Ch 07 - Communist revolutions: Russia, China, and Cuba Flashcards
(88 cards)
Who were Karl Marx and Frederick Engels?
Karl Marx was a German philosopher and journalist, and Frederick Engels was an industrialist. Together, they observed the poor working conditions in 19th-century Britain and developed the theory of communism.
What did Marx and Engels observe about industrial workers in Britain?
They observed appalling conditions, including child labor, 12- to 16-hour workdays, and repetitive work with machines, which they found inhuman.
What was Karl Marx’s theory of history?
Marx argued that history progresses through class revolutions. First, capitalists overthrow monarchies, and then workers rise up to overthrow the capitalists, leading to communist states.
How did workers in Europe and North America respond to Marx’s idea?
Workers formed unions and labor parties, which improved wages, limited hours, and increased social benefits, instead of pursuing revolutions.
What did Marx predict about workers’ revolutions?
Marx predicted a global surge of workers’ revolutions against capitalists and liberal constitutional states, replacing them with communist societies where property is owned collectively.
What was the state of Russia in the 19th century?
Russia was the largest but most backward European state, with serfs only freed in 1861 but burdened by redemption payments. Industrial centers were limited, and the tsar ruled absolutely.
Where did Marx’s predicted communist revolutions occur?
They occurred in agrarian states like Russia and China, where intellectuals aimed to leap directly from peasant societies to communism.
What happened during the February Revolution of 1917?
Women’s protests over bread shortages grew into mass demonstrations. Soldiers defected to the protesters, forcing Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate and ending Romanov rule.
What events led to the 1905 Revolution in Russia?
Russia’s defeat by Japan sparked peasant rebellions, worker strikes, and naval mutinies. Although suppressed, these events pressured the government to create reforms like the Duma and land changes.
What role did World War I play in the Russian Revolution?
Russia’s defeats in the war, combined with domestic protests and food shortages, undermined the tsarist regime, leading to the February Revolution and Tsar Nicholas II’s abdication.
Who was Vladimir Lenin, and what was his idea?
Lenin was a revolutionary thinker who proposed a vanguard communist party to lead workers and peasants in overthrowing the tsarist regime and creating a communist society.
What was the provisional government in Russia?
It was a temporary government formed after the tsar’s abdication, but it lost support due to its decision to continue Russia’s involvement in World War I.
What were soviets?
Soviets were councils organized by workers, soldiers, and peasants, which became key supporters of the Bolshevik Revolution.
What occurred during the October Revolution of 1917?
The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, staged a bloodless coup by taking control of key government buildings overnight, establishing a communist government.
What was the Red Army, and who organized it?
The Red Army was the communist military force organized by Leon Trotsky, consisting of defecting soldiers, workers, and drafted peasants.
What was the White Army?
The White Army was the counterrevolutionary force of tsarist generals aiming to overthrow the communists during the Russian Civil War.
How did the Red Army defeat the White Army?
The Red Army used its central position, control of rail lines, greater support from workers and peasants, and experienced officers to triumph in the civil war from 1918 to 1921.
Why were Tsar Nicholas II and his family executed?
They were executed by the communists to prevent them from becoming rallying symbols for the White Army.
What was depicted in a 1919 White Army poster about Leon Trotsky?
The poster depicted Trotsky as the “Red Menace” of the Russian Revolution, sitting on the wall of the Kremlin.
What was “war communism” under Lenin?
It was a policy where the party took total control of the economy and claimed all assets during the Russian Civil War.
What was Lenin’s New Economic Policy (NEP)?
A policy allowing peasants and small private businesses to market their products to help the economy recover after the civil war.
What leadership struggle arose after Lenin’s death in 1924?
A struggle between those wanting to continue the NEP and those advocating for full communist control. Joseph Stalin led the latter faction and became leader.
What were Stalin’s collectivization and industrialization programs in the 1930s?
Stalin collectivized peasant farms and redirected grain to cities for industrialization, causing millions of deaths due to famine and resource seizures.
How did Stalin suppress opposition?
He used purges, show trials, executions, and created a vast “gulag” prison system across the Soviet Union.
