socialism and Russian revolution -What changed after October
1. What changed after October ?
Prepared by,
Prakshna. S – Grade – 9
Akara world schools, Tiruchirappalli
2. Introduction
After Red October, Not a Lot
Has Changed inRussia. On October 25,
1917, Vladimir Lenin ordered Bolshevik
forces to attack the Winter Palace, the
official home of Russia's rulers, in Saint
Petersburg. ... For example, before the
Red Octoberrevolution, about a third
of Russian debt was held by
foreigners.Oct 24, 2017
3. Most of the industry and banks were nationalized
in November 1917. The government took over
ownership and management.
Land was declared social property. Peasants were
allowed to seize the land of the nobility.
In cities, large houses were partitioned as per
family requirements.
Old titles of aristocracy were banned.
A clothing competition was held in 1918; to
design new uniforms for the army and officials.
4. The Bolshevik Party was renamed the
Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik).
Elections for the Constituent Assembly
were held in November 1917.
Russia became a one-party state. Trade
unions were kept under party control.
The secret police punished those who
criticized the Bolsheviks. Many writers
and artists; who had earlier rallied
behind the party felt disillusioned,
because of censorship being imposed
by the Bolsheviks.
5. Non-Bolshevik socialists, liberals and supporters of
autocracy protested the Bolshevik uprising. Their
leaders moved to south Russia. They organized troops
to fight the Bolsheviks (the ‘reds’).
The ‘greens’ (Socialist Revolutionaries) and ‘whites
(pro-Tsarists) controlled most of the Russian empire
during 1918 and 1919. They were backed by French,
American, British and Japanese troops. These forces
were worried at the growth of socialism in Russia. A
civil war ensued between these forces and the
Bolsheviks.
Supporters of private property; among ‘whites’; took
harsh steps with peasants who had seized land. But
such actions led to a loss of popular support for the
non-Bolsheviks.
6. The Bolsheviks took control of most of the
former Russian empire by January 1920. The
succeeded because of cooperation with non-
Russian nationalities and Muslim jadidists.
7. Planned Economy: A process of centralised
planning was introduced by the Bolshevik. The
officials planned for the development of the
economy and made the Five Year Plans.
Industrial growth was the target of the first two
‘Plans’ (1927-32 and 1933-38). Industrial
production increased during this period and
new industrial cities came up.
8. Schools were established for workers’ children
and an extended schooling system was
developed for factory workers and peasants.
Crèches were made in factories for the benefit
of women workers. Cheap healthcare was
provided by the government.
9. The early years of the Planned Economy
proved to be disasters for the collectivization of
agriculture. There was acute problem of grain
supplies in the towns in 1927-28. The prices
were fixed by the government but the peasants
refused to sell grains to government buyers at
these prices.
10. Stalin’s collectivization programme was then
started. From 1929, all peasants were forced to
cultivate in collective farms (kolhoz). The bulk of
land and implements were transferred to the
ownership of collective farm.
Enraged peasants resisted such attempts and
destroyed their livestock. Those who resisted the
attempts of collectivization were severely
punished. Many were deported and exiled. After
large-scale protests, some peasants were allowed
to work on their independent farms, but the
government was not sympathetic to them.
11. Many within the Party who criticized Stalin’s
policies were charged with conspiracy against
socialism. By 1939, over 2 milion were in
prisons or in labour camps. A large number
were forced to make false confessions and were
executed.
