Question

Why was there a Communist Revolution in Russia in 1917? How did Stalin come to power and create a Communist dictatorship? Why was terror necessary in order to both build and control the totalitarian state? Describe Communist terrorism.

250+ words please!

Answer 1

During the period of time before the Russian Revolution, life for the working class people and the peasants was very difficult. They worked for little pay, often went without food, and were exposed to dangerous working conditions. The aristocrat class treated the peasants like slaves, giving them few rights under the law and treating them almost like animals. A major event leading to the Russian Revolution took place on January 22, 1905. A Large number of workers were marching to the Tsar's palace in order to present a petition for better working conditions. They were fired upon by soldiers and many of them were killed or injured. This day is called Bloody Sunday.
Before Bloody Sunday many peasants and working class people revered the Tsar and thought that he was on their side. They blamed their troubles on the government, not on the Tsar. However, after the shootings, the Tsar was perceived as an enemy of the working class and the desire for revolution began to spread. In 1914, World War I began and Russia was at war with Germany. A huge Russian army was formed by forcingworking class and peasant men to join. Although the Russian army had great numbers, the soldiers were not equipped or trained to fight. Many of them were sent into battle without shoes, food, and even weapons. Over the next three years, nearly 2 million Russian soldiers were killed in battle and nearly another 5 million were wounded. The Russian people blamed the Tsar for entering the war and getting so many of their young men killed.

Stalin and his Communist dictatorship
At the Bolshevik Party's 11th Congress, leaders decided to expand the party's Central Committee. Due to this expansion, a secretariat became a necessity. Stalin was appointed the head of this new office on the 3rd of April 1922. From that date until his death, Stalin's formal title was General Secretary. The office grew with Stalin's aggressive assumption of power, not the other way around. After a brief disappointment of not being given a prestigious ministerial post, Stalin soon learned how to use his new office in order to gain advantages towards other key persons within the Bolshevik Party. He prepared the agenda for the Politburo meetings, directing the course of meetings. As General Secretary, he appointed new local party leaders, establishing a patronage network of people loyal to him.

Communist terrorism describes terrorism carried out in the advancement of, or by groups who adhere to, communism or related ideologies, such as Trotskyism, Leninism, Maoism, or Marxism–Leninism. In history communist terrorism has sometimes taken the form of state-sponsored terrorism, supported by communist nations such as the Soviet Union, China,North Korea and Cambodia. In addition, non-state actors such as the Red Brigades, the Front Line and the Red Army Faction have also engaged in communist terrorism. These groups hope to inspire the masses to rise up and begin a revolution to overthrow existing political and economic systems. This form of terrorism can sometimes be called red terrorism or left terrorism.The end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union have been credited with leading to a marked decrease in this form of terrorism.Brian Crozier, founder and director of the Institute for the Study of Conflict, has said that communism was the primary source of both state-sponsored and non-state terrorism.