Russian Revolution to Rise of Nazism: Key Events & Impacts
1. The Russian Revolution
During World War I, in 1917, the Bolshevik revolution exploded in Russia, overthrowing Tsar Nicholas II and establishing the first communist state in the world.
In the early twentieth century, the Tsarist empire was a vast country with an absolute monarchy.
Politically, the Tsars held autocratic power.
Agriculture was the main economic activity, and land was concentrated in the hands of a few landowners from the privileged aristocracy.
In some areas of the empire, industrialization had begun, driven by foreign capital, leading to the rise of a large proletariat.
Marxism spread among the workers, and in 1898, they founded the Russian Social Democratic Party, which split in 1912 into Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. The latter advocated for a social revolution in Russia.
1.2. February Revolution
World War I created conditions for a revolutionary explosion in Russia.
Military disasters ensued. The mobilization of farmers led to a decline in agricultural production.
The population was demoralized and began organizing into soviets (councils of workers, peasants, and soldiers).
They demanded the abdication of the Tsar.
The Fall of the Tsars
In February 1917, a revolution broke out in St. Petersburg, causing the fall of the Tsars. Power passed to a provisional government headed by Kerensky and supported by the liberal parties in the Duma, which began a series of reforms. Russia became a democratic republic.
1.3. The October Revolution
The slow pace of land reform and Russia’s continued involvement in the war increased popular discontent and the influence of the Bolsheviks, who aimed to overthrow the provisional government and establish socialism.
On October 25, the Soviets, led by the Bolsheviks, revolted and seized power within 10 days.
2. Stalin’s USSR
The new Soviet government faced a three-year civil war. A faction of the Tsarist army, composed of former privileged classes and wealthy farmers, organized the White Army.
The Bolsheviks created the Red Army under Leon Trotsky’s leadership. During the conflict, the Bolshevik party, renamed the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1918, monopolized power.
In 1922, the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was created.
It was a totalitarian system, where the state and party were fully identified, and institutions were not democratically elected. The new political system was justified as a dictatorship of the proletariat.
2.2 The Struggle for Power
Lenin died in 1924, sparking debate on how best to consolidate the revolution.
Different proposals clashed among party leaders, especially Trotsky and Stalin. Trotsky advocated exporting the revolution, while Stalin proposed building socialism in one country.
Stalin gained control by 1927 and became the leader of the USSR.
3. United States: The Roaring Twenties
The United States greatly benefited from World War I. The sale of food, weapons, and industrial products to the Allies led the country to accumulate half the world’s gold reserves, and the dollar became a strong currency.
After the war, the U.S. became the leading world economic power. Many countries were indebted to the United States due to war loans.
4. The 1929 Crash and the New Deal
Mistrust spread among investors, and on October 24, 1929, a large wave of selling hit the New York Stock Exchange. The oversupply of shares caused their value to plummet, triggering the stock market crash of 1929. This precipitated the bankruptcy of many banks.
Anticipating hard times, consumer spending decreased, and many factories closed due to lack of sales.
The crisis spread from the U.S. to the rest of the world as U.S. banks withdrew funds from European banks, and American companies reduced investment in Less Developed Countries (LDCs).
4.2 The Fight Against the Crisis: The New Deal
In 1932, during one of the worst years of the Great Depression, Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected, proposing a new program to promote economic recovery and lift the country out of the crisis. This was the New Deal, which advocated state intervention to revive the economy.
The Socio-Economic Reforms
To curb prices and boost business activity, the New Deal proposed economic measures: assistance to troubled companies, creation of public enterprises, destruction of accumulated agricultural stocks, and bank controls.
This led to a revival of the U.S. economy and a significant decrease in unemployment.
However, the crisis was not fully overcome until the outbreak of World War II.
5. Italian Fascism
The end of the war left Italy with serious human and economic consequences. Agreements also caused disappointment; even though the Allies agreed to give Italy Trentino, Trieste, and Istria, Dalmatia and Fiume were not included, contrary to the Treaty of London (1915).
The economic crisis generated strong social tension.
5.2 The Rise of Fascism
Amid this crisis, Benito Mussolini emerged, creating the Fasci di Combattimento (Combat Leagues), known as the Blackshirts, in 1919.
In 1921, the Fasci were transformed into the National Fascist Party, presenting themselves as the most effective force to stop revolutionary movements in Italy.
5.3 Fascist Dictatorship
Between 1922 and 1925, Mussolini restricted freedoms and persecuted opponents.
After winning the 1924 elections through violence against his opponents, Mussolini announced the establishment of an authoritarian regime and called himself “Duce.”
Political parties were banned, their leaders persecuted and imprisoned, and Parliament was replaced by the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations.
6. The Establishment of Nazism in Germany
Adolf Hitler, a demobilized World War I soldier who had not accepted the German defeat, founded the National Socialist German Workers’ Party in 1920 and became its leader.
To gain the support of the working classes, Hitler used demagoguery: promising work for all, reducing industrial profits, better wages, and a more cohesive society. In his speeches, he attacked Jews, communists, and democrats.