USSR & Communism

Communist Revolutions in Russia and China

Before the revolutions – monarchs were from a long lasting dynasty

• QING – 1644-1912

• Romanov Tsars – 1300s to 1918

PROBLEMS – economic, social class tensions, rebellions, war

Revolution part 1 – Dynasty fell and a provisionalgovernment took over (semi-democratic)

Problems continued, Provisional government failed, radicals gained power

Civil War and Communist victory

1921-1991 Soviet Union

1949 - ? Peoples Republic of China

Russian Revolution &

Communist Russia

Russia = Soviet Union = USSR

THE FALL of TSAR’s Government PROBLEMS in Russia:

lack of freedom, poor leadership, major economic problems, & food shortages.

EVENTS that challenged the Tsar’s authority: westernization, defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, “Bloody Sunday”, 1905 Revolution, & losses during World War I.

Stages of Russian Revolution1916-1917

Soldiers, rural and urban workers, & intelligentsia lead protests.

Bloodless Revolution in March 1917: the Tsar abdicated the throne and a PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT was set up.

PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT failed as

Russian losses in WWI and economic

problems continued

Radical movements gained support and

momentum.

The BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION

1917 The Bolsheviks (one of the

radical communist groups) and their

leader, Vladmir LENIN, gained

enough support and power to seize

control of the government “on behalf

of the people”

The BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION

CIVIL WAR:

1918 - 1920

Civil War began as forces against the communists fought back.

Red (Bolshevik) Army vs. White (anti-Bolshevik) Army

CIVIL WAR:

1918 - 1920

The Tsar and his

family were

executed before

the communists

won and took

complete control of

the country.

COMMUNIST RULE

Land was

redistributed

(collectivization)

Industrialization

(5-Year Plans)

Women gained

status

Military was built-

arms race

Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin

A single death is a

tragedy; a million

deaths is a statistic.

Joseph Stalin

Psycho!

“To choose one’s victims, to prepare one’s plan, to quench a strong desire for vengeance, and then to go to bed . . .there is nothing sweeter in the world.”

Josef Stalin

How bad was Stalin & his

government?• 1 million imprisoned or exiled between 1927 to

1929

• 6 to 7 million killed by an artificial famine in 1932-

1934

• 1 million executed during the ''Great Terror'' of

1937-1938

• Most other estimates from reputed scholars

and historians tend to range from between 20

and 60 million.

The Gulag System

There’s Trotsky at a Lenin speech.

Where’d he go?

There’s Trotsky again with Lenin.

Where’d he go?