RUSSIA REVOLUTION STUDY GUIDE

Soviet- In Petrograd and other cities, they set up soviets, or councils of workers and soldiers. At first, the soviets worked democratically within the government. Command economy- The Soviet Union developed a command economy, in which government officials made all basic economic decisions. Under Stalin, the government owned all businesses and allocated financial and other resources. Collective- These were large farms owned and operated by peasants as a group. Peasants were allowed to keep their houses and personal belongings. Kulak- These were the wealthy peasants. The government confiscated kulaks’ land and sent them to labor camps. Totalitarian state- In this form of government, a one-party dictatorship attempts to regulate every aspect of the lives of its citizens. Marx turned the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state. Socialist realism- Stalin forced artists and writers to conform to a style called socialist realism. Its goal was to boost socialism by showing Soviet life in a positive light. Lenin- Lenin Vladimir read the works of Karl Marx and spread Marxist ideas among factory workers along with other socialists. He was a Bolshevik leader. Osip Mandelstam- He is a Jewish poet that was imprisoned, tortured, and exiled for composing a satirical verse about Stalin.  Out of fear for his wife’s safety, he gave in and wrote an “Ode to Stalin.” Nicholas II- After the Revolution of 1905, Nicholas had failed to solve Russia’s basic problems. He was weak and an ineffectual man. Gregory Rasputin: An illiterate Siberian peasant. He was very fond of worldly pleasures. He was known as the "Holy Man." His powerful personality helped him gain a widespread reputation as a healer. Joseph Stalin: He was a shrewd political operator and a behind the scenes. Stalin was born Joseph Djugashvili to a poor family in Georgia. Once, he was confined to a punishment cell for reading a novel about the French Revolution. By 1900, he had joined the Bolshevik underground and had taken the name Stalin, meaning "Man of Steele." Stalin's 5 Year Plan: In 1928, he proposed the first of several "five year plans" aimed at building heavy industry, improving transportation, and increasing farm output. He brought all economic activity under government control. Socialist Realism: Stalin forced artists and writers to conform a style called socialist realism. It's goal was to boost socialism by showing soviet life n a positive light. Artists and writers could criticize the bourgeois past or even point out mistakes under communism.  Totalitarian State: Marx turned the Soviet Union into a Totalitarian State. In this form of government, a one party dictatorship attempts to regulate every aspect of the lives of it's citizens. Anna Akhmatova: One of Russia's greatest poets, fell out of favor because her poetry did not stress communist ideas. She went on writing in secret. Although Anna could not publish her works, friends memorized them to preserve her genius for future generations. V.I. Lenin: His real name was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. He was born in 1870 to a middle class family. When he was a young man, he read the works of Karl Marx and participated in student demonstrations. He spread the ideas of Karl Marx among factory workers. In 1895, he was arrested and sent to Siberia. Mikhail Sholokhov: He produced magnificent works such as And Quite Flows the Don. He described the civil war in that novel he wrote. Joseph Stalin: Stalin brought agriculture under government control. During and after the Stalin era, the Soviet Union continued to produce well in heavy industry, such as manufacture of farm machinery. Stalin sought to destroy the kulaks, or wealthy peasants. Leon Trotsky- He was a brilliant Marxist thinker, a skillful speaker, and an architect of the Bolshevik Revolution. He also assisted Lenin in furthering the revolution. Socialist revolution- Instead of getting a society of equals as they promised, they created a society where a few elite groups emerged as a new ruling class. Bolshevik Revolution- In November 1917, squads of Red guards armed factory workers joined mutinous sailors from the Russian fleet in attacking the provisional government. In a matter of days, Lenin’s forces overthrew a government that no longer had any support. The Bolsheviks quickly seized power in other cities. Lenin’s New Economic Policy- It also is called NEP. It allowed some capitalist ventures. While the state kept control of banks, foreign trade, large industries, small businesses were allowed to reopen for private profit. Under thee NEP, they held on to small plots of land and freely sold their surplus crops. Lenin had always seen NEP as a temporary retreat from communism. Stalin- Stalin was born Joseph Djugashvili to a poor family in Georgia, a region in the Caucasus Mountains.  As a boy, he studied for the priesthood. Stalin's five year plan- Once in power, Stalin set out to make the Soviet Union into a modern industrial power.  To achieve economic growth, he brought all economic activity under government control. The arts under Stalin- Stalin forced artists and writers to conform to a style called socialist realism.  Its goal was to boost socialism by showing Soviet life in a positive light.  List three causes of the 1917 revolution in Russia- 1. long unresolved problems and strains of war. 2. Troops refused to fire on the demonstrators, leaving the government helpless. 3. Middle-class liberals in the government began preparing a constitution for the new Russian republic.