- Due to unpopular leadership and military failures in World War 1, Russia experienced widespread political unrest starting in February 1917. This unrest snowballed into the February Revolution, leading to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and the establishment of the Russian Provisional Government.
- Later in the same year, the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, carried out the Bolshevik Revolution in November 1917, overthrowing the Provisional Government and establishing the Soviet Union, a socialist state.
Consolidation of Bolshevik Power:
- The Bolsheviks faced opposition from various factions, including pro-Tsarist forces, other socialist groups, and anti-Bolshevik governments.
- The Soviet Union emerged victorious from the Russian Civil War in 1922, which solidified Bolshevik control and led to the foundation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
Lenin's New Economic Policy (NEP):
- To address the economic challenges facing the new nation, Lenin introduced the NEP in 1921 as a temporary departure from strict communism.
- The NEP allowed some private enterprise and market mechanisms while preserving control over major industries and resources.
Rise of Joseph Stalin:
- Following Lenin's death in 1924, Joseph Stalin gained prominence within the Bolshevik Party through shrewd political maneuvering.
- Stalin launched the first of several Five-Year Plans in the late 1920s, aiming to rapidly industrialize the Soviet Union and strengthen its position as a global power.
Collectivization and Purges:
- Stalin implemented forced collectivization of agriculture, leading to widespread resistance and famine in the early 1930s.
- To consolidate his power, Stalin initiated the Great Purge, a brutal campaign of political repression from the mid-1930s to the late 1930s, resulting in the execution or imprisonment of millions.
Totalitarian Rule:
- Stalin established a totalitarian regime, characterized by strict political control, surveillance, censorship, and the elimination of political opponents.
- All aspects of Soviet society were tightly regulated and controlled by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) under Stalin's leadership.