Mr. Haskell

World History/E-Core

2 March 2004

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION STUDY GUIDE

CH. 28

Soviet- a council of workers and soldiers set up by revolutionary socialists.  IN addition to these soviets. They also were the start of what would end in so much terror and death.

command economy- a form of economy in which government officials made all basic economic decisions. Lenin did set up a market economy.

Collective- Large farms owned and operated by peasants as a group.  Peasants owned their homes and personal effects, but all farm animals and equipment had to be turned over to the collective.

Kulak- wealthy peasants, the closest thing Russia had to a middle class.  Stalin felt threatened by this middle class and had his government to size their land and send them to forced labor camps.

totalitarian state- A country whose government is based on the fact that the government has complete power.  The ruler of a totalitarian state is an absolute dictator whose power is not limited by laws or a constitution.

socialist realism- a style of art that Stalin forced upon the artists and writers of Russia.  It promoted socialism by portraying the Soviet Union in a positive light.  The artists were allowed to point out the faults of the Czars government and even Lenin.

Lenin- a Marxist who was instrumental in starting the Russian Revolution.  He was a true believer in the ideal of socialism who tried to appear equal to his followers and gained support by promising to end Russias involvement in the war. 

Osip Mandelstam- a Jewish poet imprisoned, tortured and exiled by Stalins government for writing a satirical poem about Stalin.  When his wife was threatened, however, he gave in and wrote Ode to Stalin.

Nicholas II- the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II was a narrow-minded ruler who ignored the beliefs of his liberal parents.  He was very conservative and had a lack of self-assurance that allowed him to be easily manipulated. 

Gregory Rasputin- a Siberian peasant who claimed to be a monk, but believed that sin, not celibacy, brought one closer to God.  He was able to gain the confidence of the czarina by healing her son.

Joseph Stalin- Stalin came to power after exiling Trotsky.  Stalin organized the secret police, who captured anyone who spoke against Stalin and sent them to forced labor camps. 

Stalin's 5 Year Plan- there were multiple plans, all aimed at revolutionizing Russian economy.  He set up the 5 Year Plans to build roads, improve agriculture and create a command economy.

socialist realism- It took place in 1917 after the Czars decision to continue the war on Germany even though the his people were starving.  Many of the soldiers deserted to return home and join the revolution.

totalitarian state- A country whose government is based on the fact that the government has complete power.  The ruler of a totalitarian state is an absolute dictator whose power is not limited by laws or a constitution.

Anna Akhmatova- Russias greatest poets who lost public favor because she refused to change her poetry did not stress communism.  She continued writing poetry in secret after her poems failed to pass censorship and she died

V.I. Lenin-Stated the Russian Revolution.  He presented himself as a true believer in socialism by appearing as an equal to his followers and gained support by promising to end Russias involvement in the war.

Mikhail Sholokhov -Soviet writer who described the civil war in his book, All Quiet Flows the Don.  He was one of few Soviet writers to win the Nobel prize for literature.

Joseph Stalin- Stalin came to power after exiling Trotsky.  Stalin organized the secret police, who captured anyone who spoke against Stalin and sent them to forced labor camps. 

Leon Trotsky- leader of the Menshevik party, a subdivision of the Bolshevik party.  Trotsky was a brilliant leader who promoted the utopian belief that socialism would lead to a better world.  He was eventually overthrown by Stalin.  

socialist revolution- It took place in 1917 after the Czars decision to continue the war on Germany even though the his people were starving.  Many of the soldiers deserted to return home and join the revolution.

Bolshevik Revolution- It happened in 1917 when the radical Bolsheviks took over the democratic government and turned it into a socialist one.  These radicals were led by Lenin, who truly believed in Karl Marxs teaching that socialism would solve their problems.

Lenin's New Economic Policy- This policy allowed peasants some measure of capitalism to motivate them to produce more crops. Production had dropped because the peasants knew that the government would take their crops, so they had no incentive to work hard. 

Stalin-  Stalin came to power after exiling Trotsky and abused his power to an even greater extent than his predecessors.  Stalin organized the secret police, who captured anyone who spoke against Stalin and sent them to forced labor camps.

Stalin's 5 Year Plan- there were multiple plans, all aimed at revolutionizing Russian economy.  He set up the 5 Year Plans to build roads, improve agriculture and create a command economy.

The arts under Stalin- Art was censored, and any artist who ignored the rules of socialist realism was persecuted, often by imprisonment and torture.

List three causes of the 1917 revolution in Russia- The one major cause of the Russian Revolution was the fact that the people were starving in the streets while the Czar lived lavishly in his palace.