In Class: Lenin Between the Revolutions

1. Using Documents C, D, and E (page 2 - all numbers referred to are the big hand written page numbers) explain how Lenin and Stalin worked to secure the supremacy of the party.

Documents C, D, and E show Lenin's efforts to secure the supremacy of his party largely by suppressing the other parties. In document C, he criticizes the other parties and states that they do more harm than good and they spark conflict. He then orders the "dispersal of all groups, without exception." He demands that any group or party that is not his own supporters must cease to exist, or else be expelled from the party, and become an outcast. Stalin, three years later, expresses his views on the Communist Party, and in doing so he not only glorifies the Communist Party, but also strikes down the other parties. He says that the Communist Party was successful in achieving equality because "it was able in good time to purge itself of the opportunistic pollution." It was successful because it managed to oppress its corrupt adversaries. Document E shows the corruption and evil of these opposing parties. The Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks are portrayed as small figures among a city engulfed in shadow, trying to prevent a much larger figure from leaving the dark city behind and moving on to the light revolution. It portrays the two parties as corrupt, and hindering Russia's progress. Stalin and Lenin's techniques in securing their party's supremacy largely includes suppressing the other parties.

Lenin and the Bolsheviks Take Power

1. Why was Lenin reluctant to compromise with the Mensheviks or Socialist Revolutionaries? 
Lenin was reluctant to compromise with the Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries because he thought their willingness to compromise would mess up his plans for revolution.

2. List two reasons why the Provisional Government under Kerensky could not govern. 
- Neither the socialists nor the liberal democrats trusted or respected him
- The order in Russia had fallen apart, and attempts to restore it failed

3. The Bolsheviks did not have a majority at the Congress of Soviets after the October Revolution. How did they manage to assume power?
The Mensheviks and SR's didn't participate. They were angry about the armed insurrection against the Provisional Government, so they stormed out of the Congress, and the Bolsheviks had assumed control.

4. What did the Bolsheviks have to give up in order to get out of World War I? What was the name of the Treaty?
The Bolsheviks signed the Brest-Litovsk treaty to get out of World War I, but it had to give up a large part of Russian land to Germany, including Poland, Ukraine, Finland, and the Baltic States. It was a shameful peace for many people in Russia.

5. What was the Checka?
The Checka was the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission to Struggle against Counter-Revolution, Sabotage, and Speculation. It was like a ruthless police force that operated outside of law to eliminate Lenin's opposition.

6. What supporters joined the Red Army? White Army?
Supporters of the Bolsheviks joined the Red Army, and it's enemies and their supporters joined the White Army.

7. How many Russians died during the Civil War? How many emigrated to other countries?
Around 13 million Russians died during the Civil War, and about 2 million emigrated to another country.

What Caused WWI, and Who was to Blame?

A: Alliance System

- The alliances in Europe were not binding at all, and therefore none of them led to World War

- France never aided Russia in the war against Japan, nor did it protest Austria's annexation of Bosnia alongside Russia.

- Austria disregarded Germany's attempts to prevent French colonization of Morocco, and Germany stopped Austria from attacking Serbia during the Second Balkan War.

- Italy, although in the Triple Alliance, got along well with Britain and France, and actually entered the war against Germany in 1915.

- No power declared war because of its alliances.

B: Colonial Rivalry

- German disappointment with their imperial gains hardly helped cause the war

- There had been disputes, but they were all solved peacefully

- Although, colonial rivalry did lead to naval rivalry, which caused some dangerous friction

C: Naval Race

- The German government, influenced by an American writer who believed that naval power was the key to building a strong empire, began to expand its navy so it could challenge Britain's navy, the most powerful in the world.

- Britain was not worried because it had such a massive lead, but in 1906 launched the "Dreadnought," which revolutionized battleships and made all other battleships obsolete.

- Germany began making battleships of similar design

- The naval race meant to Britain that Germany had intentions of making war with it

- Winston Churchill was always confident that Britain "could not be overtaken as far as capital ships were concerned"

D: Economic Rivalry

- Some argue that Germany's desire to grow economically caused it to want war with Britain, who still had about half of the world's merchant ships.

- Others argue that Germany was already on its way to economic success, and war was the last thing it needed.

E: Russia Supported Serbia

- Russian support boosted Serbian confidence, and led it to be more reckless against Austria than it may have been otherwise.

- Russia feared its trade route through the Dardanelles, the outlet from the Black Sea, might end up under German and Austrian control if they gained control in the Balkans.

- Also, Russia wanted to protect its fellow slavs in Serbia to protect its slavic influence in other countries.

- Also, Austria should have realized how difficult it would have been for Russia to remain neutral in the situation.

F: Germany Backing Austria at Crucial

- Although Germany stopped Austria from declaring war on Serbia in 1913, it urged Austria to do so in 1914, and gave the "blank check," which offered its help with no conditions attached. Why did Germany change it's mind like this?

- After the war, every country laid all the blame on Germany alone, but over the years people began to admit other countries deserved to take some of the blame.

- In 1961, a German historian stated that Germany should indeed take most of the blame for the war, because it gave Austria the "blank check," deliberately planning for and provoking war with Russia, France, and Great Britain in order to become the dominant power in the war, and also to deal with domestic tensions.

- In 1912, the German Socialist Party (SPD) took over a third of the seats in the Reichstag (lower house of parliament), and began to fight the Chancellor and Kaiser in attempt to gain more power. A war would be a good way to distract people from political issues and buy the government the opportunity to suppress the SPD.

- Germany also felt encircled and threatened by Britain's naval superiority and Russia's massive military expansion, and wanted to incite a war sooner than later, to make it easier to defeat their enemies before they grew even more powerful

- Some believed that the "blank check" was a very bad miscalculation, and that Germany didn't want war at all, but it's intentions were to scare Russia into remaining neutral.

G: Mobilization Plans

- According to some German historians, the Shlieffen Plan, devised in 1905-6 by Count von Shlieffen, was very risky and inflexible and showed that Germany was led by unscrupulous militarists

- When Russia first began to mobilize, Germany ordered the immediate mobilization and prepared to carry out the Shlieffen plan as quickly as possible. Almost at the last moment the Kaiser attempted to negotiate peace with Austria, and suggested a partial mobilization against Russia only, hoping that Britain would remain neutral if Germany didn't attack France. Regardless, General von Moltke insisted on the full Shlieffen plan, which in the end was carried out, even though Germany had no particular dispute with France at the time.

- American military expert and historian, Terence Zuber, however, denies this theory. He says that the Shlieffen plan was only one of five alternatives being considered in the years after 1900. He also says that Shlieffen never actually included the six week invasion and destruction of France, but Germany tried to blame their defeat on their so-called "Shlieffen Plan," which was truthfully not at all what they made it out to be.

H: A "Tragedy of Miscalculation"

- Australian Historian L.C.F. Turner suggested a theory that Germany never deliberately provoked war, but it was all brought about by a "tragedy of miscalculation." Most of the leaders in Europe seemed to be incompetent and frequently made bad decisions.

- Austrians thought that Russia would not back Serbia

- Germany made the huge mistake of giving Austria the "blank check"

- Germany and Russia miscalculated by assuming that mobilization would not necessarily mean war

- Generals miscalculated by sticking to their plans believing it would bring quick victory