russian revolution
Eventually, empires and nations all collapse. The end can be brought about by many causes. Whether through becoming too large for their own good, being ruled by a series of out of touch men, falling behind technologically, having too many enemies, succumbing to civil war, or a combination: no country is safe. The Russia of 1910 was in atremendously horrible situation. She had all of these problems. Russia would not have existed by 1920 were it not for Vladimir IlichLenin, the only man capable of saving the failing nation. Russia in 1910 was a very backwards country. Peasants who lived in absolute poverty made up the vast majority of Russia's population (Haney 19). Russia's version of the feudal system had ended a mere 49 years earlier, but in effect it meant that peasants now owned the meager parcels of land upon which their survival rested. Their ruler, Czar Nicholas II, ruled aloof of his disorganized nation. His government of appointed officials and men in inherited positions did not represent the people (The Tyranny of Stupidity 120). Even though all of Europe had experienced the Industrial Revolution, Russia had precious little machinery. To obtain more advanced machines, the
Had Lenin lived longer, he could have seen Communism through to its ideal state. Unfortunately for Russians, Stalin beat Trotsky and became Secretary of the Communist Party upon Lenin's death, a position which was as good as dictator (100). Lenin knew what he wanted, knew how to get it, and was willing to wait. It is no wonder Lenin became a Russian national hero. Lenin's goals were becoming reality. Liberal constitutionalists wanted to remove the czar and form a republic; social revolutionists tried to promote a peasant revolution; Marxists promoted a revolution among the proletariat, or urban working class. From 1897 to 1917, he traveled all over Europe writing propaganda, organizing strikes, and encouraging revolution among the working class, especially in Russia (Lenin, V. Were Lenin alive today, he could stand up and truthfully say, "Without me, a nation would not exist. Immediately thereafter, civil war broke out between the Communists, called Reds, and the anti-Communists, called Whites, who had help from Western nations (Johnson 43). To jump-start the economy, Lenin instituted his New Economic Policy, which began to rejuvenate the economy by permitting small industries to operate under their own control and letting farmers keep or sell more of their products while the government retained control of heavy industries such as metal working (55). In November, Lenin and his Bolsheviks, with help from armed citizens, stopped the revolving door. "I'll make them pay for this!" he said, "I swear it!" (Haney 28) By 1888, at the age of 18, he had read Das Kapital by Karl Marx, a book about socialism and the evils of capitalism. This help from outside Russia actually helped Lenin, as it drove public sentiment against the Whites. Petersburg (then Petrograd) and later captured Moscow, meeting little resistance along the way (Jantzen 613).
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