From Tsar to Lenin

What were some of the problems facing the Romanov Dynasty at the beginning of the 1900s?

• The size of the empire was too large to govern efficiently.

• Poor governance as all power was concentrated in the hands of an incapable Tsar.

• A backwards economy that had fallen behind most of Europe due to the refusal to embrace the industrial revolution that started in the 1860s.

• Widespread poverty amongst the peasants and workers who made up 82% of society.

• The Russian Orthodox Church stifled any attempts to dilute the Tsar's power in order to preserve their own privileges.

How did Rasputin contribute to the Tsar's downfall?

• He was able to heal Alexei whenever the child was in pain

• He had illicit relationships with the wives of nobles in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg

• He often influenced the Tsarina to make unpopular choices, e.g. replacing ministers. The Tsarina would then pressure the Tsar to listen to her.

• He predicted that his death would lead to the collapse of the Romanov Dynasty

How did WWI expose the failings of the Romanov Dynasty? (Choose all that applies)

• Lack of industrialisation meant the factories could not produce enough ammunition or equipment for the soldiers

• Lack of railway lines led to over-usage of the existing lines. Train tracks became damaged.

• Poor leadership - the Tsar ignored advice to stay in the capital and left for the war front, thinking he could motivate his soldiers to victory; thus leaving the Tsarina and Rasputin in charge in the capital.

• Over-reliance on military power: the Romanovs depended on the military to control the masses. When the experienced soldiers died at the war front, the reserves did not show the same loyalty to the Tsar.

• The Bolsheviks were highly popular throughout Russia and their influence destabilised the government

During the ________________ of 1917, the Tsar was forced to abdicate from his throne. A Provisional Government took over to govern Russia.

The Provisional Government was hampered by its lack of credibility since no one voted for them. Also, the members were made up of princes and nobilities who refused to carry out land reforms. Lastly, they were highly dependent on the cooperation of _______________ (committee of workers and soldiers) in order to get any policies carried out.

The Provisional Government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in October/ November 1917 because _____

• They made the mistake of continuing the disastrous WWI and lost the support of the people

• Lenin's slogan of 'Peace, Bread and Land' was very popular and led to outbreaks of strikes which toppled the government

• the Provisional Government had to arm the Bolsheviks in order to defeat General Kornilov and his attempt to overthrow the government. This essentially gave the Bolsheviks weapons to use later on.

• the Bolsheviks had the Winter Palace surrounded and forced the Provisional Government to step down

State at least 2 reasons why the Reds were able to defeat the Whites during the Russian Civil War, 1918-1922. (Do not use enter to separate the reasons)

During the Civil War, Lenin implemented ___________________ in order to gain necessary food supplies and access to factory productions. This economic policy was unpopular with the masses but enabled the Reds to win the war.

After changing to the New Economic Policy (NEP), Lenin was criticised by Trotsky because

• Trotsky felt Lenin listened too much to the people.

• the NEP allowed farmers to become richer.

• War Communism was Trotsky's brainchild.

• the switch to adopt capitalist market principles was a betrayal of communist ideology.

Before Lenin died in January 1924, he did not appoint the next successor. This allowed __________ to rise to power by 1927 after a period of power struggle.