Key Terms of the Russian Revolution and Totalitarianism

The Russian Revolution and the Rise of the USSR

Key Political Concepts and Groups

• Tsar/Tsarism: The absolute power of the Tsar in Russia.
• Autocracy: A government with all power concentrated in one person.
• Bourgeoisie: The social class owning property and the means of production.
• Proletariat: The working class living from wages.
• Bolsheviks: A radical socialist group led by Lenin.
• Mensheviks: A moderate socialist group supporting gradual reforms.
• Soviet: A council of workers, peasants, and soldiers.
• Duma: The Russian parliament created in 1905.

Major Events and Treaties

• Russo-Japanese War: The 1904–1905 war that showed the weakness of Tsarism.
• February Revolution: The 1917 revolution that overthrew the Tsar.
• October Revolution: The Bolshevik takeover of power in 1917.
• Treaty of Brest-Litovsk: The treaty by which Russia left World War I.
• Russian Civil War: The war between the Red and White armies.

Soviet Leadership and Economic Policies

• USSR: The socialist state created in 1922.
• NEP: The mixed economic system introduced by Lenin.
• Lenin: The leader of the Bolsheviks and the first Soviet leader.
• Stalin: The Soviet dictator and totalitarian leader.
• Trotsky: The organizer of the Red Army.
• Comintern: An international communist organization.
• Kolkhoz: A collective farm in the USSR.
• Sovkhoz: A state-owned farm in the USSR.
• Kulaks: Wealthy peasants persecuted by Stalin.

Political Ideologies and Global Governance

Socialism, Communism, and Democracy

• Nationalism: An ideology that puts the nation first.
• Second International: An international socialist organization dissolved after WWI.
• Socialism: An ideology supporting social and economic equality.
• Communism: An ideology aiming at a classless society.
• Dictatorship of the Proletariat: The rule of the working class in Marxism.
• Reformism: Gradual change without revolution.
• Revolution: Rapid and deep political or social change.
• Liberal Democracy: A system based on elections and freedoms.

International Relations and the Weimar Republic

• Weimar Republic: German democracy from 1919 to 1933.
• League of Nations: An organization created to keep peace after WWI.

The Great Depression and Economic Shifts

Economic Crisis and Recovery

• Consumer Society: A society based on mass consumption.
• Great Depression: The world economic crisis starting in 1929.
• Protectionism: A policy limiting imports.
• New Deal: Roosevelt’s plan to fight the Depression.
• Welfare Policies: State measures to protect citizens.
• Imperialism: Territorial and economic expansion.
• John Maynard Keynes: An economist supporting state intervention.

The Rise of Fascism and Nazism

Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany

• Benito Mussolini: The fascist leader of Italy.
• Blackshirts: Fascist militias.
• Totalitarian State: A state controlling all aspects of life.
• NSDAP: The Nazi Party.
• Adolf Hitler: The Nazi leader and German dictator.
• Joseph Goebbels: The Nazi propaganda minister.
• Third Reich: The Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945.
• Night of the Long Knives: The Nazi purge in 1934.
• Anti-Semitism: Hatred of Jews.
• Nuremberg Laws: Nazi racial laws against Jews.