General Overview of Communism

1
General Overview of Communism the Russian
Revolution

• AP World History
• Chapter 22
• The Rise and Fall of World Communism (1917
  Present)

2
Communism A General Overview

• Socialism the belief that the economy should be
  controlled by society, either directly or through
  the government
• Believe in a classless society, equal
  distribution of wealth, gender equality, etc.
• How is communism different?
• It really isnt very different ? think of
  communists as extreme socialists
• Socialists believe their ideal society can be
  achieved slowly through progression and evolution
  of the government
• Communists believe this society can only be
  achieved by overthrowing the government

3
Communism A General Overview

• Cold War 1946 1991
• Global rivalry between the Soviet Union and the
  U.S.
• Capitalism vs. Communism
• Divided continents, countries, and cities
• Spawned the space race
• Spawned a dangerous arms race focused on nuclear
  weapons

4
Communism A General Overview
Major countries/regions in the communist bloc

• The Soviet Union
• Eastern Europe
• China
• North Korea
• North Vietnam

• Laos
• Cambodia
• Cuba
• Afghanistan

5
Communism A General Overview

• During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and its
  allies were brought together by
• Warsaw Pact military alliance designed to
  counter NATO
• Council on Mutual Economic Assistance tied
  together the economies of the Soviet Union and
  those of Eastern European countries

6
Communism A General Overview

• Communist parties also existed in non-communist
  countries
• 1950s small communist party developed in the
  U.S.
• Sparked fear and political repression
• McCarthyism movement of political repression
  against communists in the U.S. ? involved making
  accusations of disloyalty and treason without
  proper regard for evidence
• Many people lost their jobs, had their careers
  destroyed, or were even imprisoned without any
  evidence that they were communists or communist
  sympathizers

7
The Russian Revolution(1917)
8
Pre-Revolutionary Russia

• Only true autocracy left in Europe
• No type of representative political institutions
• Nicholas II became czar in 1884
• Last ruler from the Romanov family
• Believed he was the absolute ruler anointed by
  God
• Russo-Japanese War (1904) defeat for Russia in
  this war led to political instability

9
Russia in WWI

• Suffered harsh defeats
• Shortages of both food and weapons
• Morale in the Russian army hit rock bottom
• Russian civilians suffering at home too
• All supplies food went to the army, not them
• Demanded PEACE AND BREAD!
• These losses in WWI made Czar Nicholas II very
  unpopular

Russian soldiers running from advancing German
troops
10
Czar Nicholas II Alexandra

• Alexandra Czar Nicholas IIs wife
• Both the Czar and his wife very unpopular
  because they were politically incompetent and
  foolish
• Both relied on the guidance of a mystic healer
  named Rasputin
• This also made them look weak and silly

11
Rasputin

• Known as the mad monk
• Wandered around Russia, claiming to have special
  powers
• Czar his wife asked him to cure their son
• He had hemophilia
• Built up a bad reputation in St. Petersburg
• Slept with dozens of women
• Alcoholic

12
Alexis Alexandras Son with Hemophilia
13
Death of Rasputin

• Killed by the Czars relatives in 1916 to save
  the monarchy
• 1st served cake and wine laced with cyanide
• No effect stayed alive
• 2nd shot several times
• No effect stayed alive staggering around
  wounded and bleeding
• 3rd the men pushed his body through a hole in
  an iced-over river
• Moved about for several minutes before dying

14
The March Revolution of 1917

• People organized strikes and protests demanding
  food and fuel
• Soldiers who were sent to stop the protests ended
  up joining the protestors
• Czar Nicholas II abdicated (gave up) his power on
  March 15, 1917
• End of the 300-year Romanov dynasty in Russia

15
The Provisional Government

• Provisional Government temporary central
  government in Russia after the Czar stepped down
• Led by Alexander Kerensky
• Saw the war effort as the 1 priority
• Had to deal with soldiers deserting,
  transportation problems, low arms production, etc.

16
The Provisional Government

• Russian masses wanted 3 things
• 1) Immediate peace withdrawal from WWI
• 2) Transfer of land to the peasants
• 3) Control of factories by workers
• Provisional government did not pull Russia out of
  the war and did not enact any social reforms
• Lost popularity
• Led to its downfall

17
The Bolsheviks

• Bolsheviks radical revolutionary group in
  Russia
• Wanted a socialist society in Russia
• Led by Vladimir Lenin
• Slogan Peace, land, and bread!

18
The Russian Revolution

• November 1917
• Also known as the Bolshevik Revolution
• Bolsheviks staged a coup detat in St. Petersburg
• Overthrew the provisional government
• Members of the provisional government fled or
  were arrested
• Relatively bloodless
• Bolsheviks claimed absolute power

19
The Russian Revolution

• Bolsheviks began building a socialist state
• Ended private ownership of property
• Distributed land among the peasants
• Gave workers control of factories and mines
• Bolshevik Party officially renamed the
  Communist Party in March 1918
• Wanted to spread the Communist revolution
  throughout the world

20
Peace with Germany

• Lenins 1st order of business get Russia out of
  WWI
• Signed peace treaty with Germany in March 1918
• Russia lost much of its western territory and 1/3
  of its population

Peace Conference between Russia and Germany
21
Russian Civil War

• 1918 1921
• Communists vs. their political opponents
• Political opponents Royalists, Liberal
  Democrats, Moderate Socialists, Landlords, etc.
• Communists the Reds
• Their opponents the Whites

22
Russian Civil War The Red Army

• Communist Army called the Red Army
• Led by Leon Trotsky

23
Russian Civil War

• Both sides burned villages and killed civilians
• In the meantime workers and peasants were
  starving and the Russian economy was crumbling

24
Russian Civil War The Terror

• Bolsheviks imposed a policy called war
  communism
• Took direct control over all industries
• Forced peasants to send food to the cities
• Killed the imprisoned Czar his family
• Set up secret police force the Cheka
• Arrested (and often executed) anyone considered
  an enemy of the revolution
• Placed severe restrictions on the Russian
  Orthodox Church
• Communists anti-religion

25
Russian Civil War

• Whites surrendered in 1921
• Outnumbered, disorganized, poorly equipped armies
• Lenin and the Communists then had complete
  control of Russia
• Lenin ruled from 1921-1924
• State of Russia horrible
• From 1914-1921 27 million Russians had died
• Economy in shambles
• Peasants still starving

26
Lenin in Power

• 1922 Russia becomes USSR Union of Soviet
  Socialist Republics Soviet Union
• New constitution written makes it a socialist
  state
• In theory Soviet Union supposed to be run by
  the workers
• But really the Communist Party did

27
Lenin in Power

• Lenin died in 1924 at the age of 54

28
Trotsky vs. Stalin

• Fought for power after Lenin died
• Leon Trotsky leader of the Red Army during the
  Civil War
• Joseph Stalin General Secretary of the
  Communist Party
• Difference Trotsky wanted to spread Communism
  all over the world immediately Stalin wanted to
  make it strong in the Soviet Union first

29
Trotsky vs. Stalin

• Trotsky closer to Lenin and more well-known
• Stalin outmaneuvered Trotsky politically
• Ability to remove and appoint government
  officials
• Once he gained control of the government, he
  exiled Trotsky to Siberia in 1929
• Trotsky eventually moved to Mexico City ? Stalin
  sent an assassin there to kill him

30
Joseph Stalin

• Ruled the Soviet Union from 1929 1953
• Responsible for the next major extension of
  communist control
• In Eastern Europe after WWII
• Soviet military forces already there after the
  war ? stayed there to help impose communist
  regimes per Stalins orders
• Stalin wanted to be surrounded by friendly
  governments as security against invasions from
  the West