Totalitarianism Compared To The Russian Revolution

1. Communism: Communism is a political theory which was originally developed by Karl Marx. Communism is advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. After the revolution, when Nicholas II was overthrown, communism was used for the first time to rule Russia (“Soviet Government”).

2. Totalilarism: In the broadest sense, totalitarianism is characterized by strong central rule that attempts to control and direct all aspects of individual life through coercion and repression. This occurred in Russia after the revolution when Lenin died and the power vacuum was filled with Stalin. Stalin ruled the country under totalilarism (“soviet

Czarist Government: Czarist government is similar to an autocratic or dictatorial way of government. This is how Russia was ruled in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. This method of government was important to the Russian revolution because the revolution “really came out of the failure of the czarist government to reform in the several decades that preceded the 1917 events” (Russian revolution).

5. Czar Nicholas and the Romanov Dynasty: Nicholas II of Russia was the last emperor of Russia. He caused the loss of the russo-japansese war, and approved the entrance into ww1 which led to the death of millions. He also was in power during bloody Sunday. Czar Nicholas was in turn the last straw before the start of the march the most significant in Russian history (Beck et al. 701).

6. Bloody Sunday: Bloody Sunday happened on January 22, 1905 when over 200,000 workers and their families arrived at the gates of the czar’s winter palace in St. Petersburg, demanding more freedom and better working condition. Soldiers fired on them, killing more than a thousand. This provoked strikes and violence across Russia that acted as a catalyst to the revolution. The pressure on the czar forced him to create a duma or Russian legislature (Beck et al.

Grigori Rasputin and his relationship with the Romanovs: Rasputin was a religious teacher born in 1872, who was known for mystical healing powers and hypnotic abilities. He managed to convince Alexandra and her ailing son, both Romanovs, to allow him to make important political decisions. He opposed reforms and spread corruption throughout the courts. In 1916 a group of aristocrats tied to poison him but to no avail. He was then shot and drowned (Beck et al. 770).

8. Karl Marx and the Communist Manifesto: Karl Marx was a German journalist who introduced a new type of socialism, called Marxism. Him and Friedrich Engels wrote their ideas into a 23 page booklet called the Communist Manifesto. In the manifesto, Karl speaks about how societies have always been divided into social groups. He also believes that the capitalist system will destroy itself. He also speaks about communism, a form of socialism were everything is owned by the people and all goods are shared equally. In Russia, both Lenin and Stalin employed communism to some degree (Beck et al.