Very unfortunate people, known as peasants, would work for more than 16 hours a day, to add onto that, they had horrible working conditions and very little pay, which made it difficult to support their families.
Civil War In Russia
In March of 1917, very long riots occurred, this was because of the shortages of food and fuel. It was also when Tsar Nicholas was killed by the Bolsheviks. A Provisional Government was created.
The Red Terror
Vladimir Lenin had returned to Russia in 1917 after being in exile for a while, after exile, he had gone to Europe and met many other Russians that he clicked with. This group of Russians went on to be called the Bolsheviks. Vladimir Lenin was also the first head of the USSR.
The Death of Lenin and Rise of Stalin
The White Armies try to defeat the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks were formed and trained by Trotsky and they were known as the Red Army. They were way better organized than the White Army. The White Army lost to the Red Army.
Began in September of 1918. The Red Terror started because several murder attempts were made against the lives of some of the Bolshevik leaders, including Lenin. The Government gave the Cheka (The Communist secret police) nearly complete authority to create forced labor camps and to imprison anyone they considered to be an enemy.
An assassination attempt was made against Lenin in January of 1918 and doctors were unable to remove the bullet from his neck. He then went on to have 3 strokes and the final stroke killed him. Stalin was a Bolshevik revolutionary and became the leader of the Soviet Communists after 1924, then became dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928-1953. He came up with a 5-Year Plan to increase industrial production. He ruled with an iron fist and used terror to crush anyone who oppsoed him.