UNIT 1 CONFLICT AND CHALLENGE: THE WORLD OF 1919



HISTORY 12 20th CENTURY HISTORYUNIT 1 CONFLICT AND CHALLENGE THE WORLD OF 1919NOTESBen LeporeJanuary 23, 2018 center000Paris Peace Conference and Treaty of VersaillesObjectives: Wilson, Clemenceau and GeorgeWoodrow Wilson and the United StatesWoodrow Wilson (idealist) believed war was caused by three major factors: secret diplomacy among nations, tendency of dominant nationalities to oppress ethnic minorities, and autocratic governments ruled by elitesWilson's Fourteen Points addressed these key issues (refer to TCV p.56)Wilson hoped the Fourteen Points would be the basis for a new world orderself-determination probably the most important recommendation which meant major revision of European borderswanted to resume free flow of trade so American business could continue to prospergreatest national interest in peace process was to maintain their robust economy so the U.S. placed pressure on Britain and France to repay war loans and in turn Britain and France passed on this financial burden to GermanyGeorges Clemenceau and FrancePM Georges Clemenceau (realist) wanted revenge, compensation, and guarantee war would not happen againFrance had two goals: national security and financial reparationsto ensure national security France wanted to remove the threat from German militaryFrance received Alsace-Lorraine but not the German Rhineland (buffer zone) because it violated principle of self-determination so the region was demilitarized; Germany prohibited from placing troops or fortifications within 50 km of the east bank of the Rhine River and Allies occupied the west bank for 15 yearsmilitary restrictions and pledge of military assistance from Britain and U.S. in the event of German aggression addressed France's security concernsto make up for German destruction of French coal mines France was awarded coal rights in Germany's Saar Valley until 19351921 Reparations Commissions assessed Germany $33 billion of which 52% went to FranceDavid Lloyd George and BritainPM Lloyd George (moderate) believed Germany should not be humiliated or bankrupt otherwise it would not be able to help get European industry and trade moving again and feared the spread of communismthe key British objective was to ensure the security of the sea lanes to its empire which meant that German sea power had to be crippledthis was achieved by reducing the German navy to a token force of six warships, prohibiting submarines, and redistributing German colonies to the AlliesParis Peace Conference and Treaty of VersaillesMain Terms of the Treaty of Versailles Territory Alsace-Lorraine returned to FranceMoresnet, Eupen, Malmedy transferred to BelgiumDanish-speaking northern half of Slesvig joined Denmark in a plebiscitePosen, West Prussia, part of Upper Silesia transferred to PolandDanzig became a free city administered by the League of NationsMemel transferred to Lithuania Germany renounced territory gained in the Treaty of Brest Litovsk (Russia) and Treaty of Bucharest (Romania)ColoniesGermany lost its colonies in Africa and Asia to the League of Nations who transferred them to various nations as mandatespart of German East Africa was transferred to Belgium and the other part became the British colony TanganyikaBritain and France share Togoland and the CameroonsGerman Southwest Africa was transferred to South AfricaGerman colonies in the Pacific south of the equator were divided between Britain, Australia, New Zealand; colonies north of the equator went to JapanMilitary the Rhineland was demilitarized and occupied by Allied troops for 15 yearsthe east bank of the Rhine was demilitarized and no armed forces, military installations or army maneuvers were permittedarmy limited to 100,000, no conscription, and tanks were prohibitedair force was prohibitednavy limited to 12 destroyers, 6 light cruisers, 6 battleships with a maximum 10,000 tons, and submarines were prohibitedReparationsGermany to pay reparations to France and Belgium for damages caused during war Reparations Commission established to determine the amount and in 1921 Germany was assessed $33 billion (included pensions and war debt)Germany to pay reparations for shipping damage by turning over part of its merchant marine fleet to Britaincoal mines of the Saar were given to France for 15 years as compensation for destruction of France’s northern coal mines by the retreating German armyArticle 231 (War Guilt Clause)Germany to accept responsibility for starting the warthe clause served as legal justification for reparationsAnschluss (union)unification between Germany and Austria forbiddenLeague of NationsGermany was not allowed to be a membercenter444500right1949450Source: International Affairs “Treaty of Versailles” p.46center000Wilson, Clemenceau and Lloyd George and Treaty of VersaillesObjectivesSatisfiedNot SatisfiedWilsonLeague of Nations establishedself-determination in Eastern Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia)disarmament (military restrictions)most of the Fourteen Points were ignored or rejectedonly the defeated powers were disarmedBritain refused to accept freedom of the seasBritain, France, Belgium refused to allow self-determination to their coloniesAnschluss was deniedSenate refused to accept the treaty or join the League of NationsFourteen Points repay war loansresume the free flow of trade and maintain robust economydid not want to cripple GermanyClemenceauArticle 231disarmament (military restrictions)Alsace-Lorraine returnedreceived German coloniesreceived Saar coalfields for only 15 yearsRhineland only demilitarized not an independent countryreparations not high enoughnational security remove military threat reparationsfinancial compensation for damages revenge and punishmentLloyd Georgereduction of the German navyreceived German coloniesdid not support League of Nationsopposed self-determinationreparations too highsecurity of sea lanes to its empirereduce German navydid not want to cripple GermanySource: How did the ‘Big Three’ feel about the Treaty of Versailles?Paris Peace Conference and the Peace TreatiesThe Successor StatesWorld War I and Eastern/Central EuropeGerman, Austro-Hungarian and Russian (Turkish as well) empires were destroyed by the war Poles, Czechs, Serbs, Croats, Austrians, Hungarians declared their separate existence within new nationsthese new nations were recognized or established at the Paris Peace Conference partly due to Wilson’s principle of self-determinationhowever these new nations were also established in order to isolate communist Russia and contain Germany Eastern and Central Europethe successor states dramatically changed the structure of Eastern and Central Europe and created instabilityEastern and Central Europe became a chaotic region in which rampant nationalists forces strove to establish their own nations during civil war and social revolutionthe new nations held within their borders large ethnic minorities that made them politically unstableAustria and Treaty of St. Germain September 1919Bohemia, Moravia, Austrian Silesia and parts of Lower Austria were transferred to CzechoslovakiaGalacia was transferred to PolandBukovina was transferred to RomaniaSouth Tyrol was transferred to Italy (1915 Treaty of London) as well as Trieste and IstriaAustria lost more than two-thirds of its territoryAustria accepted responsibility for starting the war, assessed reparations for thirty years, and the army was limited to 30,000Hungary and Treaty of Trianon June 1920Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory mostly to Romania, Yugoslavia and CzechoslovakiaHungary lost half of its road and railway network and most of its timber resourcesHungary accepted responsibility for starting the war and pay reparationsthe army was limited to 35,000 and airplanes, tanks, heavy artillery were prohibited Hungary wanted to overturn the terms of the Versailles Conference along with Germany and ItalyBulgaria and Treaty of Neuilly November 1919Western Thrace was transferred to GreeceSouthern Dobrudja was transferred to RomaniaBulgaria had to accept responsibility for starting the war, pay reparations and its army limited to 20,000Romania Romania obtained Transylvania, Bukovina and part of Hanat from Hungary, Southern Dodrudja from Bulgaria and Bessarabia from Russiaconsequently Romania contained over a million Magyars, nearly a million Russians and Ukrainians, over 700,000 Germans and 350,000 BulgariansYugoslaviaYugoslavia was a new state created partly in recognition of Serbia’s claim that it should unite all Slavs in the Balkans and an example of Wilson’s national self-determinationYugoslavia was built around the independent states of Serbia and Montenegro, it acquired Slovenia and Dalmatia from Austria and Croatia from Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina from Austria-Hungary (annexed in 1908) and Macedonia (Turkey 1913)Yugoslavia, Romania, and Czechoslovakia formed the Little Entente to deter Hungary from reacquiring its lost territoryCzechoslovakiaOctober 1918 Czech nationalist led by Thomas Masaryk and Eduard Benes proclaimed their independence from Austria-Hungary and established the state of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia included 600,000 Ruthenians, 700,000 Magyars, 3 million Germans in Sudetenland who declared they are part of Austria Oct1918however the Sudetenland was awarded to Czechoslovakia in order to give the new state a strategic frontier against GermanyPolandPoland was a major European power in the early 17th century but was partitioned by Austria, Prussia and Russia be the end of the 18th centurythe creation of a Polish state with access to the sea was a war aim of the U.S. (Fourteen Points), Britain and Franceafter World War I Poland embarked on a series of military campaigns against Russia, Germany, Lithuania and Czechoslovakiaby 1921 Poland included territory acquired from Russia in the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, part of Galicia, Posen, West Prussia (Polish Corridor), part of Upper Silesia and part of East Prussia from GermanDanzig became a free city administered by the League of Nations but Poland maintained considerable influence Turkey and Treaty of Sevres 1920 Turkish nationalists would not recognize the settlement imposed upon them in the treaty and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk led a rebellion that deposed the Sultan and organized resistance to transfer of western Anatolia to GreeceTurks and Greeks fight for two years before peace restored 1923 Treaty of Lausanne arranged for an exchange of populations and Turkey continued to control mainland Asia Minorcenter000center3810000The Search for SecurityLeague of Nations League of NationsWilson promoted the idea of the League of Nations as a way to prevent war through the collective action of its members who were required to respect and protect each other's territories > principle of collective security which meant that an attack on a member of the League would be viewed as an attack on all membersBritain and France accepted the League as a way to retain U.S. commitment to the future peace and stability of Europe but preferred bilateral relationshipsthe main objective of the League was to preserve the peace of the world through international cooperation, arbitration and collective securitycollective securitymembers agreed to help other members who were attackedan attack on one member was an attack on all the membersit was hoped that aggression would be stopped using economic sanctionsmembers would be obligated to break off trade with the aggressor nation forcing it through a lack of supplies to stop fighting Covenant of the League was included in each of the treaties at the peace conference thus the nations that signed the treaties were obligated to support the LeagueMandatesthe colonies of Germany and Turkey became the responsibility of one or another of the League's members who were given the mandate to bring them as quickly as possible to self-governing status Britain and Japan were in possession of most of these colonies but agreed to League supervision under a mandate systemthe ruling nations did not regard the colonies the same way as the Leaguenot possible for the League to change the ways Britain and France ran the Middle Eastern mandates because they were the backbone of the League425704026118800-107632527940000Reasons for the Failure of the LeagueIncomplete MembershipU.S. Senate refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles and receded in isolationAmerican public opinion opposed to further involvement in European affairsU.S. absence from the League weakened the effectiveness of economic sanctions against aggressors since the aggressor nation can obtain supplies from the U.S.U.S. absence left Britain and France as the only major powers in the League but they preferred direct negotiations between states and refused to place their affairs in the hands of an impotent organization since the League was the only organization responsible for enforcing the terms of the treaties the absence of the U.S. was serious if Germany chose to challenge the terms of the Treaty of VersaillesRussia (1934) and Germany (1926) were originally excludedLack of Power and Enforcementthe League had no adequate means to enforce its will on offenders as it did not have an armyalthough it had the power to impose economic sanctions if often lacked the will to do soStructure of the Leaguethe League was muddles and it took a long time to do anythingthe decisions of the Assembly had to be unanimous which was difficult to achieve and paralyzed the Leaguethe members of the Council were able to veto League action thus preventing it from doing anything Great Depressionthe Depression made countries try to get more land and powerthey were worried about their economies not world peacecountries did not want to impose sanctions and further reduce trade during the economic crisisNationalismlarge countries were unwilling to be told what to do by larger countries and Japan, Italy and Germany still viewed war as means of national advancementAttitude of members towards the Leaguethe major powers did not take the League seriously and undermined its effectiveness; Italy and Japan betrayed the League and Britain and France did not do enough to make it workExamples of the Failure of Collective Security and League of NationsJapan - Japanese invasion of Manchuria September 1931-February 1932Japan’s expansion on the Asian mainland was designed to secure minerals essential for industrial growth and therefore the Japanese sought to acquire an empire that would sustain industrial expansionSeptember 1931 Japan occupied Manchuria and renamed it ManchukoLeague action was delayed by Japan’s veto in councilU.S. proclaimed the Stimson Doctrine which stated they would not recognize any boundary changes made by force of armsthe League adopted the doctrine and sent the Lord Lytton to investigatethe Lytton commission urged recognition of Japan’s economic interests in Manchuria and its need to have a military presence to protect its interests but branded it the aggressorJapanese responded by withdrawing from the League the League decided that it had no further responsibilities in the matter and no further action was requiredsignificance: the League demonstrated it was incapable of enforcing world peace, it encouraged European dictators to try similar tactics (Mussolini, Hitler), the Japanese were not reluctant to expand their empire by armed force Italy - Italian invasion of Ethiopia (Abyssinia) October 1935-May 1936Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia was part of an attempt by Mussolini to regain imperial prestige; it wanted Ethiopia because it lay between its colonies of Eritrea and SomalilandOctober 1935 Italy invaded Ethiopia and within four days the League condemned Italy and imposed economic sanctions with the exception of food, coal, scrap iron, rubber, copper and oil; Britain suggested an oil embargo to be initiated in Decemberthe U.S. indicated it would be able to fill any world shortages in these or any other products that League action caused which would prove disastrous to British and French markets in the regionBritain and France were unwilling to take measures that might push Mussolini into a German alliance; British and French interests in Mediterranean called for caution since a Rome-Berlin axis would threaten their lifelines through the Suez CanalBritish and French foreign ministers Samuel Hoare and Pierre Laval made a secret proposal to Italy a few day before the oil sanctions were to be imposed whereby Italy would be given most of Ethiopia if she agreed to stop fighting immediately but when the Hoare-Laval Pact became public it showed that Britain and France were not interested in the League taking a strong stance and the other supporters of sanctions lost interest; Mussolini completed his conquest of Ethiopiasignificance: Mussolini entered into an alliance with Germany, Hitler used the invasion to re-occupy the Rhineland Hitler used the invasion of Ethiopia to re-occupy the Rhineland, the League was unable to recover, politicians sought other ways of maintaining world peace eventually resorting to appeasementThe Search for SecurityThe Search for Security in EuropeFranceimpact of WW I had a significant human and economic cost on France1.3 million dead and 3 million wounded (one third permanently disabled)destruction of thousands of buildings, 9000 factories, hundreds of km of railways, Germans flooded coal and iron mines in Alsace-Lorraine anddestroyed farm landin the long run France's strength and security depended on a rapidreconstruction of its war damaged industrial base and its alliance with Britain and the U.S.aside from war damage France's economy was precarious (uncertain) partly because the Bolsheviks in Russia who had overthrown the Tsar in 1917 renounced (give up) Russia's debts and seized all foreign assetsat the Paris Peace Conference France as well as other nations accepted a more moderate treaty with Germany based on U.S. involvement in the League and its guarantee of European securitybut because of American isolationism the U.S. Congress did not approve the peace treaties and thus did not become a member of the Leaguethe French counted on British military strength to keep Germany checked but Britain's immediate post-war objective was to regain world markets lost to the Americans and Japanese during the warin addition the British believed that France and Germany should be more nearly equal in strength Germany's industrial complex had not been damaged by war and French attempts at the peace conference to dismantle it were defeatedU.S. isolationism, British ambivalence and Germany industrial strength left France vulnerable and alone therefore it embarked on a series of efforts to build securitycenter2984500French SecurityMaginot LineFrench security meant keeping Germany weak and therefore wanted to annex the Rhineland but had to accept its demilitarization insteadafter the U.S. failed to ratify the treaty France felt vulnerable along its northern frontier and decided to construct a series of fortifications known as the Maginot Linethe defence line had two vulnerable gaps in Lorraine where the Ardennes forest was considered too hilly for tanks and along the Belgian borderFrance did not have confidence in the League because it considered it weakReparationsFrance wanted high reparations for compensation, retaliation and as an attempt to cripple Germany's economic revival (52 % of $33 billion)late 1922 Germany was unable to meet the payments and defaulted so on January 11 1923 French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr Valley the major coal and steel producing region in Germany to extract the reparations themselves from the mineral resourcesGerman workers refused to work and the government supported their passive resistance by printing money to pay the workers which caused "hyperinflation" (refer to TCH p.49)the government fell and the new Chancellor Gustav Stressman called off the passive resistance in the Ruhr and stated Germany would resume payment of reparationsNovember 1923 right-wing extremist from several small nationalist parties attempted to overthrow the Munich government but failed (Munich Putsch)Stressman introduced a new currency, Rentenmark, and indicated the government was willing to cooperate and participate in international affairs rather than complaining about the treaty as previous governments had thus introducing a new era in the Weimar RepublicDawes Plan 1924American banker Charles Dawes headed a committee to reorganize the reparation paymentsFrench and Belgian forces to be evacuated from the RuhrGerman government pledged government revenues for reparationsGerman payments to begin at $250 million and build to $600 millionpayments tied to German prosperity $200 million loanThe Young Plan 1930another reorganization of reparation payments cut the total to $29 billion and Allied occupation of the Rhineland was to endInternational AgreementsTreaties of Mutual AssistanceFrance also sought security through international agreementsBelgium 1920, Poland 1921, Little Entente Czechoslovakia 1924, Romania 1926 and Yugoslavia 1927the Little Entente created a corridor with the potential of 100 million people capable of credible military action but in reality was an illusion and France's initiatives in Eastern Europe eventually brought Germany and Soviet Union togetherinability of the successor states to cooperative together made the alliance system unworkableLocarno Pacts 1925introduced an era of optimism in EuropeFrance, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Britain agreed to respect and guarantee the existing frontiers between them and demilitarization of the RhinelandBritain agreed to come to the aid of any of these countries if attackedGermany was relieved regarding another occupation by FranceFrance now had British support in the event of another German attackthe pact weakened the Little Entente because France with British support no longer needed to rely on its Eastern European allies and although Germany agreed to respect the western frontiers it made no promise to respect the eastern frontiers thus giving cause for concern to Poland and Czechoslovakiathe result of the pact was to divide Europe into a secure west and insecure eastKellogg-Briand Pact 1928 several nations including U.S., Germany, and the Soviet Union denounced war as a method of solving disputes but there was no machinery for enforcementSecurity by Disarmamentthe arms race was a major cause of WW Ithe Paris Peace treaties forced Germany and its allies to disarm and the League supported disarmamentdisarmament would be ineffective because of mistrust and some nations had not given up war as a way of redressing old issues from WW IWashington Treaties/Conference 1921attempt to halt the naval race by limiting the relative tonnage of rival battle fleetsU.S., Britain, France, Japan, Italy agreed:not to build anymore battleships for ten yearsnaval tonnage to be reduced based on a ratioLondon Conference 1930the same countries met to further reduce naval tonnage France and Italy left but the other three agree to further reductions of all types of military shipsGeneva Disarmament Conference 1932sixty nations including U.S., Germany and U.S.S.R. attended in an effort at general arms reduction some progress was made but when Hitler came to power in 1933 he withdrew Germany from the conference and it collapsedRevolution in Russia and the Establishment of CommunismMarch 1917 RevolutionPre-Revolutionary RussiaRusso-Japanese War 1905Russia and Japan both wanted to expand into Korea and Manchuria to obtain resources for their industrial needsthe Japanese won and claimed Lushun (Port Arthur), seized economic concessions from Manchuria, and took Korea as a protectoratethe war was a humiliating experience for the Romanov dynasty and had a devastating effect on the tsarist regime as its political authority was undermined and could not ignore the growing demand for political changeBloody Sunday January 22 1905January 22-October 30 Russia was wracked by labour strife and political dissension most of it attributed to the war lossesworkers marched on the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to present their demands and shots were fired by troops on the protesters killing many workersthis touched of a season of unrest among workers in the major citiessignificance: it showed the incompetence of the tsar in dealing with discontent and encouraged workers to join revolutionary groupsOctober Manifestofollowing an intense period of strikes across Russia the tsar made some concessions knows as the October Manifestoit promised some civil liberties and the creation a Duma a legislative assembly the 1906 Fundamental Laws enacted into law the October Manifestobut the tsar did not fulfill his promises and the Duma remained under his control however the moderates were content and supported the tsar while the radical opposition used terrorism to attack the regimein the next decade strikes and work stoppages escalated as thousands of labour demonstrations occurred each yearby 1914 the domestic economy was having serious economic problemsFebruary/March Revolution 1917problems with the domestic economy and WW I led to the revolutionsthe problems that led to the revolution was the tsarist regime's inability to deal with the economic and social changes caused by industrializationthe major reasons for the revolution were economic, social, political and military February 26,27/ March 11,12 shortages of bread and coal caused riots and demonstrations in St. Petersburg (renamed Petrograd) and soldiers that were supposed to keep order joined the demonstrations; the Cossacks (imperial troops) joined the people and helped distribute food February 27/ March 12 Duma established a provisional government and March 2/16 Nicholas II abdicated Revolution in Russia and the Establishment of CommunismFactors that led to the March RevolutionWeakness of RussiaRussia was defeated by the Japanese in 1904-05 Russo-Japanese WarBloody Sunday January 22 1905 demonstrated the Tsar’s incompetence in dealing with the discontent of the people and spawned opposition towards himRussia contained many different nationalities, languages and religionsRussia was vast making it difficult to govern especially with poor communications (few roads, railways)majority of the population were peasants working a backward farming economyindustrialization was minimal but workers subjected to poor working and living conditionsTsar Nicholas was an autocrat and governed with absolute power often dismissing the Duma (parliament) and ignoring its demands for political reformsWorld War Ithe army was poorly led and ill-equipped to fight a modern industrial warRussians experienced many defeats and suffered significant casualties (4 million casualties by 1917)the military defeats showed the incompetence of the governmentwar took 15 million men from farms and railways were used to transport supplies and soldiers resulting in food shortages and increase in food prices/inflation protests, demonstrations and strikes resulted from food shortages and inflation in major cities like Petrograd and MoscowTsar’s Ineffective Leadership Tsar took personal command of the army during the war meaning he would be responsible for the military defeatshe left Tsarina Alexandra in charge of the government who was incompetent and under the influence of Father Gregory Rasputin who was equally incompetentTsar refused to compromise and make any changes to government as demanded by the Duma (such as a constitutional monarchy)Tsar failed to act effectively during crisis in March 1917 which led to his abdicationTsar lost support of the Army/Army abandoned the Tsarmilitary defeats resulted in millions of soldiers desertingsoldiers joined the demonstrations and riots caused by food shortagesarmy refused to put down riots caused by food shortages in Petrograd on March 12 and mutiniedmilitary officers no longer support the TsarTsar lost support of the Duma/Duma abandoned the Tsarmembers of the Duma no longer support the Tsar Duma establishes a Provisional Government (temporary) on March 12Duma demands the Tsar abdicate on March 13Tsar abdicates on March 15March Revolution Time LineMarch 7 steelworks strikeMarch 8 demonstrations and bread riots eruptMarch 11 soldiers fire on demonstrators/strikers Duma urges Tsar to act > Tsar dissolves DumaMarch 12 soldiers mutiny Duma establishes Provisional Governmentworkers and soldiers establish Petrograd SovietMarch 13-14 Tsar’s train to Petrograd stopped by soldiers and he is arrestedMarch 15 Tsar abdicates > Romanov dynasty comes to an endright9842500Revolution in Russia and the Establishment of CommunismNovember 1917 RevolutionProvisional Governmentthe moderates or liberals dominated the government with Georgi Lvov as the prime minister and only one social revolutionary Alexander Kerenskythe government was supported by the Petrograd Soviet (worker organization)a power struggle ensued between liberals and Marxistsgovernment planned to rule the country until the people elected a Constituent Assembly and developed a new system of governmentdissention developed between the two groups over involvement in the war V.I Lenin, the Bolshevik leader, returned to Petrograd and presented his April Theses on April 3/17 > peace, land reform, nationalize factoriesand developed the slogan "Peace, Bread, and Land", "All Power to the Soviet"the Petrograd Soviet organized anti-war demonstrations that eventually brought down the government in Mayin the new government (First Coalition) Lvov continued as prime minister while Kerensky was minister of warthe government continued Russian involvement in the war and launched an offensive in June which was disastrous and discredited the governmentJuly 3-4 huge demonstrations occurred with the Petrograd Soviet participation that threatened the governmentLenin was accused of being a German agent and forced to flee to Finland October/November Revolution 1917July 24 the Second Coalition government Kerensky became prime minister and faced opposition from the left and the rightthe turning point in the struggle between the government and the Petrograd Soviet was the Kornilov AffairKerensky feared the government would be overthrown by General Kornilov commander-in-chief of the army who disapproved of the Soviet and worked out an agreement with Kerensky to send troops to Petrograd to destroy itLvov tried to get Kornilov to replace Kerensky as prime minister Kerensky feared the government would be overthrown and asked the people for help and received enough support to arrest Lvov and dismiss Kornolovthe right thought Kornolov had been betrayed while the left thought that the government plotted with Kornolov to destroy themBolsheviks who dominated Petrograd and Moscow Soviets took advantage of the split in the Duma and behind Lenin’s leadership moved to seize powerOctober 25/ November 7 strategic locations in Petrograd were stormed by the Bolsheviks and members of the provisional government arrestedthe provisional government's inability to solve peasant discontent by redistributing the land and continuation of the war led to economic and social breakdown; on the other hand Lenin promises of bread, peace and land was attractive and brought support for the Bolshevik seizure of powerRevolution in Russia and the Establishment of CommunismFactors that led to the November/Communist RevolutionProvisional Government problemsthe PG decided to continue with the war which was unpopular with the peopleoffensive in June was disastrous and discredited the new governmentsoldiers deserted and there was a mutiny in the navythe PG did not implement land reform which upset the peasantsa power struggle between left wing and right-wing factions weakened the PGthe Petrograd Soviet (left wing) opposed the continuation of the war while the right wing objected to the government’s inability to control the armyEconomic Conditionseconomic conditions had not improved (inflation and food shortages) since the March Revolution and were even worsePetrograd Sovietthe Petrograd Soviet passed Order Number 1 which stated soldiers should not take orders from officers but rather regiment committeesLenin demanded “All Power to the Soviets”the Bolsheviks won control of the Petrograd Soviet after the Kornilov AffairRed Guardsa private Bolshevik army, the Red Guards, dedicated to the revolution was established and gave the Bolsheviks the military power to overthrow the PGLeninLenin was an effective leader, ruthless, brilliant speaker and good plannerApril Theses“Peace, Bread, and Land” appealed to people who were impatient for change Kornilov Affairthe Bolshevik Red Guards (Petrograd Soviet) demonstrated their power when they prevented Kornilov’s attempted coupthe army lost credibilitythe right-wing factions felt Kornilov was betrayed while the left-wing faction felt the government plotted to destroy them and the subsequent split in the Duma was the turning point in the left-right wing disputeNovember 1917 Revolution Time LineMarchProvisional Government faces massive problems > inflation, food shortages, war, peasant unrestAprilLenin returns from exile and presents his April ThesisJunethe military offensive against Austria failsJulythe Bolsheviks incite riots but are defeatedAugustKornilov’s coup is defeated by the Bolsheviks and Red GuardsSeptemberthe Bolsheviks gain control of the Petrograd SovietNovember 6-7the Bolsheviks arrest members of Provisional Government and seize power right17589500Revolution in Russia and the Establishment of CommunismLenin and the Establishment of Communism in Russia 1917-1924The New GovernmentEstablishing a new government and controlafter the October/November revolution Lenin and the Bolsheviks established a new government under the Council of the People’s Commissar and during the next few weeks Soviets all over Russia took control of most towns and cities and by the end of 1917 almost all of Russia was controlled by the Soviets but the Bolsheviks did not have complete control of Russia as the only 14 of 25 members of the Council were Bolsheviks, not all the Soviets were controlled by the Bolsheviks, and most of the peasants supported the Socialist Revolutionary Party who had a majority in the Constituent AssemblyJanuary 1918 the elected members of the Assembly met for the first time and Lenin sent Bolshevik Red Guards to shut it down as Lenin wanted to establish the authority of the Council and destroy and other parties or organizations that wanted to share in government or threatened to undermine the Bolshevik PartyLenin’s new governmentLenin’s promise of land to the peasants was fulfilled when he abolished private ownership and made land the property of the state to be organized into collective farms, but the peasants wanted their own private plots of land; the peasants had already seized the landLenin’s other significant promise to take Russia out of the war was accomplished with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk December 1917 Trotsky rejected German peace terms as too harsh so the Germans launched a new offensive in February 1918 which the Russians were unable to stop and forced them to accept the terms of the treatyMarch 3 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Russia lost 60 million people as the Ukraine, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Georgia received independence and Germany received 26% of the railway system, 33% of the manufacturing and 73% of the iron industry, 75% of the coal fieldscenter12700000Civil War and War CommunismCivil WarThe civil war pitted the Bolshevik Red Army against groups who opposed the Bolsheviks that included monarchists, landowners, Kadets, Social Revolutionaries and right-wing groups who made up the White Armyseveral nations became involved in the civil war including U.S, Britain, France, and Japan in order to re-establish a second front by defeating Lenin’s government and establishing a new Russian government that would renew the war with Germanythe foreign nations avoided military confrontation with the Red Army and restricted its role to supplying the White Army with equipment and protectionthe significance of the foreign intervention is that it set the new communist regime against the capitalist West from the beginningthe Red Army controlled the central area around Petrograd, Moscow and Kiev while the White Army controlled the surrounding countrysideDecember 1918 the Bolsheviks established a security police force, the Cheka, to combat counterrevolutionaries > 50, 000 people killedthe White Army could not agree on a program for Russia nor a supreme commander and fought as independent groups compared to the effective leadership of Trotsky who organized the Red Army into an efficient and disciplined unitthe White Army was unable to gain the support of the peasants who were either indifferent or viewed it as representative of the tsar’s autocratic rule and interests of the property ownersWhite Army’s reliance on Allied intervention branded it as treasonableRed Army emerged victorious in 1920 and in 1922 became the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R)17430758128000War Communism1918-1921 the Bolshevik government implemented the economic policy of “war communism” with the objective of keeping the Red Army supplied with food and with weapons and introduce a system of communismthe government banned private trade, nationalized factories, took surplus food produced by the peasants to feed the cities and Red Armythe peasants resisted when the government forcibly requisitioned the harvest in order to feed the cities and the Red Army and the government responded with severe repressive measuresWar Communism kept the Red Army going but had grim effects on the people (refer to TCH p.55)cultivated areas dropped 40% in three years and the black market absorbed the bulk of farm produce and serious food shortages affected industrial labour and strikes ensued1918-1920 7.5 million people died from starvation, disease, and ravages of civil warThe New Economic PolicyWar Communism and civil war from 1917-1920 devastated the economy, food shortages, strikes, and riots were common in the citiesMarch 1921 sailors at the Kronstadt naval base near Petrograd rebelled against the government and demanded free elections, freedom of speech and association and the right for peasants to own their landalthough the Red Army suppressed the rebellion it revealed serious dissatisfaction with Bolshevik rule and Lenin recognized that change must occur and that consumer goods were needed immediatelyMarch 1921 Lenin introduced the NEP as a temporary measure to rejuvenate the economy through a return to individual economic initiative and profit motiveprivate trade was permitted, small industry returned to private ownership, and peasants would be taxed but they would be allowed to sell their surplus produceby 1928 the economy had recovered its pre-war strength (refer to TCH p.56)the NEP represents a compromise on Lenin’s part as he temporarily sacrificed the ideals of Marxism for the necessity of capitalist productionLenin’s Final Years1919 Communist International (Comintern) was established to supervise international communist revolutionsafter 1921 the Bolsheviks entered into agreements with western nations to rebuild their industrial base1922 Treaty of Rapallo Russia received German steel and help with the reconstruction of her armament industry in return Germany would be able to manufacture weapons in Russia forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles1922 the Bolsheviks became the Communist Party and Russia the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R)the government was the business of elected Soviets or Councils at every level from the village to the republicsat the center of the system of government of the Soviet Union was the Supreme Soviet and a Council of Ministersby 1922 there were over 1 million members of the Communist Party and 25,000 party officials who could fill every government post in the U.S.S.R.the real power lay in the hands of the Party officials and the man who hired and fired those officials (General Secretary) was the “real” ruler of the U.S.S.R.Lenin had established a dictatorship which he and the Communist Party claimed to exercise on behalf of the people but in doing so established a system which could be corrupted into a one man dictatorshipLenin died in January 1924 from a stroke and Petrograd was renamed Leningrad ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download