profit to Landlord

Industrial workers labour

Profit to factory owners

Communism
Profits of labour shared!!

Surplus value = Plusvala

The basis for capital accumulation.

2. How did the Bolsheviks gain power, and how did they consolidate their rule?
The SDLP were the Marxist Party in Russia. The Bolsheviks, the majority, came out of the SDLP. Lenin was the leader.

Lenin April Theses

Urged revolution

 Promised Peace, bread, land and freedom

 WWI was a capitalist war

Power should be given to the Soviets

Soviets are elected committees of workers, peasants and soldiers

Demanded a revolution against the Provisional Government

Provisional Governments problems

Inflation

 Food shortages

WW1

 Network of Soldiers (Petrograd Soviet) became an alternative government

 Soviets Order number 1:

Soldiers shouldnt obey orders from the Provisional Government

More actions
Bolcheviks gained support among
Workers Soldiers

July 1917
Bolsheviks tried to take control of government, but they were defeated
Riots during the failed bolshevik uprising of july 1917, Petrograd.

Lenin forced to leave the country

Kerensky turned public opinion against him

Leon Trotsky set up the Red Guards Bolshevik military force

Bosheviks won control of the soviets

Trotsky was made Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet

Peasants attacked Kulaks and took land from Church and the nobles

Soldiers deserted from the army

October Revolution 1917

Bolsheviks central Comittee under Lenin voted on October for revolution

 There were only 250,000 Bolsheviks controlling a small part of Russia

 Many people against them

 Civil War
1918-1922 Against Red Army and AntiCommunist forces The Red Army won. Creation of the 1st communist state.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Talking too much, helping the enemy

 Long hours of working for low wages

"The dreams of the people, came true"

 Much work done by Labour Camps

We, they
Targets used as Propaganda tools

"To whom goes all national profits? In the USSR, to the workers."

In USSR, in USA

"Two worlds, two plans: We propagate live. They sow death!"

The European Community

Communism in China

 XIX cent.
Wars against Russia and Japan. Pu yi abdicated in 1912

1921
Creation of KMT (Kuomintang)
Chinese National Party Leader: Chiang kai-Shek

Chinese Communist Party

Leader: Mao Zedong

1927
USA+UK

1934

1937
Japan invaded China

"The happy life that Chairman Mao has given us."