Social Democratic Labor Party
Founded in 1898
-they were not any more revolutionary than the Social Revolutionary Party
-saw revolution as an international movement (most members were exiles in Europe and believed a revolution in Russia would change the rest of Europe as well)
-believed Russia must have capitalism, an industrialist proletariat, and a modern form of class struggle BEFORE revolution

3.  What signs of dissatisfaction could be discerned in Russia at the opening of the 20th century ? Of what significance was the war with Japan?

Nicholas II wouldn't make any concessions to the people.
-people asked for 8 hr days, a minimum wage of 1 ruble, a duma
-They didn't get anything!
-Turn of the century the underground political parties begin surfacing (constitutional democratic, social revolutionary, social democratic parties were all founded
-proves the opposition to the tsarist government.
-local insurrections against tax collectors and landlords begin and strikes by factory workers becoming more numerous.

RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR led to the Revolution of 1905 which made the ball start rolling
-1904 War broke out
-Russia is the first white peoples to be defeated by non-whites ( bad on the ego)
-Russian gov't weakened- turns attention to Balkans which end up leading to WWI
-tsarist gov't loses respect and military strength
-this causes underground movements to arise due to how disgusted the people were of an incompetent gov't,which leads to the revolution of 1905 which then preludes the Russian Revolution

4. Describe the background and nature of the Revolution of 1905. What actually was the result?

At the Beginning of the 1900’s , the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Social Revolutionary Party, and the Social Democratic Party were founded, peasants were rising against landlords and tax collectors, and factory workers refused to work. These people were discontent with a tsarist regime that refused to listen to its people. In an attempt to gain popularity, the Russian government waged a war with Japan. This war was so embarrassingly unsuccessful that it had the opposite effect on the people’s sentiments.

Next came “Bloody Sunday.” A priest was allowed by the police to organize St. Petersburg’s factory workers in hopes of swaying their beliefs against the government. These people believed that Nicholas II was simply unaware of the hardships they faced, and that if they told him, he would help them. They made a petition asking for an 8 – hour workday, minimum wage, and a representative government; then, a group of 200,000 men, women, and children came together in front of Nicholas’s palace to show their respect to him. He was not there and his troops began to shoot at the demonstrators. The workers saw that Nicholas was not on their side.

After “Bloody Sunday” many political strikes came up. Workers and peasants revolted along with people from the new political parties, who all tried to gain leadership – they all wanted more democratic representation in government. The Tsar made as little consents to the people as possible, so there were still revolts. One revolt showed the power the revolutionaries had: In October of 1905 a worker’s council, called the St. Petersburg Soviet, went on strike. This strike spread around the country - railroads and banks were closed and other professionals didn’t go to work.

Nicholas II signed the October Manifesto to stop the strikes and demonstrations. In the Manifesto, Nicholas promised a constitution, civil liberties, and a representative body called the Duma. Though this stopped the revolts, the Russian people now knew what a revolution could bring and were still not satisfied.

5. Explain the objectives and accomplishment of Stolypin. What sources of discontent persisted in the countryside despite his reforms?

To put a check on the revolutionaries and to strengthen the control of the monarchy, the Russian government hired Peter Stolypin to make a program of reforms. His strategy was to make private property owners (upper class) “friends of the state.”

He gave the zemstvos more power, in which landowners participated in local affairs, and made changes for peasants. He got rid of the mirs, village communities of peasant farmers, and abolished whatever redemption payments they had left. The peasants could sell their part of the communal rights then buy land from other peasants or the gentry. This created a new class of “big farmers,” who had large tracts of land which were worked by hired help and produced cash crops. Since Stolypin allowed peasants to sell out of the mirs, a new class of migratory workers came up. These people either worked for “big farmers” or found jobs in the city. A new mobile labor force and cash crops for the market furthered Russia’s industrialization.

Stolypin’s plan was successful, but many peasants who had stayed in the mirs were unhappy. There was a land shortage in the richest, most ideal areas of farming and they needed more land and were impoverished. Also, they resented the “big farmers.”

6.  Why did dissatisfaciton with the wartime tsarist regime emerge?

-The causes of the crisis of March 1917
-World War I
-the failure of Nicholas II to keep his promise to bring constitutional gov’t to Russia
-Russian soldiers at the war front suffered 6 million casualties by 1916
-Rasputin murdered by a group of aristocrats
-citizens were not being given enough food

what happened?

-March 8, 1917: bread riots took place (mostly women), and men walked off their jobs at factories. Cp. The October Days in the French Revolution

-March 10, 1917: the army begins to mutiny

-March 11, 1917: Nicholas II orders the dissolution of the Duma and orders strikers to go back to their jobs

-The Temporary Committee of the Duma (Duma members…cp. Third Estate under Abbe Sieyes) fought with the Societ of Workers’ and Soldiers Deputies (radical group) for control of the revolutionaries

-March 15, 1917: Nicholas realizes that his life is in dangers and abdicates the throne. Originally he abdicates it in favor of his brother Michael, but Michael says no way, Jose!

-from March until November, a Provisional Gov’t rules controlled by members of the Duma under Prince Lvov and Alexander Kerensky

-the Provisional Gov’t wanted to create a republic similar to the United States, they wanted leadership to be “middle-class” intellectuals, there was a strong turn against the aristocracy

-Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky return from exile, and the Bolshevik revolution occurs, followed by the Great Civil War (whites against reds), then Russia becomes the Soviet Union and War Communism is introduced, followed by Lenin’s New Economic Policy…Communism becomes permanent gov't

8. Explain the appeal of Lenin's program. What action did Lenin take with respect to the war?

Lenin's New Economic Plan (NEP) was started in an attempt to check the rampant growth of socialism with a touch of capitalism, and for about a decade or so, the plan work relatively well. The basic problem revolved around the break down of trade between the town and the country (bourgeois vs. the proletarians). While industry, banking, transportation, and foreign trade remained under governmental control, the individual citizen was encourage to be "innovative" in the sense that they could keep or sale excess profits. The NEP supported the big individualist farmer (kulak) and the sprouting or the "neobourgeois", replaced food levyies with a food tax, and the government agreed to start a literacy program.

9. In what sense was "war communism" a "mixture of principle and expendiency"? How did these policies lead to trouble with the peasants?

(1921-1927) While minimal advantages were achieved during "war communism" such as the westernization of the Gregoran calendar, most of the effects were self-seeking and pointless on the Bolsheviks part and did nothing other than further persecute the people. Nationalization, moving the capitol to Moscow, and taking away of establishments (banks, churches, etc.) proved nothing more than expediency. "War communism" caused huge problems with the peasants. Because of "war communism," the peasants were only able to cultivate 62 percent of the land that they did in 1914. This lack of production combined with a severe drought caused a horrific famine killing millions. Combined with trying to feed the Red Army, the upheaval of banks, factories, and churches, the peasants' already dire situation worsened.

10.  What factors helped the Bolsheviks to triumph?

12. Why was the problem of nationalities important in Russia? Describe the Soviet response to the nationalities problem (a) in theory and (b) in practice.

The problems on nationalities was important in Russia because there were so many different slavic ethnic groups with in the population. Nationalism had taken hold of Europe and every group wanted their own "true" country. Russia was faced with the task of uniting all of her peoples if she wanted to keep her minerally and agriculturally rich lands west of Siberia.

a. Soviet Response - theory

Post-Revolution of 1917 - Lenin's tactic was to get "All power to the Soviet!" and to make all of the peoples strive for the common goals of withdrawal from the Great War, overthrow the opressive tsarist regime, and the formation of a socialist government.

a. USSR - (text page 755) "The federal principal in the USSR was designed to answer the problem of nationalism." Different nationalities were encouraged to maintain traditions, continue using their native tounges, and to keep ethnic costumes. There was no tsarist "Russification." Within the soviet republics were autonomous republics and regions had representation in the Soviet of Nationalities -- which by its very name recognizes that there were various ethnic "nations."

b. Soviet Response - practice

Post-Revolution of 1917 - Lenin used force and threats to take power from Karensky, who was favored as the government leader in Lenin's free election. The Russian Civil War displayed the resistance to Lenin's communism as well as the nationalism of the ethnic groups. The Russian provinces of Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Siberia declared themselves to be independent and the Soviets set about reconquering the states. The peaceful unity of nations that Lenin dreamed of was coerced into being by war.

b. USSR - (txt pg 755-56) In reality the different nations were overpowered by the main Russian SFSR. Separatism was rampant in the early days of the USSR and never wholly died down. The supposed economic and political freedom that the separate nations enjoyed never truly existed because of the overpowering Russian influence in the federal government.

14) Explain the background, nature and results of the New Economic policy.

Text, pg 760
1921-1927
Following WWI, the Russian Revolution, Civil War, etc, Russian economy was TERRIBLE.
Lenin felt that socialization had evolved too quickly and a change was needed.
Under NEP, the state continued to own many industries, however, the gov't took a step back and allowed private trading and profit among citizens.
This restored trade between "town and country"
Also created new classes (not very communist)
Repaired "worst damages of the war and revolution"

15) What role did STALIN play in the struggle for power that took place in the years immediately following Lenin's death?

Text,pg 761
Lenin died in 1924
Immediately following his death, Lenin's contemporaries clamored for power.
There were disputes over Lenin's true intentions ie should the NEP remain or end?
Stalin= general secretary of party (Lenin had warned against him)
After expulsion of Trotsky, Stalin and party began a central planning method in which gov't plans/oversees country's whole economy ie 5 year plans for agriculture.

20.) What was the THIRD INTERNATIONAL?  What events led to the founding of the Third International?  What role did the Russian party play in its creation and operation?

“Bloody Sunday” - On January 30, 1972, soldiers from the British Army's 1st Parachute Regiment opened fire on unarmed and peaceful civilian demonstrators in the Bogside, Derry, Ireland, near the Rossville flats, killing 13 and wounding a number of others. The march, which was called to protest imprisonment, was "illegal" according to British government authorities. Imprisonment without trial was introduced by the British government on August 9, 1971. The British-government-appointed Widgery Tribunal found soldiers were not guilty of shooting dead the 13 civilians.  [WRONG BLOODY SUNDAY - - check your notes]

Rasputin - During his life, witnesses, including doctors and skeptics, concluded he possessed some inexplicable power over the Tsarevich and his deadly episodes of bleeding. This mysterious ability to heal her son was enough to convince Aleksandra that Rasputin, whatever people said of him, must have been sent by God. He also cured his girlfriend after a deadly train wreck. His influence over politics has been greatly exaggerated. Rasputin was an easy in for those who wanted to attack the Tsar's appointments and decisions, but who wouldn't confront Nicholas directly. One night in December 1916, Rasputin was invited by Prince Felix Felixovich Yussupov to visit his palace on the Moika Canal. The pretext was the opportunity for Rasputin to meet Felix's wife, Irina, who was a great beauty and niece of the Tsar. Rasputin wanted to meet Irina and was flattered by Felix's attention. Felix claims he had been nurturing a relationship with Rasputin for a number of years before the invitation, although this relationship has never been fully explained. Felix always portrayed his murder of Rasputin as a political act to save Russia. Certainly, Felix had never shown any patriotic leanings before, so his murder of Rasputin is hard to explain from a political standpoint. It may have been there was some other, more personal, reason for Felix's desire to get rid of him. Besides Felix, who was the mastermind of the plot, the Tsar's first cousin and ward Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov, and a member of the Imperial Duma, Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich, were also involved in Rasputin's killing.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk – Russia had to give Germany – Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Georgia. They also lost three other provinces to Turkey. They lost access to all warm water except the Pacific. Lost ¼ of all European territory, 40% of total population, 80% of iron, coal and mineral preserves.

“Cadets”- soldiers in training for military or naval rankings. It is slang for “pimp”.

October Manifesto – (1905) This manifesto almost stopped the revolutionary momentum. It split the opposition and weakened the strike movement, not to mention that the soldiers weren't even ready to join the workers with strikes. Although it did promise the people an imperial Duma, or parliament, and other things, the Tzar knew that he was not going to keep his promises made in this manifesto.

General Kornilov – leader of the right-winged totalitarians who attempted to seize the government in September, 1917. He was put down by Korinsky.

Constituent Assembly – On the afternoon of November 7, 1917 the 2nd Congress of Soviets convened. Out of about 650 delegates, 390 were Bolsheviks. The Mensheviks and orthodox Socialist Revolutionary's walked out in protest at the armed insurrection, but the Left Social Revolutionary's who had by now broken off and formed a separate party, remained.

Cheka – a secret police who find out who is not supporting the revolution and they execute them.

November (or October) Revolution - November 6-7, 1917 (Russia was still using the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian). It began in Petragard. Korinsky flees to England! Lenin calls for all Russian Congress of Soviets. They meet and declare provisional govt over and form a new govt called the Council of People’s Commissars. It was headed by Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky, but Lenin becomes the greatest power. They form the Cheka. On November 25 Lenin calls for a free election, but when the results do not come out the way he anticipated he threw them out. Later the Bolesheviks take control.

Red Army – the Boleshevik army (communists). They were led by Lenin as the Soviet army and later just the communist army under Stalin. They fought against Hitler under Stalin.

Leon Trotsky - Trotsky joined Lenin on the staff of Iskra (The Spark), the Communist newspaper. Trotsky and Lenin, as intellectuals, had much respect for each other, however, in 1903 at the Second Congress of the RSDLP, the Bolsheviks were led by Lenin, while Trotsky was among the Menshevik leaders. In 1905 Trotsky returned to Russia, where he participated actively in the first Russian Revolution, and in December that year he was elected President of the St Petersburg Soviet. He was included in the threesome of Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky. Trotsky and Lenin stuck together while Stalin took over with his fear mechanism.

White armies – all anti-Bolshevik and anti-Communist armies consisting of the monarchists, aristocrats, liberals, Mensheviks, Cossacks, and soldiers from supporting Western European nations, including the United States

Admiral Kolchak – leader of the White army in Siberia; minister of war in an anti-Bolshevik government set up in Omsk, Siberia; in November, carried out a coup against the Socialist Revolutionaries in the government and assumed dictatorship over Siberia proclaiming himself to be ruler of all Russia; eventually was handed over to the Bolsheviks who shot him and took over all of Siberia

Alexander Kerensky – leader of the Social Revolutionary Party; the only socialist member of the Provisional Government; served as Minister of Justice, Minister of War and finally as Prime Minister; promised to introduce democratic reforms, called for elections to a constituent assembly, and pledged to prosecute the war; overthrown in the February Revolution

Kulak – a prosperous peasant farmer; a farmer characterized by Communists as having excessive wealth

Supreme Soviet – (you told me this is the same as the central committee so I just defined the central committee)

Serge Kirov – head of Leningrad party apparatus; member of the Politburo since 1930; one of Stalin’s most trusted aids; assassinated (probably at Stalin’s order) after showing signs of leading the disaffected; Stalin used Kirov's murder to institute the party purge and the treason trials of the late 1930s

Provisional Government – coalition government formed to replace the Duma resolved by Nicholas II; ruled from March until November of 1917; consisted of moderates and one socialist (Alexander Kerensky); pledged to introduce democracy while continuing to fight in the Great War; began to change to a republican form of government like the United States; wanted the government to be run by the middle class

Prince Lvov – head of the Provisional Government when it was set up on March 14, 1917; was replaced by Kerensky

Politburo – political bureau within the Central Committee; about a dozen members; dominated discussions on policy and personnel

Central Committee –

Gosplan – agency administering Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan; determined how much of every article the country should produce, how much of the national effort should go into the formations of the capital and how much into producing articles for daily consumption, what wages all classes of workers should receive, and at what prices all goods should be exchanged

Bukharin - editor of the Soviet newspaper Pravda (meaning truth); a member of the Politburo; allied with Stalin in his ideas for sometime; lost his position when a stance he held was defeated by the Stalinist majority; in 1938, was tried publicly for treason and was executed