AP Euro: Unit 15.5-15.6 - WWI

AP Euro: Unit 15.5-15.6 - WWI

Revolution and Civil War in Russia

Russian Industrialization

  • Started by Alexander III and continued by Nicholas II

  • Big Project: The Trans-Siberian railroad linking Europe to the Pacific Ocean (think about the road of bones, except it was longer and cost more lives)

  • Russia experiences problems associated with Industrialization (crowded cities, filth, long dangerous work, child labor, etc) when its people think they are free and life was supposed to improve...

  • Still way too far behind other European nations to catch up.  Even Japan has surpassed them (even though it is only a fraction of the size and started later)

Unrest in Russia

  • Industrializing late had hurt them deeply in the Russo Japanese War, Crimean War, and WWI.  (over 2 million dead in 1915 alone!)

  • Tsar ruled by fear.

  • Socialist power grows

  • Many identify with the class struggle described by Karl Marx between the proletariat and the Bourgeoisie. 

  • Many now favor a communist revolution where the “workers of the world unite!” though just Russia-wide 

Tsar Nicholas II

  • Lived a Louis XVI lifestyle of luxury while his people suffered

  • Got Russia into several wars it couldn’t win

    • Russo-Japanese War, Crimean War, WWI

  • “Bloody Sunday” massacre of Russians outside the palace when they show discontentment with the war and rationing. (peaceful protest, people unarmed)

  • Personally led his troops into battle during WWI 

    • Just as bad or worse than his other generals (ordered millions to their deaths)

  • Left his wife to rule at home...drama….

  • When things got hard for him on the front, he just went home back to his palace and easy lifestyle

  • Hated by lower classes

Rasputin

  • A peasant from Siberia

  • Thought to be a “Holy Man” and have “special powers” because he helped the Tsar’s son, who suffered from hemophilia

    • Actually kicked out of a monastery, failed monk

    • Tells women that physical contact with him has a purifying effect so he can sleep with them.  

      • This becomes well known throughout Russia, but the Tsar won’t believe it.  Actually exiles people to Siberia for speaking out against him.

      • Even more hard to believe because he is notoriously dirty, and actually uses bear urine as a kind of cologne 

  • When the Tsar left to fight WWI, Rasputin became the queen’s advisor……

    • Rasputin ascended to an even greater level of power.

      • Speaks for the queen

      • Makes government appointments (usually to incompetent people who give him money and favors)

      • In charge of organizing military on home front (totally incompetent at this too)

  • His rise to power makes people nervous

    • Russian officials HATE Rasputin

    • Several attempts are made to assassinate him. Including a girl who stabbed him in the stomach on a visit to his hometown

  • On the night of his murder

    • Given enough poison in his wine to “kill a rhino.”  It has no effect on him

    • Shot, thought to be dead, gets up and attacks his shooters

    • Runs outside to be shot twice more and savagely beaten

    • Thrown into a freezing river to die

Tsars Step Down

  • Soldiers on the battlefield were poorly fed, clothed and provisioned.  

    • Repeatedly humiliated by defeat in battle

    • Many mutinities (refuse to follow orders, sometimes means killing officers) 

    • resort to robbing nearby farms for supplies/food

  • Protests in St Petersburg. March 1917

    • Troops are ordered to fire on civilians with legitimate grievances

      • Refuse, and refuse to follow more orders

    • Tsars are basically powerless

    • Called February Revolution

  • Tsar steps down from power a provisional government is set up.

    • Called “soviets”: council of workers and soldiers. A republic might form.

    • Revolution against THAT government in November 1917. “October Revolution.”  It is a communist revolution!

      • These revolutions are FAMOUS! Named after the wrong month, the Russian calendar was outdated and 13 days behind other Europeans!

Vladimir Lenin

  • Born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (adopted the name Lenin during the revolution)

  • Brother was executed by the government for planning to assassinate the Tsar.  Grew to hate them

  • Read the works of Karl Marx (communism) when he was young

  • Sent to Siberia (exile) for distributing pro communist literature in Russia. (we remember Siberia from the “Road of Bones” right?)

  • Once he (and his wife) were released from Siberia, they went to Switzerland where they promoted the ideas of Marx.

Lenin’s Rise

  • Mensheviks were a moderate faction that favored communism but didn’t want a violent overthrow of the government, 

    • Favored a gradual change into communism by incorporating socialist policies. (unemployment, social security)

  • Lenin represented the Bolsheviks, a group that asserted that only a revolution would bring about real change 

  • Word of rebellion in Russia reached Germany who actually helped Lenin by sending him via special train to Russia so he could potentially bring down the government.

  • When he got there, he and another revolutionary named Leon Trotsky helped lead the revolution promising “Peace, Land, Bread” 

  • The provisional government under Alexander Kerensky kept fighting the war, making this temporary government even more unpopular 

The Bolshevik Takeover

  • Provisional government’s continuation of the war brings even more casualties

    • More troops mutiny (Army, Navy)

    • Many take to looting farms belonging to Russian elites

    • These troops are herded to Moscow, where they put the local Tsar’s palace and headquarters of the new government, under siege.

    • After a brief struggle, the Bolsheviks win 

  • Moscow became the Bolshevik capital, and used the captured Kremlin (Tsar’s headquarters in the city) as home base.

  • Lenin, Trotsky, and the other Bolshevik leadership go about making changes

Civil War in Russia

  • Bolshevik changes

    • No private property: factories, mines, etc. seized and given to the proletariat

    • Adopted a new flag (sickle and hammer)

      • Sickle: Agricultural Workers

      • Hammer: Industrialization

    • Immediately made peace with Germany, surrendered HUGE amounts of land and even its own people to Germany.

    • Do NOT control the whole country

  • Civil War begins 1918

    • Reds (Bolshevik Communists) 

    • Whites (former government officials, Tsarists supporters, and all others who oppose communism. United ONLY by their hatred of communism, don’t play nice, don’t coordinate)

  • War goes on for three years.  Messy

    • Japan seizes more territory in the east

    • Ukraine (a HUGE piece of territory) almost realizes independence. 

The Feud Begins

  • The US and other allies chose to meddle in the Russian Civil War.  

    • Sent troops to support the Whites, but not enough to make a real difference

    • This move only solidifies support for Reds who use foreign invasion as a rallying cry.

    • Beginning of Russian hatred of US

  • New Communist Government

    • Use of Checka (secret police) just like Tsar’s to enforce order

    • Shoot suspected traitors without trial

    • Forced labor camps 

    • Conscript civilians into the army or force people to work in factories

    • “War Communism” put into effect.  Think total war, but farmers give EVERYTHING to the Red Army

The Russian Civil War

  • Reds

    • Occupy central Russia

    • Commissars (party members assigned to work with military leaders) drilled party loyalty as commanders drilled military discipline. 

      • Create an effective fighting force

      • If a military unit performs poorly, they give orders to shoot every 10th man

  • Whites

    • Have to attack from all sides on the center

    • Might have worked if they ever coordinated or worked together

  • Both sides resort to desperate measures

    • Multiple assassination attempts on Lenin

    • Tsar and his entire family murdered so they couldn’t unify the Whites

  • War ends in 1921 with the defeat of the Whites

The Soviet Union Under Lenin

  • Government is officially established.  Now called the Union of Soviet Social Republics (USSR)

  • USSR created a new constitution

    • Elected a legislature to represent the people

    • All citizens over 18 can vote

    • Provinces have equal rights/representation on paper

    • People own the means of production (factories, mines, farms, etc)

  • Though it has elements of socialism, it sounds democratic! (It really isn’t)

    • “Republic” of Russia is the largest, and dominates all others

    • Though it is now a “classless society where the people rule” there are two classes: High ranking party officials on top, and everyone else on the bottom

    • Though there are elections, everyone is from the SAME PARTY

Death of Lenin; the Rise of Stalin

  • When Lenin died, there was a power struggle within the party for leadership

  • Trotsky

    • Highly educated, brilliant speaker and Lenin’s right hand man

    • Wanted to take communism global

  • Stalin

    • Uneducated, more of a thug

    • A shrewd politician

    • Before his death, even Lenin privately voiced fears about Stalin

  • Stalin turned legislature against Trotsky

    • Had his party membership revoked

    • Forced him into exile

    • Had him assassinated in 1940 (Mexico)

  • Stalin proved to be as ruthless and conniving as Lenin predicted.  Used fear and violence to become dictator for life.

Making the Peace

The War is Over!

  • The Central Powers signed an agreement to end the fighting (armistice).  

  • The First World War officially came to an end on Nov 11, 1918.  

  • The world waited while the Allied Powers decided what to do.....

    • US President Woodrow Wilson, Britain’s Prime Minister Lloyd George, Italy’s minister Vittorio Orlando, France’s leader Georges Clemenceau and delegates from other participating nations met in Paris to discuss terms of the peace.

      • They had a lot to discuss…...

The Real Costs of WWI

  • Human Toll

    • 17 million people died in WWI (soldiers/civilians)

    • 20 million injured.  Many crippled or severely injured/disfigured

    • An outbreak of the Spanish Flu turned into a global pandemic (biological disaster or deadly disease) 1918 killed another 20 mill

  • Economic

    • Warring nations spent over a combined 208 Billion to fight the war (this is A LOT MORE in today's $)

    • Areas that saw the most fighting were destroyed.  This will cost billions more!

    • Destruction of military property (mostly ships sunk/trade lost)

  • Social/Political

    • Political Instability as worldwide govts collapse

    • Disillusionment with the government in general.  

    • Radical ideas started to spread give rise to socialist and fascist groups

    • Millions of refugees

A LOT of Problems to Address

  • Italy had formed a secret agreement with England which gave Italy more territory from Austria.  

    • No-one else agreed to this

    • These people don’t want to be Italian…

  • What to do with the many nations in Austria/Hungary, and Ottoman Empire that clamor for independence?  

    • How do we determine who gets what?

    • Where do we draw new borders

    • How do we make them all happy?

  • Do we start a "League of Nations" (one of Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points) to make sure this doesn't happen again?  

    • What are the rules?  

    • Who is in charge?

Conflicting Opinions

  • It was not easy to get everyone to agree, even though they had fought the war with one-another. 

  • Each major nation had a different agenda where peace was concerned, and there were a lot of issues to deal with.

    • US president Woodrow Wilson urged the other leaders to use his 14 Points.  Most were rejected

    • Great Britain wanted to build a new nation "fit for heroes" which would cost a lot of $

    • Georges Clemenceau (France) wanted to weaken Germany so badly, that it would never be strong again. 

    • Italy’s representative Vittorio Orlando argued to get Italy the land it was promised

Treaty of Versailles: Eastern Europe

  • Self-Determination (the process by which a group of people, usually possessing a certain degree of national consciousness, form their own state and choose their own government) 

    • in territory belonging to former Russia, Austria, Hungary, and Germany (territories there can break away and form their own nations)

  • Poland becomes an independent nation after 100 years of foreign rule (parts from Russia, Austria, and Germany)

  • Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia take advantage of Russia’s weakness and also declare independence.

  • Serbia gets its wish!  It ceases to exist.  The New nation of Yugoslavia was created with Serbia as it’s leading force.  Takes a lot of territory from former Austrian empire

  • Rest of empire breaks up into Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Austria 

  • Bulgaria seizes territory of former Austria/Hungary and Russia 

Treaty of Versailles: Terms for Germany

  • Germany had to accept full blame for starting the war

  • Germany had to pay huge reparations (payments) for what had been destroyed in the war. 

  • Had to pay pensions for men who had died in the war for Allied Nations.

    • This will bankrupt Germany

    • Reparations and other expenses are the equivalent of about 4 trillion dollars today!

  • Germany's military had strict limitations

  • Germany had to give back Alsace-Lorraine to France, gave other territory to Poland, and lost all of its overseas colonies.

Treaty of Versailles: Overseas Colonies

  • Many colonies who sent troops were hopeful that they too would be allowed self-determination

  • Soon find out that the altruism of the leaders at Versailles ends within the borders of Europe.

  • All territories outside of Europe would be divided among the victorious nations (with a few parcels given to Japan) and run through a system of mandates (an official order to do something) 

  • In theory, these territories would slowly gain the right to be independent.  In reality, they just became more colonies of European powers.

Treaty of Versailles: An (Almost) Bright Spot

  • The only one of Wilson’s 14 points to be adopted was the idea of the League of Nations.

  • Basically a world-wide system of alliances. 

    • If one nation starts acting in a way that threatens the security of everyone, the League of Nations members would take action to halt the aggression 

    • More than 40 nations sign

  • Wilson returned home, only to find that America didn’t support his idea.  They didn’t want to be obligated to enter into foreign wars.

    • America’s failure to join (it WAS our idea after all) weakened the league.

    • It was a good idea, but ended up being kind of a failure