Embedded in Russia’s fecund history was The Bolshevik revolution which unraveled between 1917 and 1928. The revolution bore a plethora of social and political changes, which lead to the emergence of the Soviet Union. An individual of immense Significance during this period of social and governmental turbulence was Leon Trotsky whose ideologies and leadership were pivotal factors in the successful fortification of communism in Soviet Russia during 1917 to 1928. I will be keenly and succinctly assessing the contribution of Leon Trotsky to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and arrive at a measured conclusion whether his contributions were significant or extraneous. Leon Trotsky was a man of vast erudition and possessed keen leadership and organizational skills which greatly aided the accession of the Soviet Union. His contributions to the 1917 Bolshevik revolution can be conspicuously seen in his role in foreign affairs, the recruiting, outfitting and disciplining the Bolshevik Red Guard and his belligerence in the Russia’s civil wars, in which he achieved communist victory.
It was a tumultuous time in Russia before the dawn of 1917. Citizens had grown weary of the aristocracy of Czar Nicholas II. During this period the Russian government was fraught with corruption, and the economy was regressive. However, despite the tempestuous climate of Russia due to Czar Nicholas II rule, the most immediate cause of the revolution can be traced to Russia’s ruinous involvement in World War I
He ended up resorting to “war communism” during the Russian Civil War, and the Bolsheviks needed to quickly produce goods. When the war was over, Lenin became sick and Trotsky began ruling after him. Trotsky took the role of controlling the corrective measures
The Russian Revolution of 1917 marked the end of the Romanov dynasty and centuries of Russian Imperial rule. During the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks, led by leftist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin seized power and destroyed the tradition of czarist rule. Civil War broke out in Russia between the Red and White Armies. The Red Army fought for the Lenin’s Bolshevik government. The White Army represented a large group of monarchists, capitalists and supporters of democratic socialism.
One man, Vladimir Lenin saw that Russia was spiraling downwards, having lost two battles in a row and having the highest death count out of all the European countries he saw that a change was needed. Lenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks who were a communist group that wanted to draw out of the war and over thrown Czar Nicholas II. Preaching peace, and food he wanted, ¨the offer of peace, the salvation of Petrograd, salvation from famine, and the transfer of land to the peasants who depended on them,¨ (Document 8). People were drawn into this and, ¨increasingly taken in by the propagandists of the united Socialist Party and their internationalis ideas,¨ (Document 9). This combined with high death rates, starvation, communist ideals started the overthrow of Russia and the end of the war.
Trotsky’s role in the Russian revolution was extensive in its nature. As best overall described by the encyclopedia Brittanica, “Trotsky hailed the outbreak of revolution in Russia in February as the opening of the permanent revolution he had predicted. He reached Petrograd in mid-May and assumed the leadership of a left-wing Menshevik faction. Following the abortive July Days uprising, Trotsky was arrested in the crackdown on the Bolshevik leadership carried out by Aleksandr Kerensky’s liberal government. In August, while still in jail, Trotsky was formally admitted to the Bolshevik Party and was also elected to membership on the Bolshevik Central Committee.
Introduction Joseph Stalin is perhaps one of the most important and discussed people in Russian history. He was arguably a feared tyrant cursed and despised by many. At the same time, one finds sufficient evidence for the adoration and worship of Stalin that used to exist in the minds of the citizens of the Soviet Union. One reason for this worship was the existence of the so called ‘Cult of Personality’ where Stalin was celebrated as a wise leader, father of all people, and the architect of victory of the Second World War. In his book, The Stalin Cult: A Study in the Alchemy of Power, Jan Plamper states that Stalin’s cult of personality was largely a visual phenomenon.
Post WWl, Russia was still not industrialized, suffering economically and politically and in no doubt in need of a leader after Lenin’s death. “His successor, Joseph Stalin, a ruthless dictator, seized power and turned Russia into a totalitarian state where the government controls all aspects of private and public life.” Stalin showed these traits by using methods of enforcement, state control of individuals and state control of society. The journey of Stalin begins now.
During the 20th century, Russia was experiencing turmoil in war and the country was deeply affected with Tsar Nicholas’s wrong decisions and lack of experience in politics. After the 1917 revolution in Russia, Lenin became the ruler of Russia and the USSR and proved to be the best Russian ruler of the 20th century. Before then, Tsarism dominated and Nicholas II was in power until he foresaw many revolutions against his methods of ruling. He remained as the supreme ruler and did not take actions for reforms. However, after the 1917 revolution, which Lenin masterminded, the Tsar was overthrown and the Bolsheviks established a stable government which took control in Russia.
The Russians Fight Back Three outcome and causes of the Russian revolution were the large amount of peasant population, Russia joined the war when they knew that they couldn’t even pull their own weight, and communism took over Russia. The tsar joined the war thinking that he would gain nationalism and patriotism from the peasants.(doc.1).He thought that all the people would rush to sign up to fight for their country and support the tsar. The first months after joining the war were disastrous. The tsar had to steal from his people to give to the troops who had very little supplies.
In 1917, Tsar Nicholas ll is the current ruler of Russia. Russia’s economic growth is increased by the Czar’s reforms of the production of factories. During this era, Russia desperately needed to keep up with the rest of Europe’s industry. This reform worked perfectly, but the working conditions of these factories didn’t charm factory workers. After the events of the Russo-Japanese War, “Bloody Sunday”, and WW1, Russia was in utter chaos under the Czar’s ghastly leadership.
Andre Abi Haidar PSPA 210 INTRODUCTION It is always difficult to write about and discuss Karl Marx, or more importantly the applications of Marx’s theories, due to the fact that he inspired and gave rise to many movements and revolutionaries, not all of which follow his theories to the point. Although Marx tends to be equated with Communism, it might not seem righteous to blame him for whatever shortcomings occurred when his theories were put to the test; Marx passed away well before the revolution in Russia, and he played no role in the emergence of the totalitarian regime at the time. When discussing Marx, however, Vladimir Lenin is one of the biggest highlights when it comes to studying the outcomes of Marx’s theories.
Animal Farm is a novel written by George Orwell that serves as an allegory for the Russian Revolution. The characters, events, and rulings in the novel coincide with the real like Russian characters, events, and rulings. The animals represent the political figures in the Russian Revolution and they also mimic the policies and philosophies of these figures. Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian revolution for its extensive similarities to the political figures and rulings.
War communism had a devastating impact on the peasants and proletariat in Russian society between 1918 and 1928. However, the New Economic Policy that followed the Civil War effects was opposite, raising living standards and reinstating support for the Bolshevik party. Vladimir “Lenin” Ulyanov, known as the head of the notorious Bolshevik party, introduced War Communism (1918-1921) and the NEP (1921-1928). As Martin McCauley states “If War Communism was a leap into socialism then the New Economic Policy was a leap out of socialism” The aims of War Communism and the NEP were both successful in a large number of areas, however, the effects of both policies were not all favourable.
The Russian Revolution, which was started by Lenin and his followers, was a rebellion that occurred in 1917 which forced higher powers to act to the needs of the lower class. For instance, many citizens were worried for their protection in consequence to the lack of survival necessities due to an early drought. Furthermore, their current czar during the time was incapable for his position as a czar and made horrendous decisions as czar. For example, when the czar, Nicholas, entered in World War I, he sent untrained troops into countless battles of failure which costed in mass amounts of lost life (paragraph 23).
Vladimir Ilich Lenin was the Russian Communist party leader between 1917 to 1924. Lenin is know to this day to be one of the craziest leaders the Soviet Union ever had and to be the one to start all the terror and revolutions. Lenin is considered to be one of the most influential and controversial political leaders the Soviet Union has ever had. Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik party and created the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. Lenin later took control as the first leader of the USSR (Service Robert).
Karl Marx (1818-1883) considered himself not to be a sociologist but a political activist. However, many would disagree and in the view of Hughes (1986), he was ‘both – and a philosopher, historian, economist, and a political scientist as well.’ Much of the work of Marx was political and economic but his main focus was on class conflict and how this led to the rise of capitalism. While nowadays, when people hear the word “communism”, they think of the dictatorial rule of Stalin and the horrific stories of life in a communist state such as the Soviet Union, it is important not to accuse Marx of the deeds carried out in his name.