USSR & Russian History

2024-05-2223:02 Status:OrganizeIncomplete

History

To contextualize the Development of Communism in the USSR, Aristocratic Russia created the conditions for which communism could spread. However, it was not until the Bloody Sunday 1905 Revolution, that communism went mainstream in Russia. … After Japan’s Bombings, …Today, Stalin is hailed by some as the leader that restored the Russian Empire and won WWII, but his crimes and malevolence cannot be understated: he is regarded by many as the worst figure in Russian history. …Cold War

WWI

Breakdown of Military Discipline (1917)

The breakdown of military control can be attributed to the utter lack of faith the soldiers had in their ruling class. Although communist rhetoric supported their position, many of their problems were legitimately attributed to the incompetence of higher ranking personnel. With inadequate training, equipment, and leadership, there were bound to be some organizational issues. This could be directly addressed if it were not for the food shortages, low wages, and demoralization (as a result of military losses, and collateral damage) that drove the muzhiks (Russian peasantry) to desperation. This perfect storm instigated a widespread hatred towards the Russian autocracy (which was especially prevalent as the proletariat was suffering the majority of the losses). That is to say that peasants were losing fathers, sons, and brothers to war, and the aristocrats were not suffering nearly to the same extent. This culminated into a worker strike on March 9th, 1917 where approximately 200,000 workers rioted against this disparity. The strength of this crisis cemented the wide scale discontent the working class had against Tsar Nicholas II’s Romanov dynasty. This amplified the already mediocre leadership structure of the military seeing as there was a complete lack of confidence in commanding personnel. The acute demonization of authority made attempts to reorganize futile as they were seen as counter-revolutionaries, those who would uphold the abundance of military death, food shortages, and any and all exploitation the proletariat was victim to. This accentuated the desperation (from malnourishment, general war agitation, and poor conditions) that lower ranked soldiers felt during this time. This was egregious to the point where at multiple fronts, men were refusing to carry out orders, newspapers advocated for ceasefire, and support to bring the war to an end by any means necessary. This desperation turned defeatist mentality further perpetuated the already poor conditions faced.

Trotsky’s promises and support from the Bolsheviks

**Although Trotsky’s revolutionary ideas were prevalent before, it was during the Day of the Petersburg Soviet when he aroused Bolshevik support. He emphasized ending turmoil in the trenches, restoring land, giving back said land, and advocating for giving peasants the means to feed themselves. This advocacy for the working class came with scrutiny of the bourgeois who were living comfortably in comparison. Trotsky’s aims can be summarized in his slogan: “Bread, Land, Peace”

1. “Bread”- As a response to poor economic supply of food, many 

2. “Land”-  When Trotsky advocated for the working class owning “land,” he not only meant the physical plots of land that Muzhiks did not have, but also the ownership of the means of production and private capital. This would come in the form of workers’ councils (Soviets) overseeing the ownership, management and organization of factories, industries etc. such that the working class has more agency over their economic well being. This collective ownership  

3. “Peace” - Ending WWI: as with other Bolshevik revolutionaries, Trotsky promised to end Russian involvement in the war. As among Russians, the disproportionate human and economic toll was not worth the (potentially nonexistent) spoils of war. Of which the working class would receive little anyway. This would come in the form of “peace,” or frankly any resolution to end the war.  

In addition to these tenants, with other Bolsheviks, Trotsky sought to overthrow the provisional government (led by Alexander Kerensky) in a kind of revolution that represented the interests in the working class. He played a key role in the October Revolution (which would hopefully escalate into an international revolution).**

Lenin’s promises should the revolution succeeds.

Similarly to Trotsky, Lenin promised an end to Russian involvement in WWI. By negotiating a peace settlement with the Central Powers (Great Britain, France, Italy, and the US) he believed that Russia could better address the internal issues that made the citizenry weak and demoralized. With the other Bolsheviks, he promised land to be redistributed to muzhiks from the Russian aristocracy and bourgeoisie with general economic relief. This would address the food shortages, poverty, and quality of life for the working class. He did this by granting workers the control over their respective industries, nationalization of key industries, and implementing worker based leadership in industry. Although Lenin is considered to be a kind of communist (or at least a socialist), he still championed some liberal rights. For instance, he advocated for free speech, assembly, and political participation. However, the underlying principle of collective interest (in regards to industry, property, responsibility etc.) led him to also support the international revolution. This was a common promise made amongst Bolsheviks (Trotsky included) and appealed to the socialist rhetoric that all of history (and by extension all current oppression by the hands of those in power) can be framed as a class struggle. This would glorify Russians as the first to establish a rejection of capitalism and spread socialism internationally.

Defining Revolution

Revolution can be generalized to be a widespread response to a people’s mistreatment, oppression, or discrimination. In the case of the Russian Revolution, this spawned out of both the Russian Bourgoise’s inability to provide workers with a satisfactory quality of life (relative to the upper class), and incompetence in regards to managing, caring, and leading the Russian nation:  Although the disparity between the working and ruling classes existed before the war, it became particularly prevalent as Russia grew increasingly insatiable. This instability took the form of military deaths, food shortages, accentuated poverty etc. And as a direct effect of this, the disparity between the Bourgeois’ and Proletariat only increased: As the Russian citizenry was discontent with their quality of life, they rightfully were upset with those who were supposedly burdened with their care. The working class in Russia were struck with poverty, social inequality, exploitation, suffering the heaviest losses from the war, and were more prone to starvation and malnourishment (because of widespread food shortages). This disparity also took the form of perceived competence. Although dealing with war is incredibly complex, military leaders were seen as incredibly incompetent. They were directly responsible for several casualties, forcing already demoralized soldiers to die for people who were exploiting them, and received better treatment by higher ranking officers. This only amplified the bitterness the working class felt to the ruling class, which also accentuated the radical rhetoric prevalent among the working class.

Cold War

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USSR Restrictions on cultural expression (USSR) Lack of economic diversity (Ex-USSR smaller nations) Obfuscation & Bureaucracy Military spending (USSR) Communiterm Ossification of party leadership (USSR) Limitation of planning USSR Purges Deportations (USSR) Democratic participation Authoritarianism Totalitarianism (Dictatorship) Democratic participation (Socialist states) Comparing nations (to the USSR) Trade embargos

Ideology

Socialism Communism

Texts

Over bureaucratization The Sovietization of the human experience Blackshirts and Reds Socialism betrayed RK, TK The Great Conspiracy Against Russia Soviet Democracy, PS Soviet Communism S and BW The Soviet Form of Popular Government Towards a New Socialism