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THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Nicholas II of the Romanov dynasty led with an iron hand an absolute
monarchy. Russian citizens had no political rights.
Russia also was an economically and socially backward and unfair country. There
were important economic differences between the wealthy few and the rest of the
population. -
THE REVOLUTIONS
-The February revolution deposed Tsar Nicholas II and established a republic.
-The February revolution deposed Tsar Nicholas II and established a republic.
-The Communist state took control of the banks, the transport system and most of the economy.
-The political power passed over to the Soviets (councils of workers and peasants). At the beginning Soviets were freely elected, but very soon they were controlled by the Communists. -
CIVIL WAR
A civil war broke out in 1918. The White Army (liberals and all sorts of anti-communists) was defeated by the communist Red Army. -
ADOLF HITLER NATIONAL SOCIALIST PARTY
Hitler, a former soldier in WW1, founded the National Socialist Party in 1920.Following Mussolini’s example, paramilitary units were created from the beginning. This violent organisation attacked left-wing parties, trade unions and Jews. -
LENIN´S GOVERMENT
Under his leadership, the USSR (Union of Socialist Soviet Republics) or Soviet Union was formed.Lenin died in 1924, he had been shot in a terrorist attack some years before, and a fight for the control of the Communist Party started among the Bolshevik leadership. -
BENITO MUSSOLINI FASCIST NATIONAL PARTY
After the First World War, a former socialist journalist, Benito Mussolini, founded the
Fascist National Party in 1921. This party organised paramilitary groups that attacked violently workers and left-wing
organisations. -
THE CRASH OF 1929
On 24 October 1929 (the “Black Thursday”), the New York Stock Exchange plummeted as the investors panicked and try to sell their stocks. The “Wall Street” collapse triggered the economic crisis of the 1930s. -
SOLUTIONS OF THE CRISIS
The economist John Maynard Keynes’ ideas became popular as the best method to solve the economic problems in the 1930s.
-Banks were forced to offer low interest rates
- Subsidies to farmers and industries were given to reduce production and put an
end to overproduction
- Working hours were reduced
-Minimum wage were established
-Unemployment benefits were created
-Public investment in infrastructure increase to reduce unemployment.
