Fun Facts: Russian History-A Gentle Introduction

Katya's Fun Facts: Russian History-A Gentle Introduction

THE SITUATION BEFORE THE REVOLUTION:

Russia had been ripe for revolution for a while. The situation at the beginning of the twentieth century was not dissimilar from that of late eighteenth century France - an unpopular ruler, a powerful aristocracy with essentially unlimited powers over their subjects, a miserably poor general populace without a lot to lose, an unsympathetic church with a "know-your-place" philosophy, and a small but extremely influential intellectual class firmly on the side of radical social change - by any means necessary. Costly wars (notably against Japan and Poland) added the necessary kick to the powderkeg, and in 1905, the first - abortive and unsucessful - revolution occurred. It was a dismal failure, and most of the leaders were forced to flee the country. The situation in Russia worsened over the next decade, with the country de facto ruled by Rasputin (a peasant who had convinced the czar he could cure hemophilia), who was arguably even worse than the Czar. However, it once again took a costly war to jumpstart things, and by the end of World War I, Russia had plunged into civil war. The czar, his family, most aristocrats, and Rasputin were all killed.

THE REVOLUTIONARIES:

There were actually a variety of revolutionary movements in Russia. Even the aristocrats, resentful of the peasant Rasputin, got in on the act (they were the ones who killed him.) The two main groups were the Menscheviks, who were fairly moderate politically, and the Bolsheviks, who were considered the violent radical nut group. The revolution, however, really started without either of them - it was pretty much a bottom-up, grassroots affair at the beginning. The revolutionary "leaders" had to return from abroad to get in on the act once it had already started. To be fair to them, however, they gave the revolution direction and leadership, without which it might have failed again. In particular, Lenin (just back from Switzerland) and his Bolsheviks (including his lieutenants, Trotsky and Stalin), won astounding military victories against ludicrous odds.

In spite of this, the more moderate group was the one that got into power first, mainly because there were so many more of them (like the Nazis in the 1920's, the Bolsheviks in the 'teens were largely considered a bunch of nuts.) However, under the new government, conditions got steadily worse (largely because World War I was still going on, as well as a still-active civil war in many parts of the country.) More and more people lost confidence in them and wanted faster change, until around 1918, the government collapsed and a now more popular (because more radical) Bolshevik government, headed by Lenin, took over. To maintain their hold on power, they had to wage what was essentially an eleven-front war against the Central European powers, the remnants of the Czar's armies, the remaining aristocrats, other revolutionaries, the bandits who had popped up all over the place in the confusion, etc. The fact that they did so successfully may be the most significant factor behind their remaining in power.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE WINNERS:

The intellectual philosophy of the Bolsheviks could (and has) fill several books. Important points include - atheism (the church won no friends by siding with the aristocrats, and the promise of heaven was considered a cheap ploy to make people ignore their miserable lot on earth), guaranteed work for all (from each according to their ability) and centralization of control (everything headed by a central administration.) It also included, in theory, complete material equality for all citizens (to each according to their needs), and common ownership of all property and land (the central tenet of communism). And in the beginning, it seemed to promise just that . . . but then certain people began to realize just what opportunities the complete centralization of control offered . . .

TROUBLE BREWS:

Lenin's death in 1924 threw the central administration into a power struggle which lasted until 1941. Stalin had early on realized exactly what completely centralized power meant. He realized that the ideal position to jockey for power was General Secretary of the Communist Party - a position that, for various reasons, essentially gave him the power to slowly rewrite the laws. He began to recruit people to his side early on, and Lenin's death gave him the opportunity he needed. He met a lot of opposition early on - particularly Lenin's other lieutenant and possibly chosen sucessor, Trotsky - but over many years he destroyed all of his opponents until he was the supreme power. It is important to remember that, in 1925, Stalin was *not* premier; he was general secretary. However, Stalin had maneuvered behind the scenes to make the post of general secretary the single most powerful one in the country. The government was still split into warring camps, but Stalin's was winning.

LIFE IN RUSSIA:

Russia was contradictory at this time; like the government, there are groups in opposition and it is unclear as yet who will win. A flourishing modern arts scene, heady with egalitarian and intellectual power, is just beginning to feel the clamp of a fledgling totalitarian government opposed to anything which might contradict the party line, but is still producing great works. Peasants who are solidly behind the party are just beginning to have their lands seized so that they can be turned into giant collective farms where they get even less of what they produce than they did before the Revolution. The prison camps of Siberia, before used for genuine criminals and aristocrats, are just beginning to fill with people whose only crime is difference of opinion (or, sometimes, powerful enemies.) The grim shadow of Stalin has begun to fall over the land, but it has by no means done so completely. Many are completely unaware of it, and those who are think it is possible that the situation can still be saved.

ESPIONAGE IN THE TWENTIES:

The Czar had a powerful secret police force (SMERSH). When the job changed from busting revolutionary heads to busting counter-revolutionary heads, many kept the same positions, joined by genuine revolutionaries who were quite fanatical in their devotion and learned fast. Soviet Russia had an experienced intelligence outfit from the very beginning. And it needed it. Europe, still mostly monarchical, was horrified by the deposition of the Czars, and the one country that might have been sympathetic, France, was (for the moment) a firm ally of the Czars. Besides, Europe had been making a lot of money out of Russia which it wasn't now that Russian business was all state-run. The situation was similar to that of America and Cuba in the '60's. Europe, England especially, sponsored assassination plots against party leaders, tried continually to put members of the aristocracy back into power, and sent spies throughout Russia. Russia returned the favor. (Incidentally, as you probably already knew, this is why the second in line to the Russian throne showing up in England talking about "big plans" is just the kind of thing which would drive Katya to justifiable paranoia.)

[Home] [Expedition] [Scrap Book] [House Rules] [Fun Facts] [Links]