The Rise of Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Ulyanov was born in 1870 to a middle-class family. Lenin was the name he
adopted when he became a revolutionary. When he was 17, his older brother was
arrested and hanged for plotting to kill Czar Alexander II. Lenin thus hated the Russian
czars, and hungered (wanted) for revenge and change.
As a young man, Lenin read Karl Marx.
At a young age, he began to spread Karl
Marxs ideas amongst the peasants and
factory workers. Lenin believed that since
most of the people in Russia were the
proletariats (poor workers), socialist
ideas would definitely favor them. Ideas
such as equal wages, the better of the
whole outweighs the individuals, the
government controlling all the food
supplies and resources, and the
government owning all property would appeal (attract) to the majority. In a socialist
system, the nobles would have hardly any power. Thus, he named his group the
Bolshevik Party, which translates to majority.

By August 1914, a small group of 150

revolutionaries from the Bolshevik party,
led by Lenin, was able to remove the
Russian Czar Nicholas II from this throne,
and take over a country of 150 million
people. To the workers, he promised bread
and the control of factories. To the poor
peasants, he offered land that would be
taken away from wealthy nobles. To the
Russian soldiers fighting on the Eastern
Front, he promised peace and an end to
Russias involvement in World War I.
Lenin negotiated a peace treaty with Germany to remove Russia from World War I.
Lenin believed he had gained supported from the majority.

1) Why were Lenin and the Bolshevik Party able to gain control over Russia so
easily? (Think about the peoples feelings at the time, as well as what Lenin stood
for) Give specific examples on how Bolsheviks gained control.

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On November 7, 1917, Lenin took control of the government. He executed the Russian
czar, killed his family, and killed any of Nicholass supporters. Although the Bolshevik
Party took control of the Russian government in 1917, they faced many problems. There
were severe (large) food shortages, factories breaking down, and railroads that were in
need of repairs. In addition, Japan and Germany received land from Russia in the Treaty
of Versailles, making Russia smaller.
Within the country, other revolutionary
groups formed, having their own ideas
and having a desire to form their own
new country. As a result, Lenin decided
he needed to become a dictator. He

formed an army, and gave himself absolute power. Any person or group that was a
threat to the Bolshevik government was killed, tortured or imprisoned. Also when it
came to elections, Lenin decided that only members of the Bolshevik Party could run
for office. To make sure land was being sold fairly, the government took control of all the
land in Russia. They controlled the factories, and decided what to produce and how much
to produce. Nobody could keep anything they made or produce. Nobody could own
property. Any extra food, supplies, or resources had to be given to the government.
Failure to do so would result in punishment and perhaps death. Government would decide
how to distribute the resources, how much to make of a product, and whom would get it.
Part 2 Using the lines provided, answer the following question. Your answer should be
AT LEAST 8 SENTENCES. If its less, HALF CREDIT will be given. Be sure to
provide plenty of evidence, examples, analysis, and argument in your answer.
2) Was Lenin a good leader for the Russian people? Is this the leader Russia
needed? Is he different than the old Russian Czars? Be specific and use examples to
support your argument. (To impress me, try to add the counter argument to your
answer )
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Part 3 Choose the best answer for each multiple-choice question below.
1) Which statement best describes a relationship between World War I and the Bolshevik
Revolution?
A) World War I created conditions in Russia that helped trigger a revolution
B) World War I postponed the revolution in Russia by restoring the confidence in the
czar
C) World War I gave the Czars army the needed experience to suppress the revolution
D) Opposing Russian forces cooperated to fight the foreign invaders
2) During the Russian Revolution of 1917, the slogan Peace, Land, and Bread appealed
to many Russian peasants because this slogan
A) called for continued Russian expansion in East Asia
B) addressed the needs and concerns of the Russian peasants
C) supported an increase in the power of the Russian Czar
D)promised to return all peasants to serfdom

3) In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels expressed the idea that
A) religion should be the most important factor in society
B) power should be determined by a persons wealth
C) profits from work should belong to the workers
D) supply and demand should control prices

Part 4 Extra Credit - Complete the matching column below only if you finished parts
1-3
1)__________ Vladimir Ulyanov

A) Lenins real name

2)__________ Proletariat

B) Lenins offering to the factory workers

3)__________ Peace
4)__________ Land

C) Czar overthrown by Lenin and the Bolsheviks

D) Followers of Lenin who took control of Russia in 1917

5)__________ Bread
6)__________ Nicholas II
7)__________ Bolshevik Party
soldier
8) _________ Vladimir Lenin
9)___________ Karl Marx

E) Workers
F) Leader of the Bolshevik party
G) Lenins offering to the World War I
H) Lenins offering to the peasants
I) Creator of the theory of socialism