Karl Marx and The Russian Revolution

Karl Marx, a German philosopher, is known for his revolutionary political ideas during the Russian Revolution. He established the idea of “materialist conception of history”, meaning how society and the economy is organized is determined by changes material conditions. He published this thesis in his manuscript called The German Ideology. While writing The German Ideology, Marx also joined the Communist League, an international proletarian organization, and wrote a polemic against P.J. Proudhon’s idealistic socialism.

Vladimir Lenin was a theorist and communist philosopher during the Russian Revolution and a serious follower of many of the Marxist ideals. He is remembered as one of the greatest revolutionaries in history for many reasons, first being, founding and leading the Bolshevik Party. This contribution led to the creation of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, which marked the beginnings of the Soviet Union. Lenin later became leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR. While in power he implemented the “New Economic Policy” and oversaw major social reform.

Joseph Stalin is notorious for being one of the most authoritative and brutal dictators ever. He was in power as the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union for twenty five years. Although he held a murderous reign, he is greatly attributed to playing a major part in the defeat of the Nazis. Stalin’s rise of power began in the Bolshevik Party, where he gradually made his way up the ranks. He was then granted the position of general secretary of the Communist Party, then promoted himself as political heir, and by the late 1920s, was officially known as the dictator of the Soviet Union.

Leon Trotsky played a major role in the seizure of power by t...

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...ccessful in sheltering Russians from the effects of the Great Depression. They produced jobs and raised economic income. Socially, however, they weren’t as much of a success. Political prisoners were forced to work on many of these projects, most notoriously, the Belomor Canal, and many people died as a result, there was a widespread shortage of consumer goods, there was a major disruption of agricultural activity, and also the deadly famine of 1932.

The Great Purge was a time of excessive violence and cruelty in the Soviet Union. There had been numerous purges in Russia previously under Stalin’s rule but The Great Purge is recognized in history for not only persecuting the Nepmen, kulacs, clergymen, and oppositionists, the most common targets, but also imprisoning and executing leaders and members of the Communist party, Red Army members, and Intelligentsia.