Intro Here.
The Russian Revolution was built on from the ideas of Karl Marx. His ideas stated that the industrial world would clasp due to the flaws of capitalism, this became known as Marxism. (Schneck). The main beliefs of his new philosophy were that society would be without classes and that the public would own all property and products. (“Communism”) This radical thinking appealed to many working class and peasant members of Russian society. Workers had terrible working conditions and often even worse living conditions, they also had tremendous envy toward their capitalist employers who lived with much wealth and lavish. (“Russia in Revolution”) For hundreds of years Russia was under the tsarist rule, but that rule ended with Nicholas
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The Bolsheviks were a group of “…ruthless, professional revolutionaries. They believed that they knew what was best for the workers and that they should seize power on the workers' behalf.” (“Russia in Revolution, 1917”) Upon returning from exile, Vladimir Lenin urged the Bolshevik party to revolt against the provisional government. Along with the force of the navy, the Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace and arrested the government heads. Lenin was claimed leader the next day by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets. (“Russian Revolution”). To ease the transition of power and to control opposition the Bolsheviks used the slogans “All power to the Soviets.” (“Russian Revolution”) and “Bread, peace, land.” (Marrin). Lenin’s first orders of business were to get Russia out of war and to start nationalization of property, banks, and industry. Lenin also established a police force by the name of the Cheka, which he used to either arrest or kill those who opposed Bolshevik rule. In 1918, a civil war between the reds, the Bolsheviks, and the whites, people who wanted to bring bad the old government, broke out. Lenin had Romanov family killed in fear that the whites would be able to reinstate the tsarist rule. The whites had poor organization and unity; therefor the reds were easily able to defeat them by 1920. With a collapsing economy, starving people, and no industrial output, Lenin instated the New