It all began in 1840. Karl Marx, a German philosopher,
presented society with a new theory of 'scientific socialism.' He based
his theory on the scientific study of history, both past and present. Because
of his radical ideas Marx was forced to leave his homeland , but not even
that could stop him.
By 1848 Karl Marx and his trustworthy assistant, Fredrich
Engels, published a book entitled The Communist Manifesto . In
this book Marx prophesied that the proletariat workers would rise and the
communist party would form soon after. Also that economics would be a driving
force in the future and there would be a continuous struggle between the
rich and poor. It took some time, but by the late 1800's Russian socialist
accepted Marxism. Unfortunately Karl Marx died in London,1883.
 |
It wasn't until September of 1889 that Vladimir Llich
Ulyanov, later known as Lenin, began to find interest in Marxist literature.
After years of studying and commitment Lenin became the leader of a Marxist
circle in Samara. By 1917 Lenin had moved on to newer heights. It was the
beginning of The Russian Revolution. Both Lenin and his side kick, Leon
Trotsky, were leading the Bolsheviks, later known as the communist party,
through the whole ordeal. They viewed this as the perfect opportunity for
the Bolsheviks to seize power. Their competitors, the Mensheviks, were a
group that controlled the Petrograd Soviet in 1905. They also, like the
Bolsheviks, wanted an end to czarist rule, but would have preferred to resolve
the problem differently. They had more money, education, and collaborators
than the Bolsheviks, but they just were not as radical. They were all for
unity. |
Because the people of Russia were in a great deal of
poverty and disorganization, the Bolsheviks gained the support of many with
one powerful slogan:Bread, Peace, Land. This idea had absolutely nothing
to do with Marxism, but it had meaning to the peasants.
It was poverty and disorganization that angered the people
of Russia. Workers formed unions and councils to express their opinions.
This was the beginning of the October Revolution, one of the main events
that led the Bolsheviks to victory. Directed by Leon Trotsky, the Bolshevik
military ram sacked government offices and arrested various members of the
provisional government.
By the end of 1917 the Bolsheviks had completely taken
over and Russia was essentially controlled by Lenin. They then renamed themselves
the communist party.
In 1918 the communist party did exactly what Czar Nicholas II should have done. They signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This concluded Germany's war against Russia.
There were of course people who opposed the treaty. Former
army officers and other groups formed military units to fight against the
Bolsheviks. This unit, known as "the whites", were in battle for
approximately three years against the Bolshevik "red army". In
the end, it was a Bolshevik victory. The communist would rule Russia for
over seventy years.
Russia paid a great price due to the civil war. The total
deaths included eight hundred-thousand soldiers and two million civilians.
Recently a group of communist once again tried to take
control of Russia. The group announced their seizure August 19, 1991. However,
this party was not as radical as the Bolsheviks, or as powerful. Things
calmed down as Boris Yeltson, president of Russia, stood on top of the tank
that was to defend the group and denounced their seizure.
Cash, Anthony. The Russian Revolution. New York:Doubleday and Company Inc.,1967.
Ellis, Elizabeth G and Anthony Esler. World History: Connections To Today.Upper
Saddle River,NJ: Prentice Hall.1997.
Marrin, Albert. "Alexander F. Kerensky". World Book Multimedia
Encyclopedia CD-Rom. Chicago: World Book Inc.,1996.
Marrin, Albert. "Lenin". World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia CD-
Rom. Chicago: World Book Inc.,1996.
Moorehead, Alan. The Russian Revolution. New York: Harper and Brothers,1958.
Vucinich, Wayne S. "Bolsheviks". Colliers Encyclopedia, vol.4.
New York: P.F Collier,1997.
Weber, Gerada and Hermann Weber. Lenin: Life and Works. New York: Facts
on File Inc., 1980.
Samantha DeBose
McLane High School
Spring '98'