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Bolshevik Revolution
In early October of 1917 was the Bolshevik Revolution. A planned affair to overthrow the Russian Government. The Bolsheviks were an extremist faction within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. On October 13, the Bolsheviks gained control of Petrograd and on the 23rd, they seized Moscow. With limited resistance, Lenin, Trotsky, and the Soviets arrested the Provisional Government. -
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Lenin opened peace negotiations with Germany, with the opposition of almost everyone. He felt that there was no way the young government could tackle the huge problems facing Russia while having to fight a foreign war at the same time. He therefore took Russia out of the war through the harsh Treaty of Brest Litovsk. He was willing to give up large pieces of land in exchange for peace. Like: Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. -
War Communism
During the summer of 1918, War Communism started to get a definite shape. It was an economic system that existed in Russia from 1918 to 1921. With war communism came the nationalization of the industry, introduction of compulsory labour, and the suppressing of private trade. Additionally with all these new changes came unhappy peasants who found the new system to be quite unfair. -
The New Government
The first two initiatives of Lenin's government was: 1) the war should be ended immediately, 2) peasants should seize land. The peasants had already been doing this, but this was now formalized. Within the first month, under the Council of the Peoples Commissars, the Soviets established a new government. Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin, and Bolsheviks who granted themselves supreme power were the main leaders. -
Civil War
In this civil war, the Bolsheviks were known as the Reds and groups who opposed them were the Whites. The Whites never did well in areas like Petrograd, Moscow, and Kiev because they were Bolshevik controlled. In 1918 arrived the Allied Intervention, which had set the new communist regime against the capitalist west. Just when it looked like the Whites would be able to capture Moscow by October, the tide turned in favour of the Reds due to the organizational and military genious Leon Trotsky. -
The League of Nations
The collapse of The League of Nations was to come in1929 when the Great Depression hit. This is significant because countries such as Great Britain and France were worried about economic affairs within their own countries than helping others. This resulted in the army of The League of Nations reducing the production of weapons, ammunition, and other war machines.People wanted change quickly, and turned to the right wing ideology Fascism for that speedy recovery. This is how Hitler became leader. -
New Economic Policy
The New Economic Policy (NEP) was introduced to replace the failed policy of War Communism since it clearly wasn't putting the USSR on the road to economic recovery. In March 1921, the NEP was launched. In it was: 1) Some private trade was permitted, 2) peasants were allowed to sell surplus (they were to benefit most from the NEP), 3) small cooperative businesses arose. -
The Treaty of Rapallo
The Treaty of Rapallo established economic relations between the USSR and Germany and some political ties. This treaty was beneficial for both sides. The USSR made an agreement that they would manufacture illegal war material for Germany forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. Whereas Germany made the agreement to send steel manufacturing technology to the USSR. -
The First Five-Year Plan
The First Five Year Plan was introduced in 1928 and it concentrated on the development of iron and steel, machinery, electric power and transport. Stalin set high targets for the workers. He demanded a 1115 increase in coal production, 200% increase in iron production and 335% increase in electric power. Stalin stated that if rapid industrialization didn’t happen, the Soviet Union would not be able to defend themselves against an invasion from countries against the west. -
The Kellogg-Briand Pact
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement to outlaw war and was signed on August 27 1928 in Paris, France. This agreement was supported by the USA and was not a formal treaty, but a declaration of policy by 15 nations including Germany, USA, and USSR. This pact simply denounced war as a method of solving disputes. -
The Second Five-Year Plan
For the Second Five Year Plan, Stalin expanded the goals of his previous plan and placed an emphasis on heavy industry. This plan aimed to advance the Soviet Union’s communication systems, especially railways, which improved in both speed and reliability (“Five-Year Plans”). The Second Five Year Plan failed to reach the level of success of the previous plan, as it did not reach goal production levels in the coal and oil industries. -
The Purges
Stalin’s purges, or translated to "Stalin's Terror," were a result of his paranoia and his desire to have absolute power. They were enforced by the NKVD, public show trials, Stalin-worshippers, and a horrifying system of labour camps – the gulag. The Great Purges: (1934-1939). 1934, Stalin is believed to have assassinated Sergey Kirov. 1937, Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army & 7 leading generals were shot. 1938-9, all admirals and half of the Army’s officers were executed/imprisoned. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
The Nazi-Soviet Pact was an agreement between Germany and Russia that promised neither would attack the other. Included, was an economic agreement that was attached. It said that Germany would have to exchange manufactured goods for Russia's raw materials. The pact lasted for 2 years before Germany invaded Russia. -
Rapprochement
Rapprochement is significant at this time because Russia had re-established contact with Japan, who had been a previous enemy. Being re-allying forces at this time is significant because: they wanted to claim the part of China known as Manchuria. This resulted in a successful capture of Manchuria dividing the country into two pieces. The North was given to the Russians and the South to the Japanese.
