Russian Revolution and the Roaring Twenties

Russian Revolution and the Rise of the Bolsheviks

• Bolsheviks were a radical faction within the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party, led by Vladimir Lenin.
• They aimed for a socialist society controlled by the working class.
• Lenin, the Bolshevik leader, adapted Marxist ideas to the Russian context and guided the Bolsheviks to power, becoming the leader of the Soviet state.
• Tsar Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia, unpopular due to his autocratic rule, resistance to reforms, and Russia's involvement in WWI.
• Grigori Rasputin, a mystic, gained unusual influence over the Romanov family, adding to the Tsar's regime's instability.
• The Cheka was the Soviet secret police, suppressing opposition and consolidating Bolshevik power.

The Roaring Twenties / Jazz Age

• The 1920s were a time of optimism, new tech, and liberation after WWI, but also social tensions and economic divides.
• Flappers were young women challenging social norms with their style and behavior, representing independence and rebellion.
• Prohibition was a U.S. ban on alcohol, leading to illegal speakeasies and organized crime.
• The Harlem Renaissance was a significant artistic and cultural movement for African Americans in Harlem, impacting American arts, literature, and music.

Post-WWI Economic Issues and the Great Depression

• Post-WWI Europe faced massive war debts, inflation, and unemployment, creating instability in the global economy.
• Disarmament, the reduction of military forces, aimed at achieving peace after WWI's devastation.
• Causes of the Great Depression included 1929 stock market crash, overproduction, underconsumption, and global economic interconnectedness.
• The Great Depression led to widespread unemployment, poverty, business failures, and social unrest, impacting global political landscapes.
• Overproduction, where supply outstripped demand, decreased prices and led to business losses, causing wider economic hardship.
• The 1929 Stock Market Crash devastated fortunes, caused bank failures, and triggered a severe economic contraction.

Totalitarianism

• Totalitarianism is a government system where the state controls all aspects of life (political, social, economic).
• Characteristics include single-party rule, cult of personality around the leader, suppression of dissent, and extensive use of propaganda and terror.
• Benito Mussolini, leader of the Italian Fascist Party, rose to power through political maneuvering, intimidation and exploiting social unrest using his paramilitary group, the Blackshirts.
• The March on Rome was Mussolini's demonstration that culminated in his appointment as Prime Minister, marking the start of Fascist rule.
• Fascism is an ideology emphasizing extreme nationalism, authoritarianism, militarism, suppression of opposition, and prioritizing the state over the individual.

Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union

• Joseph Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union by maneuvering politically after Lenin's death.
• Stalin's Five-Year Plans aimed at rapid Soviet industrialization and agricultural collectivization by strengthening the economy and military.
• A command economy is a system where the government controls all production and distribution.
• Collectivization was the policy of merging individual into large collective farms, leading to famine and resistance.
• The Terror Famine (Holodomor) was a man-made famine in Ukraine due to Stalin's collectivization policies and grain confiscations.
• The Great Purge was Stalin's campaign eliminating political opponents and perceived threats.
• Russification was a policy imposing Russian culture and language on non-Russian Soviet nationalities.
• The Gulag was the Soviet system of forced labor camps, housing political prisoners and those deemed undesirable.

The Weimar Republic and the Rise of Nazism

• The Weimar Republic was the German government after WWI, facing numerous problems like economic instability.
• Post-WWI Germany experienced hyperinflation, high unemployment, and burdensome reparations payments from the Treaty of Versailles.
• The Ruhr Valley, a major German industrial area, was occupied by France and Belgium, exacerbating the economic crisis.
• Hyperinflation made the German currency worthless, leading to economic chaos and social unrest.
• Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, promoted extreme nationalism, racism (antisemitism), and a superior Aryan race.
• The Nazi Party gained popularity through exploiting economic difficulties, social unrest, and promises of restoring German greatness, using propaganda and charismatic leadership.
• The Third Reich was the name given to Nazi Germany, aiming to establish a totalitarian state and expand German territory through political conquest.
• The Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of their citizenship and aimed to isolate and persecute them in Nazi Germany.

Essay Questions

• Post-WWI conditions were ripe for totalitarian leaders due to WWI's devastation, economic instability, social unrest, and the failure of traditional political systems. Totalitarian leaders offered simple solutions, promising order and stability, and exploiting people's desperation.
• Totalitarian leaders were skillful propagandists, presenting themselves as strong and decisive leaders that offered hope and restored national pride to the populace, while gradually eroding freedoms through terror and silencing dissent. Their propaganda masked the true intentions of their regimes.
• Totalitarian regimes created a climate of fear, oppression, and suppression of individual freedom and dissent. While specific characteristics varied between leaders, the central theme was state control and individual subservience.