The document provides background information on communism and the Russian Revolution. It discusses Karl Marx's philosophy of communism and how it influenced Lenin and the Bolsheviks. It then summarizes the key events of the 1905 Russian Revolution, World War 1, the February Revolution of 1917 which overthrew the Tsar, and the October Revolution later in 1917 where the Bolsheviks seized power under Lenin and established Soviet rule.

1. Unit 1.1: Communism &
The Russian Revolution
THE SETTLERS HIGH SCHOOL
GRADE 11
TOPIC 1: COMMUNISM IN RUSSIA 1900-1940

2. How was communism applied
in Russia under Lenin & Stalin?
•20th century communism & capitalism
•Idea that the working classes would
overthrow capitalism & create a communist
society –[ Karl Marx 19th century philosopher]

3. •Communism: A system in which different
classes are abolished and the state controls
all aspects of life
•Communism from a French word
commun which means ‘belonging to all’
•Capitalism: A system in which those who
own wealth (e.g. financiers and
industrialists) have political and economic
power

4. What is Communism?
•Ideas of communism were developed during
the Industrial Revolution (19th century)
•IR resulted in a large gap in wealth between
a small number of rich people & the majority
of people who were poor
•Capitalism the economic system that
developed during industrialisation
•[adopted in Western Europe & North
America]

6. •Some philosophers & reformers spoke out
against the inequality in society due to
economic wealth
•Called for a society in which people shared
ownership & resources

7. • would result in a fairer place:
•Reduce divisions in society; lead to
cooperation vs competition & conflict
•Suggested an alternative form of
government
•Socialism [a system in which all classes have
equal opportunities] or communism

8. Key features of the theory of
communism:
•Resources [land, mines, factories, etc.] are
owned by the state; on behalf of the
people; no private ownership; all profits
used for the benefit of society as a whole
•Greater equality; no class divisions caused
by an unequal spread of wealth

9. •Government control of the economy [all
decisions to be centrally planned by it]
•Housing, medical services, the education
system, and all social services provided free
by the state
•Equality & common good are valued more
than individual freedom

10. The Writings of Karl Marx (1818- 1883)
•Karl Marx (German philosopher)
•Concerned about the social inequalities
resulting from the IR
•Believed that in a Capitalist system , it was
morally wrong for a few wealthy individuals to
exploit the mass of workers
•Would lead to conflict & Capitalism would fail

11. •His theory was called Marxism
•Based on belief that all human history was
based on a struggle between those who had
wealth & power, & those who were poor &
powerless
•Industrial Age, the struggle was between the
capitalists & proletariat (owned only their
labour)

12. •Marx believed- that the proletariat would
have to use an armed revolution to bring
about change
•Workers would then establish a
‘dictatorship of the proletariat’
•[inflexible government control by the former
working class]

13. •Workers would have to nationalise the
factories, banks, land & communication
networks in order to redistribute wealth in
society
•Eventually Marx believed, that there would
be no need for governments,
•All people would be free & equal in a perfect
communist society Utopia

14. •Marx thought that a
proletariat revolution
would happen first in an
industrialised country (eg
Britain or Germany)
•surprisingly, the first
communist revolution
took place in Russia, a
country where most
people were peasant
farmers

15. Classwork: Activity 1, p. 10

16. Answers: Activity 1, p. 10

22. Remedial Task:
Last year you studied the French Revolution. This year we are going to
study the Russian Revolution. Use your knowledge of the French
Revolution to:
1. show the difference between revolution and reform.
2. explain the concept of an absolute monarchy.

23. A Revolution takes place when the majority of people in a country
disagrees with the way the country is run and violently overthrow the
government and start their own government.
Reform is when the government of a country brings about change
within the laws of the country to accommodate the people.

24. Absolute monarchy. Rule by one person — a monarch, usually a king or
a queen — whose actions are restricted neither by written law nor by
custom; a system different from a constitutional monarchy and from a
republic. Absolute monarchy persisted in France until 1789 and in
Russia until 1917.

25. Russia in the early 20th cent: issues that
led to the 1905 revolution
•Russia was ruled by a Tsar, or emperor
•Had absolute power
•Most Russians were poverty stricken
peasants
•Few owned their own land
•Depended on the landowning noble for
shelter & food
•There was an urgent need for land reform

27. •Industry: Russia lagged far behind the rest of
Europe
•By 1900 16% of the population worked in
factories
•Low wages; poor working conditions & living
conditions
•Majority of the population was illiterate

28. •Wide range of opposition existed but could not
openly criticise the government
•One group the Social Democrats split into two
groups:
•Mensheviks (the minority) believed in building
the organisation slowly, once they had mass
support they would take power
•The more radical Bolsheviks (the majority)
wanted a direct and immediate revolution to
overthrow the Tsarist government

29. •The political system, the social structure, the
economic conditions & the spread of
revolutionary ideas were all causes of
revolution in Russia
•3 Revolutions: one in 1905 & two in 1917

30. The 1905 Revolution
•A revolution broke out
when soldiers fired on
200 000 workers
•They had marched to
the Winter Palace in St
Petersburg
•To present a petition to
the tsar

31. •Asked for improved working conditions & basic
human rights
•Unbeknown to the masses, the Tsar Nicholas
had fled the city
•As they drew closer to the palace, the troops
opened fire, killing & wounding hundreds of
workers
•Became known as ‘Bloody Sunday’ Massacre
•Sparked off strikes, demonstrations, riots,
munities & unrest throughout Russia

33. •Workers in St Petersburg formed the first
soviet [a council formed by workers as an
alt form of government] to organise the
protests and put together workers’
demands
•Armed forces remained loyal to the Tsar
•Tsar responded by closing down the soviet
•Established the first duma [ parliament]

34. All adult men could vote & the duma could
pass new laws
Lenin did not believe that it would lead to
real change
Proved correct tsar dismissed the first two
dumas
He felt their demands were too radical
He made sure the duma had no real power

35. Trotsky’s role in mobilising the masses
& influencing Lenin
•After the 1905 revolution:
•Trotsky argued that there was no need for
Russia to wait until it was fully industrialised
before there was a revolution
•A small but unified urban working class
could start a revolution in a mainly rural
peasant society

36. Trotsky’s influence on Lenin
•Lenin was influenced by the experience of
1905 and Trotsky's ideas about the
importance of organising the industrial
workers to lead the revolution without
alliances with other classes or parties
•Lenin believed that a small &well organised
group of vanguard revolutionaries could
bring change

37. The link between the 1905 & 1917
revolutions
•1905 revolution was defeated influenced the
1917 revolution that followed
•Showed mass participation of workers &
peasants powerful force for change
•Influenced later leaders such as Trotsky & Lenin
•1905 revolution showed that the Tsarist
government was strong enough to keep control
•By 1917 this had changed

38. WWI [1914] led to the downfall of the tsar

39. Rasputin with Tsar Nicholas
II and Tsarina Alexandra
1. What would this
drawing be used for?
2. How is the Tsar
portrayed in this
image? What does it
say about his
leadership?
3. How is Rasputin
portrayed?

40. •Russia joined the Allies
•Badly prepared for war; lacked money for
weapons, to feed, clothe & train soldiers
•Defeated several times by Germany
•Many Russian soldiers began to desert the
army

41. •Hundreds of factories closed down
•They were affected by conscription
•There was a shortage of raw materials, fuel
& labour
•By 1917, Russia was in a state of crisis

42. Classwork/Homework:
Activity 2, p.14

44. The February Revolution
•February 1917 unemployment, rising prises
& food shortages
•Led to demonstrations in the capital,
Petrograd [new name for St Petersburg]
•Soldiers sent to crush the protests openly
supported the demonstrators
•Tsar was persuaded to abdicate by his
ministers and generals

46. Political, Economic & Social
Causes of February Revolution
Political: defeats in WWI; ineffective Tsarist
government & inability to crush protests
Economic: Effects of WWI; food shortages;
rising food prices
Social: Discontent caused by WWI; long term
inequality in Russian Society; Rising unrest in
towns
Resulted in the February Revolution

47. •The duma appointed a Provisional
Government from its own members
•Members lacked experience & authority to
tackle problems
•Introduced some liberal reforms allowed
political exiles to return e.g. LENIN; TROTSKY
& STALIN
•Allowed freedom of speech and of the press

48. •But did not tackle the most pressing
issues such as land redistribution among the
peasants
•Decided to continue fighting in WWI
•People lost faith in government; elected
soviets to govern factories & entire cities
•Trotsky switched to the Bolsheviks &
became leader of the Petrograd Soviet

49. PEACE, BREAD, LAND
•Lenin’s slogans ‘Peace, Bread, Land’ & “All
Power to Soviets” won wide support for the
Bolsheviks
•As WWI continued more & more soldiers
deserted from the army joined the
Bolsheviks
•Provisional Government blamed the
Bolsheviks for causing protests & riots
•Lenin fled to Finland to escape arrest

50. •In the countryside, peasants were impatient
•Provisional Government had done nothing
about land reforms
•Revolted; killed landlords & seized land
•Troops sent to crush resistance caused
violence to escalate
•Soldiers who had deserted by the thousands
hoped to get a share of the land

51. The October Revolution
•Support for the Bolsheviks continued to
grow
•By October 1917 they were strong enough
to take action
•Lenin returned (from Finland) & with
Trotsky, made plans to seize power

53. •Bolshevik coup was carried out on 25
October 1917
•Red Guards seized key points in Petrograd
such as government buildings
•Stormed the Winter Palace (seat of
Provisional Government)

54. •Next day, Lenin announced the
establishment of the Soviet of People
Commissars, a new government to introduce
communist rule in Russia
•It took a week for the Bolsheviks to gain
control of Moscow
•There were minor clashes in other centres
•In general the Bolsheviks faced little or no
resistance

55. Political, Economic & Social cause of
the October Revolution
Political:
•Opposition to Provisional Government
•Return of revolutionary leaders from exile
•Successful Bolshevik propaganda
•Growing powers of soviets
•Formation of the Red Guards

56. •Economic:
•Failure to introduce land reforms
•Continuing economic problems
•Social:
•Continuing inequality & unrest
•Desertions from the army