28.1
Rasputin: Czarena’s personal advisor, socially unsound, controlled government through her, healed her hemophiliac son, other government officials feared his power and killed him.
Proletariat: growing class of industrial worker, the impetus and focus of any communist/Marxist movement. From their ranks Lenin based his revolution, claimed them as the majority (Bolshevik).
Czar Nicholas II: tried to lead Russian troops on the front lines of WWI, leaving power to his German wife. He was an inept general. Eventually would be shot for the Bolshevik Revolution.
Czarina Alexandra: German born, was left to lead the nation in her husband’s absence, dominated by Rasputin, would be shot alongside her family for the Bolshevik Revolution.
World War I (The Great War): Russian army was appropriately supplied or led, millions died from lack of infrastructure and equipment, revealing the backwardness of Russia.
1917 Revolution: battlefield failure and shortages at home collapsed the monarchy, Czar abdicates. Lenin and the Bolsheviks begin to organize. Peace treaty was signed with Germany.
Petrograd: St. Petersburg, named during war, women and workers revolt chanting bread, soldiers refuse to fire, making Czar’s power nonexistent.
Lenin: father of the revolution, instituted NEP, died in 1924, adapted Marxist ideas to fit Russian condition. Did not endorse Stalin. Spent time in the gulags with his wife for his revolutionary ideas, was hiding out in Germany, and they sent him back to Russia to destabilize the nation. Led the Bolsheviks to power, and drafted a constitution in 1922 forming the USSR.
Krupskaya: Lenin’s wife and fellow revolutionary.
Bolshevik: Russian for majority, comprised of actually a small amount of the industrial workers in Russia. Lenin’s party, and primary supporters, name would eventually be changed to Communists. Moscow was set as their capital, the Kremlin their building.
Duma: elected national legislature in Russia.
March Revolution: Bolshevik phase 1 government take over, abdication of the Czar.
November Revolution: Bolshevik phase 2 government take over, shot the Czar. Take over the provisional government, bloodless surrender.
Karl Marx: German philosopher, predicted the rise of the working class to overthrow capitalism. Lenin’s philosophies are based upon his work.
War Communism: peasant grow in surplus to feed the cities, factory work his forced, soldiers are prepared. The Czar’s old generals are kept to train and organize troops. Instituted a command economy and took over all banks, stores, and factories. Trotsky organizes the army very effectively.
Commissar: communist party official to teach party principals and ensure loyalty, specifically to former Czarists working for the government.
28.2
Command Economy: the government controls all factors of production. Soviets mismanaged, punished and rewarded inappropriately. Heavy industry was a success, light industry was poor quality, and everyone starved because the peasants were not rewarded for their labor.
Collectives: large farms, operated by peasants, owned by government. The peasants had to pool their equipment and beasts of burden. As a reaction the Kulaks and those with power destroyed their tools and only grew enough to feed themselves as a reaction to government meddling.
Lenin: died, expressed doubt about Stalin. Staling claims his validity from Lenin’s wishes, he is pickled and placed in public display, raised to the level of a god within Russian social governing.
Stalin: Lenin dies, Stalin works to secure power from his secretary position, secured his position by placing those loyal to him in key positions. Drives out and kills Trotsky. Institutes 5 Year Plan, The Great Purge. Improves industry, destroys agriculture. Megalomaniac and places flatterers in key positions, kills those that are experienced.
Trotsky: chief contender for Lenin’s replacement upon his death. Marxist thinker, excellent speaker and had played a huge role in the Bolshevik revolution. Lost to Stalin, was driven out of the party, fled to Mexico and was killed by one of Stalin’s agents in 1940.
N.E.P.: New Economic Policy, allowed capitalist ventures to inspire the economic slow down. Kept control of banks, foreign trade and large industry, made private small business for profit allowed. The government stopped seizing surplus, allowed them to sell their extra and hold their land. Started by Lenin, ended by Stalin.
Kulaks: wealthy peasants, the government took their land and punished them for their success. Dead or Gulagged.
1922: USSR Drafted Constitution, 18 year old suffrage, and Lenin expresses his doubts about Stalin.
The Great Purge: Stalin’s paranoia, has old Bolshevik supporters and heroes killed, Gulags or dead. 1936-1938: 4 million party members killed, and many military leaders as well.
Comintern: Lenin’s world revolution program for communism against capitalist imperialism.
U.S.S.R.: United Soviet Socialist Republic, established in 1922 with a constitution, a democratic socialist concept. United Old Russian Empire, multinational European and Asian nations. All republics were meant to share equal power, Russia dominates in reality.
5 Year Plan: Stalin’s 5 Year Plan to create a modern industrial power. 1928 it began, focused on heavy industry and transportation. Nationalized the economy. Heavy industry was a success, light industry was a failure.
Gulag: Russian Siberian prison camps where dissenters were shipped in order to die over a long period of exposure and starvation. Hugs and tickles.
28.3
Totalitarian state: a state of unlimited government control, Russia secret police controlled. Dissenters sent to camps (gulags) or killed, instituted mass state efforts for propaganda.
Propaganda: it is national advertisement, Russian propaganda focused on the godliness of Lenin and Stalin and the Soviet Socialist ideals.
Pravda: Russian newspaper, Russian word for truth, linked their enemies to failures and blame. Primary form of Soviet propaganda.
Atheism and state worship: USSR becomes atheistic, killed religion subversion, converted churches to offices but tolerated Islam.
Islamic tolerance: to secure national interests in Asia, and the Muslim peoples and nations new to the republic Islam was tolerated.
Soviet Elite: industrial managers, military leaders, scientists and some artists and writers. Allowed to shop at special stores and given the best apartments.
Women’s revolutionary role: played an equal part in the revolution pre1917, asked their needs to be addressed, the party concerned itself little with their concerns, contributed economically but had little or no voice in government except for Alexandra Kollontai.
Socialist Realism: Stalin’s mandated art form, heralded Communism, artists would sneak in subtle acts of defiance.
Censorship: The state controlled all art and media, in order to write you had to play their game and write their stories. Dissent was met with death and punishment.
