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The Bolshevik RevolutionLenin Gains SupportFollowing the March (February) Revolution, an exiled Russian revolutionary named Vladimir Lenin returned home. Lenin and Leon Trotsky headed the revolutionary socialist party, the Bolsheviks. Lenin and Trotsky followed the ideas of Karl Marx. For example, Marx said that the urban workers would rise on their own and overthrow the capitalist system which was controlled by business owners, whom he called capitalists. However, Marx was vague about the post-revolutionary society. This allowed Lenin to develop his own beliefs. Russia, however, did not have a large urban working class. Therefore, Lenin suggested that an elite group of reformers – the Bolsheviks- would guide the revolution in Russia. He argued that after the revolution, a “temporary dictatorship” of party leaders would be needed because the workers could not be trusted to know their own true interests. Lenin was also critical of anyone who disputed his own ideas and labeled them a “revisionist.”Who did Lenin and Trotsky gain many of their ideas from? Who did Lenin believe should lead the revolution and why? Lenin, the leader of a radical Russian communist group known as the Bolsheviks, believed that the capitalist class in Russia was so weakened by World War I that a small “vanguard” party that appealed to workers and peasants could seize state power in Russia and over time create a communist society. Lenin’s “Call to Power” (below) reflects the forceful moves he and the revolutionary workers would adopt in toppling the liberal, provisional regime and replacing it with communist leadership. -1333509271000“CALL TO POWER,” by V.I. Lenin, October 24, 1917“The situation is critical in the extreme. In fact it is now absolutely clear that to delay the uprising would be fatal. With all my might I urge comrades to realize that everything now hangs by a thread; that we are confronted by problems which are not to be solved by conferences or congresses (even a congress of Soviets), but exclusively by peoples, by the masses, by the struggle of the armed people...“History will not forgive revolutionaries for procrastinating when they could be victorious today. While they risk losing much tomorrow, in fact, they risk losing everything. If we seize power today, we seize it not in opposition to the Soviets [workers’ committees] but on their behalf…“It would be an infinite crime on the part of the revolutionaries were they to let the chance slip, knowing that the salvation of the revolution, the offer of peace, the salvation of Petrograd, salvation from famine, the transfer of the land to the peasants depend upon them. The government is tottering. It must be given the deathblow at all costs.”TASK: Base your answers to the following questions on the Background information and Lenin’s “Call to Power.” Support your answers by highlighting specific sections of the text and labeling what these sections support. Origin: Who wrote it? When was it written? What is the historical circumstance in which it was written? Purpose: (What is the author’s thesis or main idea? Why is the author writing this? Who is the author’s audience? Value: Using the content from the source and the origin and purpose, what valuable information can be gained? What questions are addressed? Is the author a credible source? Limitation: Using the content from the source and the origin and purpose, why is this source a limitation? Is there a specific point of view? Is there a missing voice? What emotions are apparent in the author’s language? What questions are left unanswered? The Slogan of the Bolshevik Revolution-11747511049000Lenin gained the support of many people by making promises of “Peace, Land, and Bread.” This was his radical program of proletarian(worker) socialist revolution called the April Theses. The Bolsheviks succeeded in gaining power because they were the only political party that was able to identify the people with their government. In November (October) of 1917, the Bolsheviks led soldiers, sailors, factory workers and peasants in an uprising that overthrew the provisional government. Since Lenin’s followers were organized into different groups, to the soldiers he promised immediate peace; to the workers he promised bread and control of the factories; and to the landless peasants, he promised land that would be taken away from the wealthy landowners. This event was known as the Bolshevik Revolution or November (October) Revolution. Many historians see this event as a coup d’etat rather than a revolution because it was carried out by only a small number of people. Lenin’s supporters led by Leon Trotsky took control of the government buildings, arrested members of the Kerensky government, and declared a Soviet Republic. (Lenin was the man behind the Bolshevik Revolution, however he was not there when the event happened, he spent most of his time in hiding until the Bolsheviks took control.) The Bolsheviks, now called Communists, still faced a struggle to maintain control over Russia. Yet the Bolsheviks did distribute land to the peasants and gave workers control of the factories and mines. Why did the Russian people follow Lenin and the Bolsheviks? Lenin’s “Decree on Land” and Treaty of Brest-LitovskDirections: Use each source to answer the questions that follow. 0472440November 8, 1917: V.I. Lenin, President of the Council of People's CommissarsThe Decree on Land:1. The right of private ownership of land is abolished forever. Land cannot be bought, sold, leased, or mortgaged in any way. All lands pass to the nation without payment and these lands are in turn given over to the use of those who till them.7. The land is to be divided equally among the toilers, according to the needs or labor capacity.00November 8, 1917: V.I. Lenin, President of the Council of People's CommissarsThe Decree on Land:1. The right of private ownership of land is abolished forever. Land cannot be bought, sold, leased, or mortgaged in any way. All lands pass to the nation without payment and these lands are in turn given over to the use of those who till them.7. The land is to be divided equally among the toilers, according to the needs or labor capacity.To win the allegiance of the peasant masses, Lenin did not hesitate to put forth sweeping changes in the Russian way of life with the “Decree on Land” in November, 1917:1. After the Decree on Land was issued, who owned the land in the Russia? 3810635000 Treaty of Brest-LitovskThe Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March, 1918, surrendering to Germany in WWI. The shaded regions include land Russia gave up to Germany (however, during the Peace Conferences, this land was used to create new countries). If you were a Russian citizen explain…3. Why would some Russians find this treaty humiliating?4. Why would the Bolsheviks negotiate such a territorially damaging treaty?The Russian Civil War (1918 – 1921)Early in 1918, Lenin ended Russian involvement in WWI by signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany. Russia lost control of large areas including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland that eventually became independent. She gave up much of her territory in order to end her involvement in the war. It was considered a humiliating treaty for the Russians. Lenin, however, believed that he needed to make peace with Germany at any price so that he could deal with his enemies at home.The new government created by Lenin claimed that the worker’s parties, or soviets, were in control, and the nation was renamed Soviet Russia. Lenin would later rename his country the U.S.S.R. – Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. The Bolsheviks called on the peasants to seize landowners’ property, and the workers to take control of the factories. All industries were nationalized (taken over by the government). Religion was prohibited as a reactionary institution. Lenin organized the Checka, secret police to fight counterrevolutionary activity. The Russian Civil War, from 1918 -1921, that followed was both destructive and bitter. The Bolsheviks, or Communists created the Red Army to combat the counterrevolutionary armies, which were called the Whites. The Whites were forces loyal to the czar. Atrocities were committed on both sides. The economy declined and fuel shortages followed, opposition to the Bolshevik government arose. The Whites slaughtered Communists and tried to assassinate Lenin. To control the population, Lenin instituted the Red Terror, a systematic brutalization of the population. The Bolsheviks arrested and executed thousands of innocent people to promote an atmosphere of terror. Spies were planted to create mutual suspicion and to divide the populace. The Whites relied on the assistance of the British, French, and Americans. This sparked Russian nationalism as a result of this foreign intervention. To eliminate a potential rallying symbol for the Whites, Communists executed Czar Nicholas II and his entire family. As the conflict dragged on, the Whites lost territory to the Reds. The Red Army under the leadership of Leon Trotsky, became an effective fighting force. By 1921, the Whites had been defeated and the Communists controlled Russia. Explain the significance of the Russian Civil War.Why were the Reds able to win the Civil War?What other event in history that we have discussed is similar to the Red Terror instituted by Lenin? Why?40887654318000Identify the figures in the political cartoon.What is the historical circumstance of the development of the political cartoon?Whose perspective is this from and how does that affect what is being shown?Soviet poster "Comrade Lenin cleans the Earth from impurities"November 1920Lenin Rules Russia Lenin’s government had a constitution and an elected legislature. However, the Communist Party, not the people themselves, had the real power. The Communist Party was the only legal party, and only its members could run for office. The Party enforced its will through the military and the secret police. New Economic Policy During Russia’s civil war, Bolshevik leaders had taken over banks, mines, factories, and railroads. This takeover had resulted in economic disaster. In 1921, Lenin adapted the New Economic Policy. Under this plan, also called the NEP, the government sill controlled banks, large industry and foreign trade. Some privately owned businesses were allowed in small-scale manufacturing and agriculture. These helped the economy recover. New Economic PolicyMajor industries – natural resources and financial institutions were kept under government controlSmall private enterprise was permittedFarmers could sell surpluses for a profitForeign capitalists were given economic concessions to encourage trade What was the purpose of the NEP? What type of economic system was allowed to a certain extent during Lenin’s rule? Why is this ironic? The Soviet UnionBy 1922, Lenin and the Communists had gained control over much of the Old Russian Empire. The Communist government then created the Union of the Socialist Republic, the Soviet Union. It was made up of a diverse European and Asian people. Russia, the largest republic, controlled the other states in the Soviet Union. ................
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