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=//__Russian (Bolshevik) Revolution:__// =

__**Current:**__ In 1881 Alexander the 3rd, like his father, halted all reforms in Russia. He clung to the principles of autocracy-form of government in which he had total power. Those who spoke a different language, questioned authority, or worshiped outside the orthodox church was known as dangerous. He wanted to wipe out all revolutionaries. He imposed strict censorship codes on published materials and written documents. He had secret police watch secondary schools and universities. Teachers had to send detailed reports on every student and if they seemed dangerous they would send the people to Siberia or a remote region of eastern Russia. Alexander the 3r also oppressed other national groups within Russia. He made Russian the official language of the empire and forbid the use of other languages such as Polish. He also made Jews the target of persecution. When Nickolas the 2nd became czar he continued the tradition of autocracy. unfortunatly this blinded him of the changing conditions of his time. Rapid industrialization stirred discontent among the people of Russia. To try and improved their lives, workers unhappy with their low standard of living and lack of political power began to organize strikes...

__**Ideal:**__ Several revolutionary movements began to grow and compete for power. A group that fallowed the views of Karl Marx were known as the Marxist revolutionaries and they believed that the industrial class of workers would over throw the czar. These workers would then form a "dictatorship of the proletariat" this meant that the workers would rule the country. Later in 1903 the marxists split into two groups over revolutionary tactics. The two groups were known as the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks.The more moderate Mensheviks wanted a broad base of popular support for the revolution. The more radical Bolsheviiks supported a small number of committed revolutionaries willing to sacrifice everything for chhange. The major leader of the Bolsheviks was Vladimire Ilyich Ulyanov, also known as Lenin. He was an excellent organizer and ruthless. He had to flee to Europe to avoid arrest. He stayed in contact with the Bolsheviks untill he could safely return to Russia. On january 22, 1905 workers and their families marched to the winter palace with a petition for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature. This march soon turned in to what is know as bloody sunday. In 1914 Nicholas the 2nd made the decision to drag Russia in to world war 1. Russia was unprepared to handle it. It lead to defeat after defeat. Before a year had passed 4 million soldiers were killed, injured or taken prisoner. This showed how week the the czar and military leadership was.

__**Outcome:**__ War and revolution destroyed the Russian economy. Trade was at a standstill, and workers fled to other countries. Lenin after his return turned to reviving the economy and restructuring the government. In march 1921 lenin created a small-scale version of capitalism known as the "new economic policy." Under it, it allowed peasants to sell their surplus crops instead of turning them into the government. The government kept control of major industries, banks, and means of communication, but it let some factories, buisnesses and farms to operate under private ownership. The government also encouraged foreign investment. Bolshevik leaders saw nationalism as a threat so lenin organized Russia into several self-governing republics under the central government to keep nationalism in check. In 1922 the country was named the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Bolsheviks renamed their party the Communist Party. In 1924 the Communist Party created a constitution based on social and democratic principles The Communist group had all the power. Back in 1922 Lenin suffered from a stroke. He survived but the incident set forth a competition for the heading up of the Communist party. Two men were eligable: Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. Stalin was cold, hard and impersonal. He ruthlessly climbed to the top. Lenin believed that Stalin was a dangerous man and didn't think he could handle the power in the right ways. Lenin died in 1924. By 1928 Stalin was in full command of the Communist party. Trotsky was sent into exile in 1929, so he was no longer a threat. Stalin now stood poised to weild absolute power as a dictator.