...What the world knows as politics comes in many forms. Examples of these include democracy, monarchies, totalitarian, and communist governments. Yet while some forms of government have died out due to unpopularity among the people, some still exist today. Enter Karl Marx, creator of what is known as communism. The Prussian born philosopher is indeed a major influence on politics of recent history. Through writing and the spread of ideas, Marx reached a point where his ideas flourished. People all around the world soon Marx’s ideas to use and create societies of modern history. Marx dedicated his life to the dissection of 19th century politics and philosophy, and his findings fueled many people into executing Marx’s plans. Karl Marx’s ideas...
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...2018 Communism: A True Utopian Society Communism has been commonly used in major powers around the world. It has been used to manipulate its citizens then force them to do whatever the leaders of the country want them to do. Communism at first keeps promises of equality but, once a selfish leader comes to power communism goes south very quickly. Three important things about communism are the history of communism, the early leaders of communism, and communism in Russia. Every country is unique. The driving force of every country is its government. Russia's government was a communist witch, in turn made Russia a superpower. “Communism is a political and economic doctrine, the aim of witch is to abolish private...
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...The Red Spread The rise of communism is the rise of an ideal only rivaled by Hitler and his Nazi regime. 1917, World War I was coming to a close; the Russian people were starving and war-weary. The rising casualties from war or hunger led to the overthrowing of the tsar monarchy; and establishment of a temporary Provisional Government. Most sources blame the Provisional Government for the spread of communism in Russia; this is not the case however, because the Petrograd Soviet must also bear some burden. The Petrograd Soviet had power during that time along with the Provisional Government. While in the United States communism is seen as worse than death; communism for Lenin and the Russian people was a way out from "Europe’s capitalist system...
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...The Bolshevik Revolution At the turn of the 20th century, Russia was a vast empire. The country spanned across the entire northern half of Asia, from the Pacific coast in the east, and into Western Europe. Tsar Nicholas II ruled the country as it had been ruled by his family for centuries before. The strict feudal traditions were upheld with brutality; Tsarist policies prolonged the agony of the lower classes and supported the opulence of the royal family. In the early 1900s, the poor social and economic conditions coincided with the spread and increased study of Karl Marx’s communist philosophy. The Russian people, determined to establish a new government, initiated a chain of events that climaxed with the Bolshevik Revolution in October 1917. The Bolshevik Revolution transformed Eastern Europe and Asia and had a significant impact on the entire world throughout the twentieth century. The fallout of the Bolshevik Revolution still impacts Russia and the rest of the world today. There was no singular cause or event that sparked the Bolsheviks to take to arms in 1917, instead the action resulted from the culmination of a history of social, political, and economic issues. Prior to the Bolsheviks’ rise to power in October 1917, there were two Revolutions that set the stage for the Soviet takeover. The First was the revolution of 1905. This revolution resulted in Russia transitioning from a strict feudal system to a constitutional monarchy; the power of the Tsar was limited...
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...Herrmann, M. 05/07/2012 A. Two of the Most Significant Social Consequences of the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution had a dramatic impact on social systems and not all were positive. However, two of the enduring and positive social consequences of the Industrial Revolution for the common man were the overall improvement in the standard of living and the advancement of education. With the exception of Russia in the nineteenth century, major countries which experienced an Industrial Revolution also experienced a dramatic growth in the middle class. Prior to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, most countries had a small ruling class with the majority of the population made up of serfs or peasants. The development of a middle class comprised of merchants, traders, investors and artisans had begun in the Middle-Ages, but was limited to a small minority. Poverty was the experience of the masses, and still is the standard for the majority of people in underdeveloped nations. The mechanization and automation of tasks that had formerly been labor intensive, increased production of goods and provided a broader choice of employment opportunities. These new employment opportunities for unskilled or uneducated workers provided a higher income than had previously been available to them in an agrarian society and eventually created a broader stratus between the upper and lower classes. Industrialization gave rise to a growing middle class with more disposable...
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...Lauren O'Grady Lenin, Stalin, and Gorbachev: Their Impact on Russia's History Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin, and Mikhail Gorbachev all played remarkable roles in Russia's history, although in very different ways. Though each could be criticized or praised for various different policies, these three leaders were perhaps undeniably the most influential leaders of Russia's history in the last hundred years. Vladimir Lenin's influence on Russia started with the release of his book What's to be Done? In 1902. When the leaders of Russian Marxism gathered for a meeting in 1903, Lenin's ideas clashed with Iuli Martov's idea of a looser, more democratic workers' party. Due to this disagreement, was complicated by other conflicts, and from this meeting Russian Marxism was split into two factions (Simkin). Lenin's faction was called the Bolsheviks (majority) while the other referred to themselves as the Mensheviks (minority). When the Revolution of 1905 occurred in Russia, widespread revolt against the czar's government spread throughout the country. However, it was eventually demolished by the government. This revolt surprised all Russian leaders, including the Bolsheviks, Lenin managed to return to Russia only in November, when the defeat of the revolution was pretty much certain (Talbot). Over the next twelve years, Bolshevism, with Lenin at it's head, gradually emerged as an independent party that had cut it's ties with all other Russian...
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...with socialism and revolution. He published a book called The Communist Manifesto. Animal farm is also centred around communism. He argued that class antagonisms under capitalism between the bourgeoisie and proletariat would eventuate in the working class' conquest of political power and eventually establish a classless society, communism, a society governed by a free association of producers. Joseph Stalin was the leader of the soviet union. Central to his program was the collectivization of agriculture, in which the government would redistribute the land by taking over the estates of the "kulaks", the wealthiest peasants. But the kulaks were essentially a figment of Marxist propaganda, which links to Animal Farm because the pigs use propaganda to brainwash the animals into following their point of view (which is also metaphorical for political views). Leon Trotsky was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army. His titles link in with Animal Farm because it is all associated with politics, the Government, revolution, and hierarchy (relating to leaders.) Trotsky was a key figure in the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia, second only to Vladimir Lenin in the early stages of Soviet communist rule. But he lost out to Joseph Stalin in the power struggle that followed Lenin's death, and was assassinated while in exile. Communism links. Vladimir Lenin was one of the leading political figures and revolutionary...
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...Industrialization of the country, 1928 Prepared by: Yulia Kirillova ID: 10095380 The Soviet Union was founded in 1922, when the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia. After the death of its first leader, Vladimir Lenin, there was a power struggle from which Joseph Stalin emerged as winner for the control of the Communist party. By the day of Lenin’s death there were five candidates with the potential to emerge as the new leader of the U.S.S.R: Stalin, Trotsky, Bukharin, Zinoviev, and Kamenev; Bukharin belonged to the “Rightists” and wished to continue Lenin’s economic policy, which gave more economic freedom for the peasants and promoted agriculture, Zinoviev and Kamenev wanted state control of economic life, Trotsky believed in the importance of a worldwide communist revolution, and Stalin filled the room for interpretation in Marxist though with the concept that he called “socialism in one country”. That was a significant shift from the previously held Marxist position that socialism must be established globally, and was in sharp opposition to Leon Trotsky’s theory of permanent revolution. In contrast to what Trotsky thought and envisioned for Russia, Stalin believed that the success of Marxism in Russia was dependent on the construction of a successful soviet union, rather than a multitude of communist revolutions throughout the world. One step towards building a successful Soviet Union, as Stalin saw it, was the introduction of the five-year plans, which...
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...Le-Tone Wei Why did Stalin emerge as leader of USSR in 1929? In 1924 the USSR’s leader Vladimir Lenin died after continuous strokes. His death triggered the leadership struggle, and Russia urgently needed a successor to continue in guiding the country and proposing policies to run the country. Candidates such as Trotsky and Bukharin were highly regarded and party members believed they were to take over Lenin’s position; Joseph Stalin on the other hand, was perceived as a mediocre and uninteresting party member, he was not thought as a suitable candidate to replace Lenin’s former status. Yet Stalin succeeded in taking power and control over the Soviet party and emerged as the leader of USSR in 1929. This led historians questioning: how and why did he emerge as the leader so unexpectedly? Many people believe that it was his personal skills that gave other factors an advantage. I believe his personal skills is the secondary factor that assisted his emergence; from my perspective, the reason why he became leader is primarily due to luck. Without luck there would less likely be a power struggle, Lenin could have appointed his successor and Stalin would never have become the leader of USSR. However the main cause of his success is still considered to be an exceedingly disputable topic, and I will be examining the different factors behind this topic while suggesting my personal opinions and beliefs. As mentioned before, many people believe that Stalin became the leader of USSR...
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...Karl Marx’s ideas and later his books had great influence on Russia and eventually Soviet Union. There is no perfect political party or system, but Marxism appealed to Russian people more than any other system and eventually became a “guide” for the life after Tsars. To understand why Marxism played such a major role in Russian history, we will discuss historic events that led to the end of Tsarist Russia and discuss both sides of the argument – for and against Marxism. By the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, Russia was not a great Empire it used to be. Country was falling behind Europe in every aspect – economy, military and industrialization were not on par with the western world. Poverty and no glimpse of “brighter future” for lower class, or should we just say poor people, was working against Nicholas II and his reign. Throughout its history Russia was mostly an agricultural country, but with the need of industrialization and further development at the turn of the 20th century, the necessary for Marx’s ideas class was rising – proletariat, or working class. Working hours and conditions were unbearable across all industries and with work demand being way higher than available positions – pay was minimal, since there was the next guy who was willing to work for anything at all. Population was growing with anger and desire for change, but not necessarily overthrowing the Tsar. But since nothing was being done, and bourgeoisie was getting richer – landowners...
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...Animal Farm An Allegory of the French Revolution By Travis Booker English 1302 Mrs. Simpson April 18, 2012 What is an allegory? Allegory is a device used to present an idea, principle, or meaning, which can be presented in literary form, such as a poem or novel, in musical form, such as composition or lyric, or in visual form, such as in painting or drawing. It is also seen in scriptural passage. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions, or symbolic representation. Allegory is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric; a rhetorical allegory is a demonstrative form of representation conveying meaning other than the words that are spoken. As a literary device, an allegory in its most general sense is an extended metaphor. As an artistic device, an allegory is a visual symbolic representation. An example of a simple visual allegory is the image of the grim reaper. Viewers understand that the image of the grim reaper is a symbolic representation of death (Kennedy 142). During a time when there was much change and the spirit of rebellion was all around, Animal Farm was written by George Orwell. George Orwell used allegory in his novel Animal Farm to parallel the Russian Revolution and resulting totalitarian regime to the revolutions of the animals and the pigs' corruption of absolute power. The novel's characters, events, and corruption of ideas paralleled the pattern that took place among the Russians during and following the...
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...The Irreversible Damage Caused By Joseph Stalin “Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem.” -Joseph Stalin. In the early 1900’s Russia was on the verge of a revolution. For decades the country had been in an immense struggle between the Czars (otherwise known as the rulers of Russia) and the people. Corrupt leadership and inequalities throughout the Russian society eventually lead to a revolution. Nevertheless when Russia started fighting in World War One it was evident that the spark had been ignited and the insurgency had begun. And as Europe approached the end of the war, Russia further advanced into chaos. Vladimir Lenin, a revolutionary leader, lead the Russians into a rebellion to seize the Russian government. Lenin...
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...prison for nine months. Hitler used his trial to gain national political notoriety and used his time in prison to write his memoir, Mein Kampf. The sales of the book/memoir made him a very wealthy man, though he hid that fact from the German people. After being released, Hitler restructured the Nazi Party, making it a new political force. By June of 1932, it had grown to being the biggest political party in German Parliament, the Reichstag. Though Hitler lost the 1932 presidential election to war hero Field Marshal Paul Von Hindenburg, he was able to use the power of the Nazi Party and its popularity among conservative voters to negotiate an appointment for himself as Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. His ideas of antisemitism, anti-communism and a purity-of-the-Germanic-race ideology found widespread acceptance in Germany and elsewhere. Motives Hitler's motives, to anyone looking close enough, were very clear cut: Kill the Jews. The Jews, according to Hitler were maggots, a virus that had to be eliminated. Hitler saw himself as the German Messiah doing God’s work by destroying the Jew. Let us not forget that all people with three or...
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...Industrialization, Collectivized Agriculture, and the Terror in the Soviet Union? Why did many Soviet peoples cooperate in this “Stalin Revolution,” despite the violence, cruelty, and tremendous sacrifices involved? Joseph Jughashvili (1878 – 1953), later known as Joseph Stalin believed that industrialization was necessary in order to create a true proletariat class so a true communist revolution could occur. Stalin and true Marxists believed that only through a modern industrialized economy could a true proletariat class be developed. Additionally, Stalin believed that the Soviet Union was “backward” and behind in the times and had to catch up with the rest of the world, otherwise the Nation would be conquered. Stalin made this clear when he said, “we are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. Either we do it, or they crush us” (Perry, 193). In doing so, Stalin brought about sweeping changes of economic reform. While Vladimir Lenin’s New Economic Policy (NEP) was successful in returning agricultural harvests to prewar levels, by the late 1920’s, Stalin sided with the critics of Lenin’s NEP in that the Soviet Union could not catch up with other industrialized countries by relying on taxes from peasant farmers (Coffin/Stacey, 908). In 1927, Stalin implemented the first five-year plan, which he referred to as the “revolution from above” and called for a command economy (McKay et al., 907). The five-year plan called for massive increases in industry, agricultural...
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...Joseph Stalin: Man of Steel Only a few years after the end of World War I, a new leader came to power in Russia. This man quickly became a threat to any potential enemies of the Soviet Union by showing his competence militarily. His military leadership would prove itself more admirable in World War II. Also, being a leader in a leader in an underground revolutionary group and a member of the Bolsheviks could only add to his intimidating persona. The name most commonly matched to said persona is that of an important, tyrannical former leader of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin’s political reign is that of violence and war, but his story still influences politics today and influenced the decisions of other world leaders along the way. Joseph Stalin lived a fairly normal early life. He was born on December 21, 1879. His birthplace was Gori, a small town in the Russian province Georgia. Only later did he adopt the surname ‘Stalin’. His actual birth name was Joseph Vissarianovich Dzhugashvili (Schlesinger 14). So how does a boy from a small town grow up to kill millions in a military dictatorship? Stalin is the perfect example of someone being influenced by the media. One particular book made a huge influence on his future and his feelings towards Russia. When Stalin was young, he read a book about a character by the name of Koba, a Georgian equivalent to Robin Hood. This Robin Hood-like character despised Russians and how they treated the people of Georgia (Schlesinger 16). The...
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