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Conditions of the peasants in Russia
History of Russia between 1900 to 1940
Conditions of the peasants in Russia
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The most important book I examined during my research was Stephen J. Lee’s Russia and the USSR 1855-1991 written in 2005 after the soviet archives had been opened. Lee was an A-level teacher making his book more comprehensible and credible as there were pellucid links to my course. Lee’s book is divided into thematic chapters which deal with theories and regimes across both the Tsarist and Communist reigns, which makes it a straightforward way to find selective information. It also gave utilizable interpretation as well as having a range of sources which further increased my knowledge of how the peasantry were treated under the Tsar and Communist reigns. However it lacked the range and scope of someone like Martin McCauley. Martin McCauley’s,
Moss, W., 2014. A History of Russia Volume 2: Since 1855. 1st ed. London, England: Anthem Press London, pp.112-113.
1. Research for bibliography about the influence of the Tsar during the Bolshevik Revolutions. Instruments used: History Reference books. Three main books were particularly helpful:
The most important war in relation to political change of 1855 to 1964 would be the Civil War (1917 – 1922) because it directly led to the Bolsheviks taking power in Russia implanting new ideologies (communism) into the state as well as forming of the USSR and dismantling state religion. For example take this quote from the declaration of the rights of the people of Russia which was drafted by the first Bolshevik government in 1917 "resolve to establish as a basis for its activity in the question of nationalities the following principles will be applied: Equality and sovereignty of peoples of Russia, Right of peoples of Russia of a free self-determination, including secession and formation of a separate state and Abolition of all national and religious privileges and restrictions" This shows that there were political changes in Russian society that would never happen if not the Bolsheviks got in power. The dismantling of state religion shows that the new Bolshevik government were taking strides in replacing the old political structure of society which consisted of state religion and heavily autocratic state Duma with new Soviet administration's at every level of society including the military and at industrial level which ensured a secular Marxist state.
The Russian revolution of February 1917 was a momentous event in the course of Russian history. The causes of the revolution were very critical and even today historians debate on what was the primary cause of the revolution. The revolution began in Petrograd as “a workers’ revolt” in response to bread shortages. It removed Russia from the war and brought about the transformation of the Russian Empire into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, replacing Russia’s monarchy with the world’s first Communist state. The revolution opened the door for Russia to fully enter the industrial age. Before 1917, Russia was a mostly agrarian nation. The Russian working class had been for many years fed up with the ways they had to live and work and it was only a matter of time before they had to take a stand. Peasants worked many hours for low wages and no land, which caused many families to lose their lives. Some would argue that World War I led to the intense downfall of Russia, while others believe that the main cause was the peasant unrest because of harsh living conditions. Although World War I cost Russia many resources and much land, the primary cause of the Russian Revolution was the peasant unrest due to living conditions because even before the war began in Russia there were outbreaks from peasants due to the lack of food and land that were only going to get worse with time.
The 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union signified an end to Russia’s control over its Middle Eastern Empire. Many of its states seceded and founded new nations and Russia lost significant power over the region. The new Russian Federation, in an effort to reestablish Soviet supremacy, has launched a neo-imperialistic campaign to once again have political, economic and security control over the area today known as the Caucasus. Principally, Russia wants to have political control over the area consisting of the lands of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Georgia and Chechnya as well as the Caspian Sea. Furthermore, it is an objective to reap profit from this resource-rich area to stabilize Russia’s economy. Additionally, Russia wants to ensure the security of its power in the Middle East. In order to achieve these motives the Russian Government has used various strategies involving political legerdemain, economic exaction and military operations.
“The Sources of Soviet Conduct” in 1947 by George F. Kennan, the article impacted and created a different perspective on the spread of Communism and the Soviet Union. Kennan’s philosophy behind stopping Communism from spreading was through containment, even though the telegraph did not have the word containment in it. The Truman Doctrine was established and the number of Presidents that viewed war in foreign soil. Kennan continued to fight Communism and had inputs and theories on other conflicts to include Vietnam and Korea.
Rule of Lenin vs the Tsar The beginning of the 20th century saw a great change in the political structure of the Russia. A country once led under an autocracy leadership. was suddenly changed into a communist state overnight. Dictatorship and communism are at separate ends of the political spectrum. This study so clearly shows both involve the oppression of society and a strict regime in which people are unable to voice their opinions.
The Relations Between USA and USSR 1948-1962 In 1948 the relationship between the USA and the USSR worsened after the communist take over in Czechoslovakia and the Berlin Blockade began the disagreements between the USA and the USSR over how to deal with Germany and Berlin, brought the worsening relationship to a crisis. This was as three out of the four zones of Germany had joined together to create one Western zone and then they created a new currency for this grouped zone. Stalin reacted to this by imposing the Berlin Blockade. Stalin hoped that the cutting off of all road, rail and canal traffic into the Western sectors of Berlin, the Western zone would be unable to attack, but Stalin also hoped that this could enable a wider spread of communism.
The Effects of Stalin on Russia Much like Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin was one of the most ruthless and despised people in the recorded history of the world. Stalin, though, found it fit to abuse his people in any way he saw fit. This man started what history now calls "The Great Purge. " Through the late 1920's when the rest of the world was living it up as the roaring 20's came to an end, Joseph Stalin was setting the stage for gaining absolute power by employing secret police repression against opposing political and social elements within his own Communist Party and throughout society.
The Soviet Union, which was once a world superpower in the 19th century saw itself in chaos going into the 20th century. These chaoses were marked by the new ideas brought in by the new leaders who had emerged eventually into power. Almost every aspect of the Soviet Union was crumbling at this period both politically and socially, as well as the economy. There were underlying reasons for the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and eventually Eastern Europe. The economy is the most significant aspect of every government. The soviet economy was highly centralized with a “command economy” (p.1. fsmitha.com), which had been broken down due to its complexity and centrally controlled with corruption involved in it. A strong government needs a strong economy to maintain its power and influence, but in this case the economic planning of the Soviet Union was just not working, which had an influence in other communist nations in Eastern Europe as they declined to collapse.
A. Soviet History. Marxists.org. 2010. Web. The Web. The Web.
The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. "Plekhanov and the Origins of Russian Marxism." Readings in Russian History. Ed. Sidney Harcave.
In the years leading up to the revolution, Russia had been involved in a series of wars. The Crimean war, The Russo-Turkish war, The Russo-Japanese war and the First World War. Russia had been defeated in all except the war with Turkey and its government and economy had the scars to prove it. A severe lack of food and poor living conditions amongst the peasant population led firstly to strikes and quickly escalated to violent riots. Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia with an iron hand while much of Europe was moving away from the monarchical system of rule. All lands were owned by the Tsar’s family and Nobel land lords while the factories and industrial complexes were owned by the capitalists’. There were no unions or labour laws and the justice system had made almost all other laws in favour of the ruling elite. Rents and taxes were often unaffordable, while the gulf between workers and the ruling elite grew ever wider.
"From Autocracy to Oligarchy." The Structure of Soviet History: Essays and Documents. Ed. Ronald Grigor. Suny. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. 340-50. Print.
The history of Sino-Soviet relations can be traced back hundreds of years, starting with the initial Mongol invasion and devastation of the Kievan Rus’ principalities in the mid-thirteenth century. With time, the rise of the Russian Empire and Czarist rule reversed the infrastructural and cultural destruction caused by the Mongol hordes; by the advent of the twentieth century, the reformed Russian state had begun encroaching on Chinese territory while holding a very strong, influential grasp on the slowly collapsing Imperial Chinese regime. However, with the success of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the creation of the Soviet Union, and the institution of a communist government and administration, the nature of Sino-Soviet relations transformed, starting with a temporary ease of pressure as Russia dealt with an intranational conflict. The reorganized international ideology of the Soviet state presented China with distinct changes in foreign policy. As China was experiencing a similar, internal revolution pertaining to communism and the continuation of the present, national government, many Chinese adhered to the Soviet principles of denouncing capitalistic intentions while promoting ethnic nationalism. Additionally, the endorsement of a worldwide revolution led to the development of a friendly relationship between the Soviet government and Chinese Nationalist forces; thus, the Soviets urged the Chinese Communist Party to coalesce with the Nationalists. While this notion was eviscerated by Chiang Kai-Shek with the Shanghai Massacre of 1927, the USSR secretly provided aid to the Communist Party through the COMINTERN until the declaration of the of the newly independent People’s Republic of China (PRC) by Mao Zedon...