Russian Revolution and the Rise of Stalinist Power

Causes of the Russian Revolution

The political system rested on the absolute power of the Czar. This system was based on three pillars: the nobility, the senior administration and the army (including the secret police, the Okhrana), and the Orthodox Church.

During the reign of Alexander II, attempts were made to implement a series of reforms in the economy and administration, without questioning the absolute power of the Czar or the privileges of the landed nobility. One of the most important measures was the abolition of the feudal regime and peasant serfdom in 1861. In the nineteenth century, economic modernization continued with a limited industrialization process.

Russian industrialization was restricted to certain areas, concentrated in large industries with a strong presence of foreign capital. This industrial development gave rise to social changes, creating new urban workers and middle classes.

The October Revolution

Trotsky, chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, coordinated the operations of the newly formed Revolutionary Military Committee and prepared the seizure of power. On the night of October 24 to 25, troops loyal to the Bolsheviks and the Red Guard occupied the banks, call centers, railway stations, and the Winter Palace, which was the seat of the interim government.

Parallel to this, the Second Congress of Soviets of all Russia met. Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries protested against what they considered a coup d'état by the Bolsheviks and left the room, creating a possibility for the Bolshevik Party delegation to hold a clear majority. Trotsky and Lenin formed a new government, the Council of People's Commissars. This government was headed by Lenin.

The Stalinist Dictatorship

Stalin's dictatorship was characterized by:

• The cult of personality
• Systemic repression
• The elimination of all dissent

In 1936, a constitution was adopted that actually legalized the dictatorship. The USSR was composed of eleven republics and twenty autonomous regions. Although it recognized universal suffrage for men and women, only Communist Party members and candidates could run; free elections were never held. The officials formed a privileged communist party bureaucracy, the nomenklatura, who enjoyed a higher standard of living than the general population.

The Era of Terror

Stalin created a new political police that served as the instrument for executing repression. This policy was applied through the Great Terror and purge programs, including the imprisonment of political opponents; approximately 700,000 people were executed.

Beyond the immediate executions, the apparatus of repression saw an estimated eight million people sent to forced labor camps (the Gulag). From 1939, the violence of the purges began to diminish, although repression lasted throughout the entire period of Stalin's government.