Lenin seizing power

• Who ruled Russia before Lenin?

  Tsar Nicholas the second (apart of romanov dynasty)
• 80% of huge population were peasants during tsar Nicholas’s rule
• 1905-1917: those who worked in factories were overworked, underpaid and had poor living conditions.
• Start of WW1: army was poorly equipped and had huge casualties. Inflation + economy collapsed. Tsar took personal command of army and got blamed for Russias defeats (popularity of royal family decreased)
• Provisional government took over when tsar was overthrown/abdicated, they aimed to install democracy
• New government didn’t stop the war and postponed land reform thus becoming unpopular
• Lenin (leader of bolsheviks): returned from exile, a workers militia formed in support of bolsheviks called “red guards”. Once government became unpopular, an immediate revolution was decided
• October Revolution: October 1917, Red Guards seized capital of Russia (Petrograd) with little bloodshed. Lenin was now the ruler of Russia
• What were Lenin’s slogans when running?

  “Peace, bread, land” and “all power to the soviets”
• Lenin turned Russia into a communist state by: october revolution, defeating whites, red terror, establishing a totalitarian dictatorship, war communism and new economic policy
• Civil War: white russians (mensheviks) wanted to overthrow communism, but they weren't completely united compared to reds (bolsheviks) under leadership of Trotsky. His tactical genius was one of the main reasons for reds success. Allies supported whites, but efforts were half-hearted and thus motivated the reds to win even more.
• Results from Civil war: reds won, 10 million died, famine in 1921 resulting in 5-7 million deaths. the defeated whites emigrated, allowed communism to take over
• The Cheka: secret police to combat political opponents of Lenin’s/bolsheviks
• Red Terror: a failed assassination of Lenin resulted in red terror. there were mass executions of any suspected opposition, establishing complete control through terror was priority. Estimated 100,000-500,000 killed during this time. Concentration camps set up for political opponents
• Bolshevik party grew majorly in 4 years, the politburo (elite members) made all key decisions, opposing parties banned, censorship and propaganda created a communist totalitarian state
• Lenin’s key reforms: 8 hour working day, abolished private land ownership, gender equality like women’s vote allowed, free education and healthcare, civil marriages requested (no religion) and titles/tanks abolished
• War communism was to feed the army, it made farmers give 90% of food produced to the state
• In Lenin’s New Economic Policy (NEP), he no longer took food from peasants rather put a grain tax which allowed peasants to sell surplus
• In 1917, there was supposed to be a democratic vote but when Lenin realised he wasn’t going to win it was cancelled, and diplomatic voting in russia was banned until the 90s