Lenin also suppressed democracy, closing down the constituent assembly in January 1918 after ‘one day of democracy’. Both the Tsars and the communist rulers also showed no hesitation in the use of secret police and mass terror. Each regime had its own secret police - the Third Section under Alexander II, the Okhrana under Alexander III and Nicholas II, the Cheka, the NKVD and the KGB under the communists. The suppression of opponents was also a common practice throughout the period. Under the term of Pyotr Stolypin as Prime Minister (1906-11), hundreds of opponents were hanged - earning the hangman’s noose the nickname - ‘the Stolypin necktie’.
The division of Germany into four regions of interest and also the division of Berlin resulted in an attempt by Stalin to make the Western Allies relinquish control of their sectors. This materialized in the form of the Berlin Blockade in 1848 that resulted in the Allied Berlin Airlift which supplied West Berlin for an amazing ten months solely by plane. Although Stalin relented, he felt resentment toward the Westerners. This accelerated the formation of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in 1949 which resulted in a Soviet counterpart called the Warsaw Pact. The promises on the part of reunification of Germany and free elections in Poland had not materialized by the time of his death in
In the early 1960s, the citizens of East Germany, controlled by the Soviets, were unhappy with their communist lifestyle, so they started to flee to West Berlin, where the people were free. In August 1961, the U.S.S.R. and East Germany built a wall that separated West and East Berlin, which prevented people from crossing over. Guards were stationed on the East side, and were told to shoot anyone who
This event led to labor unrest, peasant insurrections, student demonstrations, as well as army and navy mutinies. Although the shooting was not Nicholas II’s fault, he was given the nickname, “ The Bloody Murderer” and stated that he was not going to make any changes for the people. This was the last major event before the Revolution of 1905 officially broke out. New councils created by urban workers in order to better organize strikes were created called Soviets. During this time, Russian cities were dying because all the workers and peasants were focused on rebelling against the government and seizing the land of their landlords, instead of working in the factories and living the life of a peasant or urban worker.
On 4 February 1915, in response to the German submarine blockade of Great Britain, the Royal Navy seized all food destined for Germany which led to extreme food shortages. Prior to this, Germany had imported 25% of what was consumed and was not self-sufficient in terms of food. In response to this, a War Food Office was set up in 1916 but its actions were often counter-productive for example when they ordered the killing of 9 million pigs due to that fact they consumed grain. This consequently led to less pork and fertiliser and ultimately had a negative impact. Following the Auxiliary Service Law in December 1919, which required all able-bodied Germans to work for the war effort, there was a sharp increase of social unrest as Germans felt their rights being curtailed.
The Decree Excluding Jews from German Economic Life prevented Jews from running businesses. Also, decrees excluding Jews from public places were made, with all Jewish pupils becoming ecpelled (15th Nov 1938). Also, a collective fine of 1 billion marks was levied on the Jewish community for the Paris murder, meaning 30000 Jewish men were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. The Consequences of 'Anschluss' The levels of violence in Austria against the Jews were far worse than in Germany. Vienna's 180000 Jews were the targets of regular attacks.
The Tsar made many failures as Commander in chief of the army especially at the battle of Tannenburg where the majority of the Russian second army was destroyed which forced the Russian army to retreat. This coupled with other military defeats led to mass desertions towards cities. It also led to many soldiers knowing of the Tsars failures which would have supported the claim for a revolution. The war effort also caused the Zemstva and the Congress of Representatives of Industry and Trade to grow which were used to help stimulate production and provide medical facilities. The government failed to efficiently incorporate these into the war effort which resulted in them becoming a symbol for the shortcomings in the war effort.
For example, hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools closed throughout the United States due to a student strike of four million students. The event further affected the public opinion over the role of the United States in the Vietnam War. The underestimation of the enemy played a big factor on why we lost the war. The United States had become very arrogant over the centuries from dominating the wars they were in, so when they started fighting in Vietnam, they had no idea what they were in for. George Herring has said “had the United States looked all over the world in 1965 it might not have been able to find a more difficult place to fight” (280), and I find this to be true.
Stalinist Russia during the late 1930’s experienced extreme changes and suffering in all sectors of society, including the military. The weakening of Russia’s military strength under Stalin’s rule is aptly described by Mary Leder in the novel “My Life in Stalinist Russia.” “No matter what the answer may be, it is an irrefutable fact that the Soviets did not use the two-year break to build up their defenses. On the contrary, Stalin continued to undermine the army by arresting its most talented leaders. He strengthened Germany by selling it the raw materials it needed to conduct the war. [1]” Through sources such as first hand accounts like the statement above, along with in-depth textbooks, I was able to understand the linear timeline of the Red Terror, and how the Red Terror was inextricably tied to the Russian casualties and suffering in World War II.
Outraged by Western plans to create an independent West Germany, Soviet forces imposed a blockade cutting off rail, highway, and water traffic between West Germany and West Berlin. A day later, an airlift began flying in food and supplies for West Berlin's two million residents. The Blockade was clearly a failure and the US stuck to their policy of containment and no