Vladimir Lenin
Political Structure
The Provisional Government replaced the Tsar at the front, and initially, the governing of the country was easy-going due to the widespread atmosphere of elation. However, it was not a politically elected body and it also faced many of the remaining problems that the Tsar had failed to solve. There were very heavy military losses being suffered at the front; there was a great food shortage and the public were complaining that their situation had not improved much since the abdication of the Tsar.
Political Structure
The Provisional Government replaced the Tsar at the front, and initially, the governing of the country was easy-going due to the widespread atmosphere of elation. However, it was not a politically elected body and it also faced many of the remaining problems that the Tsar had failed to solve. There were very heavy military losses being suffered at the front; there was a great food shortage and the public were complaining that their situation had not improved much since the abdication of the Tsar.
Vladimir Lenin arrived from exile in Switzerland, and began to undermine the provisional government. A political theorist and leader of the Bolsheviks, Lenin's work included adaptations of Marxist beliefs. He argued for his idea of a revolutionary party that was highly centralized and would act as a spokesperson for the industrial workers. He also encouraged cruelty by asking the individual to be hard on himself and the others around him - there was no room for sentiment under Lenin's rule. He was a good speaker, and during his many speeches, offered the people liberty, equality and a good life - many things that the Tsar had not been able to do. He put himself among the crowds and spoke to the public like an equal, face-to-face to show his utmost sincerity and passion; a stark contrast from the years of autocratic, haughty royals. Deeply impressed and impassioned by this change, the people soon bought into Lenin's revolutionary ideas, as they believed that Lenin was offering them the means to achieve their dreams and rescue themselves from poverty - Communism.
Under Lenin's orders, the Romanovs were put under house arrest and strict imprisonment conditions in a militant Bolshevik stronghold. During the early morning of July 16 at approximately 1.30am, the Tsar, Tsarina and their children were taken to the basement, lined up and executed by a firing squad.
The house where the Romanovs were held captive and then executed
The Provisional Government moved against the Bolsheviks, arresting activists and in retaliation, the Bolsheviks portrayed it as an attack against the people and marched on the Provisional Government to overthrow them, and finally, managed to take control of the government.
The Bolsheviks went on to govern Russia many years after the Revolution, and the Soviet Union succeeded the Provisional Government, and it was based on one party rule of the Communist Party aka Bolsheviks. No opposition was tolerated and a new kind of oppression fell over Russia especially after Stalin succeeded Lenin.
Joseph Stalin
The hammer and sickle symbol for the Communist Party - It targeted the working class of the population and promised equal rights for the poor.
Russia adopted the new ideology of Communism under Lenin's new regime. Communism promised equal wages and equal rights for everyone, regardless of race, language, religion and status as it was built on a classless structure. It states that the only way to establish a wealthy society and country for all is to have the working class replace the bourgeoisie (refers to businessmen, merchants etc who did not do hard labour, but worked in another sector of the economy. They were the current ruling class at that time). It sought to end capitalism (free trade) and aimed to achieve collective ownership, in which the entire population earned the same money and same treatment as one entity.
However, equal wages and equal treatment was not a good thing - many did not have any incentive to work hard and keep the country's eonomy going, and as a result, Russia soon fell back into impoverishment. Many of the wealthy were extremely unhappy with this new 'classless' and 'equal' system, as they were now degraded to the levels of poorly peasants. However, all those who showed any signs of opposition to the new regime were promptly executed and silenced. As many as 60 million of these unhappy rebels were killed brutally by the Soviet Union under Stalin's rule.
However, it was a considerable improvement to the previous system of autocracy. Although oppression was still prevalent, the people were given the choice to vote for their favoured political party. There was a parliament where minorities were fairly represented, and it was a step further away from the archaic system of absolute power under one ruler. Equality was granted to the people in ways the Tsar would never have agreed to, and the people enjoyed similar rights and advantages as every other community, as compared to the old system of Russification.
Social Situation
After elections were held, the Congress adopted a decree that transferred power to the Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants'. The Bolsheviks claimed to represent an alliance of workers and peasants of the Soviet Union. Under their guidance, decrees were made to seize church property and private lands that were to be redistributed out among the peasants and wages were fixed at higher rates.
However, when Stalin took over, he wanted the industrialization of Russia to be quicker and more massive. He introduced several plans that although created a tremendous leap in the industrial capacity, required a large amount of work and energy. Workers were soon clocking in 16-18 hours a day, and more than a hundred thousand workers died each year from overwork and exhaustion. Failure to complete the quota of 16 hours resulted in severe punishments. Due to such heavy allocation of resources to industrial development, a famine occurred. It was the extreme opposite to the Tsarist regime, where industrialization was a slow and reluctant process. Stalin was so eager for modernisation that he sped the rest of the country through it, destroying many people's happiness as he did so during this quest for industrialization.
After elections were held, the Congress adopted a decree that transferred power to the Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants'. The Bolsheviks claimed to represent an alliance of workers and peasants of the Soviet Union. Under their guidance, decrees were made to seize church property and private lands that were to be redistributed out among the peasants and wages were fixed at higher rates.
However, when Stalin took over, he wanted the industrialization of Russia to be quicker and more massive. He introduced several plans that although created a tremendous leap in the industrial capacity, required a large amount of work and energy. Workers were soon clocking in 16-18 hours a day, and more than a hundred thousand workers died each year from overwork and exhaustion. Failure to complete the quota of 16 hours resulted in severe punishments. Due to such heavy allocation of resources to industrial development, a famine occurred. It was the extreme opposite to the Tsarist regime, where industrialization was a slow and reluctant process. Stalin was so eager for modernisation that he sped the rest of the country through it, destroying many people's happiness as he did so during this quest for industrialization.
However, minorities were finally given the rights they deserved with the new Communist regime. Everybody was equal in that new society, and so, everyone had to go through collective suffering and despair.
Rapid industrialization
Economic Situation
Under the new regime, employment rates soared due to the rapid industrialization of Russia. The New Economic Policy that had been established by Lenin, which restored private ownership to some small companies and to the farming industry. It allowed peasants to lease and hire labor, and they were allowed to keep the surplus (as compared to during the Tsar's rule, where the government took all the surpluses with no compensation). Farmers had the option to sell the surplus grain, which provided them with a large incentive to work hard and produce more grain. Agrarian production began to increase rapidly, generating more money for Russia than ever before.
The NEP helped Russia recover from its economic plight after the First World War, Russo-Japanese War and Russian Revolution, and the rate of poverty began to decrease dramatically. economy began to move faster than ever before. With new plans implemented to industrialize Russia, industrialization brought in many benefits and it helped modernise farming methods to make them more effective with higher yields. Factories were churning out high quality goods that would sell for high prices, raking in more money for the country. With industrialization came a huge number of availible jobs, and unemployment was no longer a problem. Women also experienced increasingly better socio-economic situations as they were given better jobs.
