Download The History of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

The History of
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR)
Soviet Anthem
The Russian Revolution
• Biggest reason for the Revolution: The incompetence of
Tsar Nicholas II
• Lived a lavish lifestyle as his people suffered
• Unable to modernize Russia into an industrial country (Economy
was continually in bad shape)
• Opposed democratic movements supported by the people
• Established a powerless Duma and still dissolved it less than a year later
• Defeated by Japan in the Russo-Japanese War
• Massive embarrassment for a European power
• Led Russia into WWI, which ended in a massive defeat
• 9.15 Million Russian Casualties
Central Question: How did Russia become a Communist nation?
The Russian Revolution
The Two Revolutions
February Revolution of 1917
• Led by what can be labeled as Democratic-Socialists who
were upset with the Russian system of government and
the Tsar’s failures.
• Their leader was Aleksandr Kerensky, a well-known Russian
Lawyer and Politician
• Overthrew the Tsar and instituted a “Provisional
Government”
• That government would oversee the ruling of Russia until
national elections could be held
• The Provisional Government would, however, continue
the war and repeatedly delay national elections
Central Question: How did Russia become a Communist Nation?
The Russian Revolution
The Two Revolutions
October Revolution of 1917
• Average Russians quickly grew tired of the war and the
continued collapse of the economy
• The people soon turned to the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir
Lenin, who wanted faster and more radical changes to society
based on the teachings of Karl Marx
• Lenin promised everyone “Peace, Land, and Bread”
• Bolsheviks eventually overthrew the provisional
government in October of 1917 sparking the Russian
Civil War
• In 1922, the Communist “Reds” finally defeated the
“Whites”, an alliance of monarchists, socialists, and
capitalists
• Solidified Bolshevik control over the former Russian Empire
Central Question: How did Russia become a Communist Nation?
The History of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Part II
The Era of the “Man of Steel”
(1924-1953)
• Began adulthood as a bank robber and political activist
• Briefly exiled to Siberia, but later joins Bolshevik party
• Lenin thought Stalin was too harsh and wanted him
removed from the party
• Communist Party ignores Lenin’s statement in his will and
votes for Stalin as the next leader over Trotsky
• Trotsky (Lenin’s right-hand man) exiled, slandered repeatedly,
then eventually murdered
• Turns the government of the USSR into a true
dictatorship
• Bans the Orthodox religion and creates a Stalinist cult of
personality. His image replaces Jesus’.
Central Question: What changes took place within the USSR and the World under Stalin?
The Era of the “Man of Steel”
(1924-1953)
• Stalinist Purges ordered to ensure absolute loyalty to Stalin
• Millions sent to “Gulags” where they were tortured and often killed in
ways very similar to the Nazi death camps
• Many turned in for “disloyalty” by own neighbors
• Killed nearly all of the military leadership prior to WWII because he
thought they were a threat.
• He even killed hundreds of loyal top party members, under false
charges, in order to instill fear throughout the population
• Industrialized Russia and created massive state-owned farms
• Created forced labor camps and organizations to boost
industrialization, at the cost of agriculture
• Stole farms from 80% of the people, destroying their livelihood and
leading to rebellion
• State crushed the rebellion and ran the agricultural industry into the
ground, causing widespread death and starvation
Central Question: What changes took place within the USSR and the World under Stalin?
The Era of the “Man of Steel”
(1924-1953)
• Party leaders and supporters received lavish rewards and
high living while everyone else suffered
• Even amid all of the suffering, many refused to believe Stalin knew
of the killing and suffering. (The power of the Cult of Personality)
• Stalin victoriously led the USSR through World War II
• Restructured the military leadership and industry in time to help
prevent Moscow from falling to the Nazis
• Brutal military leadership cost the USSR 25,000,000+ lives
• After the defeat of Hitler, Stalin forced Eastern European
governments to adopt Communist governments of their
own, basically as his puppets
• Effectively divided the Western world into the Communist
East and Capitalist West –Cold War begins
Central Question: What changes took place within the USSR and the World under Stalin?
Post War
Division of Europe
Iron Curtain
Central Question: What changes took place within the USSR and the World under Stalin?
The Era of the “Man of Steel”
(1924-1953)
• During the final years of Stalin’s reign, he solidified
Communist power in Eastern Europe and spread the
ideology to China and Korea.
• China turns Communist in 1949, North Korea in the early 1950s
• USSR now fighting “Proxy Wars” with the West and would
continue for decades
• Led to deaths of thousands of US servicemen
• Stalin eventually dies of a stroke on March 5th, 1953
• Deaths under Stalin (not including war casualties):
• At least 20-60 million killed under Stalin’s orders or policies
• Difficult to get an exact number due to poor record keeping and the
destruction of statistics
• Planned to kill off Russia’s over 2 million Jews but died first
• Hitler was “only” directly responsible for 15-17 million deaths
Central Question: What changes took place within the USSR and the World under Stalin?
The History of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Part III
The Era of Reform
1953-1964
• Nikita Kruschev came into office shortly after the death of
Stalin
• Denounced Stalin’s domestic policies in his “Secret Speech”
• Spoke about Stalin’s purges and forced cult of personality that led to
widespread fear and the USSR’s early defeats in WWII
• Instituted more liberal reforms such as:
• Better relations with the West, Privatization of farming, Cutting the
number of government ministries, & Decentralization of industry
• However, he also almost led the world to utter annihilation
during the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 14-28, 1962)
• His eventual removal of weapons from Cuba and caving in to the
West’s demands led to his downfall in 1964
Central Question: How did the Soviet Union adjust its policies following the death of Stalin?
The Beginning of Decline
1964-1982
• Leonid Brezhnev led the bloodless coup to overthrow
Kruschev in 1964, while Kruschev was on vacation
• Rolled back many of Kruschev’s reforms
• Sought “peace” with the West, but in name only
• Continued to build up his military and support Communist
revolutions around the world including Vietnam
• In 1972, Brezhnev signed Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
(SALT) to reduce US and USSR nuclear arsenals
• Within days, he sent billions of dollars of military
equipment to Arab countries to fight Israel (Led to the
Yom Kippur War and nearly started WWIII)
Central Question: What events and policies initiated the Soviet Union’s downfall?
The Beginning of Decline
1964-1982
• Brutally put down the “Prague Spring,” a pro-democratic
rebellion in Czechoslovakia
• Over 600 Civilian Casualties
• Began the disastrous Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
• Soviets attempted to forcefully install a Pro-Communist
government in Afghanistan
• Repelled by the US backed Mujaheddin (Many of them later became
the Taliban)
• Soviet Casualties: 13,310 Killed, 35,478 Wounded
• Soviet citizens were furious with their government over Russian
losses and their stagnant economy (SOUND FAMILIAR??… 1917???)
• The failing economy and this stunning loss signaled the beginning
of the fall of the USSR
Central Question: What events and policies initiated the Soviet Union’s downfall?
The History of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Part IV
The Opening of Relations
and Final Collapse
1985-1992
• Mikhail Gorbachev assumes power after three
successive Soviet Premiers died within three years
• Gorbachev tried to restart the economy through the
slow repeal of the Socialist economy
• Policy known as Perestroika or “Restructuring”
• Soviet government allowed private companies to develop and
turn a profit
• Gorbachev also relaxed speech regulations and worked
to better relations with the West
• Policy known as Glasnost or “Openness”
• People could finally speak their minds instead of being jailed
for saying anything other than the far-left approved script
Central Question: What occurred in the final days of the USSR?
The Opening of Relations
and Final Collapse
1985-1992
• Nationalist movements break out in nearly every Soviet
Republic and in their satellite states
• Many start pushing for independence and new, non-Communist,
governments
• There were violent backlashes by the governments, but the people
were ultimately successful
• Most significant event: Berlin Wall falls in 1989, finally
uniting Germany after 44 years apart
• Boris Yeltsin demanded more reforms from Gorbachev,
leading to party infighting
• Eventually Boris Yeltsin becomes a favorite of the people
and leads Russia through the final dissolution of the USSR
Central Question: What occurred in the final days of the USSR?
The Post Cold War Map