The Rise of Communism in the Russian Empire
The October Revolution
Vladimir Lenin, inspired by Karl Marx, wanted an equal society that represented the working class. Believing uneducated Russians as incapable of unifying themselves, he organized an elite group of intellectuals to lead the people. The Revolution began, and by November 8th, 1917 all leaders of the provisional government were arrested.
"What I liked was the promise of a happy, classless society in the future, in which everyone would enjoy all the good created by society. . . . The Revolution gave me the right to feel equal to any man. It gave me the right to work, to study what I wanted to study.”
- Ella Shistyer
- Ella Shistyer
"Everyone rushed forward, shouting `Hurrah!' We climbed over the gates and broke into the Winter Palace. I was at the front and ran up the stairs and stumbled into a big hall where there was a whole detachment of officer-cadets with their rifles at the ready. I shouted `Throw down your rifles!' and they threw down their rifles as if to order.”
-Alexander Briansky
-Alexander Briansky
Lenin had successfully established the first communist government.
Vladimir Lenin died January 21, 1924. A struggle for power arose between Trotsky and Stalin, the two leading successors. Using political trickery, Stalin eventually became the party leader. Trotsky was dismissed, exiled, and eventually murdered in 1941.