Lanz on French vs. Russian Revolution

Compare the French Revolution (1789-1799) and the Russian Revolution (1917-1924).

Intro

Thesis: Although the French Revolution gave way to much reform among ancient social systems, Royalist control still dominated. However, on the Russian scheme of revolution, they maintained their revolutionary ideals but at the expense of a communist control. Both countries were able to stress revolutionary ideals, but in the end, were controlled by a tyrannical force.

II. Paragraph 1-French Revolution

A. Causes and Problems
1. Discontent with old Regime
a. Criticism from Enlightened society of first classes (First/Second estates) having all control over gov
b. Third estate discontent with having to pay taxes/feudal obligations
c. Poor state of country
d. Legal system corrupt-no codified laws/standards
e. Economic problems stemmed from assertion of rising middle class from new industrial centers
f. Intellectual movements toward opposition (Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu)
2. Financial Mismanagement
a. Public debt from
i. Colonial wars with England (1778-1783)
ii. French action in U.S.Revolutionary War
iii. Maintenance of large military
iv. Costs at Versailles
b. Inability to secure loans
c. Inflation (1730-1780s)
d. Lack of organization in taxation led to inefficient collectivization of funds
e. No cooperation among government
B. Government Actions
1. Estates General
a. Met in May 1789
b. Each estate given own representation
c. Each made lists of grievances
d. Third Estate upset over voting methods (per unit, not per capita) and refused
C. Societal Actions
1. National Assembly (1789-1791)
a. Third Estate declared itself National Assembly of France
b. Tennis Court Oath-met at court b/c were locked out of parliament and swore to come up with a constitution for France
c. Recognition of Assembly by Louis XIV June 27, 1789

d. Parisian Revolution
i. July 14, 1789-storming on Bastille in search of weapons
ii. Upset with royal power (food shortages, unemployment, etc)
e. Abolished feudalism/declare equality for all citizens
i. Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens (Aug. 26 1789)-due process of law/sovereignty for all
f. Secularized religion
i. Civil Constitution of Religion ?creation of national church (elections/salaries)
g. Governmental reform
i. Divided country into 83 depts. Governed by elected officials
h. Constitutional changes
i. France=constitutional monarchy w/ unicameral Legislative Assembly, voting. Etc.
2. Legislative Assembly (1791-1792)
a. Reflected emergence of political factions who were competing for power
i. Jacobins (radical urban)
ii. Girondins (moderate rural)
iii. Sans-Culottes (working-class extreme radical)
b. Over War question
i. War against monarchy to solve domestic problems
ii. Declaration of war on Austria (1792)
iii. Legislative Assembly not prepared, lost
c. suspended 1791 constitution
d. ordered new elections on universal male suffrage
e. France=republican form of govn
3. National Convention (1792-1795)
a. Abolished monarchy
b. Installed republicanism
c. Louis XIV executed (Jan 21, 1793)
d. English/Spain/Austria/Prussia opposed Revolution
e. Struggle among Girondins vs. Jacobins
f. Committee of Public Safety (Robespierre)
i. Responded to food shortages/planned economy
ii. Urged France for total war against enemies
g. Reign of Terror (1793-1794)
i. Government campaign against internal counterrevolutionaries
ii. deChristianization of France
h. Robespierre denounced, killed (1794)
i. Thermidorian Reaction
i. Moderate bourgeois politicians take control
4. Directory (1795-1799)
a. 5 member executive group
b. Constitution of 1795
c. Sans-Culotte control, failed
d. Napoleon conspired to return to Royalist power in France-move toward Consulate Era

III. Paragraph 2-Russian Revolution

A. Causes and Problems
1. Problems of the Government
a. Incompetent tsar: Nicholas II
i. Assumed personal control of the army during WWI
ii. Left empress wife and Rasputin (her supposed advisor? in charge (didn't know what they were doing)
iii. Abdicated-March 14, 1917
iv. Collapse of gov
2. Military
a. Russian draft increased
b. Only able to supply weapons to a few
c. Inconsistent goals among military leaders
d. Inadequate communication/maps
e. Morale down
3. Economy
a. Agriculture production down
b. Food shortage
c. Collapse of transportation system
d. Encumbered trade deficit of 2.5 billion dollars
B. Societal Action
1. February/March Revolution (1917)
a. Riots/strikes
i. Food riots
ii. Discontent over government handling of war
2. Formation of the Provisional Government after tsar abdication (March-Nov. 1917)
a. Made up of members of the Duma (Russian Parliament)
b. Existed only to facilitate to the writing of the constitution for the new Russian Republic
3. Formation of Soviet groups
a. Russian socialist revolutionaries
i. Mensheviks
a. Insisted that Russia had to go through historical stages?before reaching an ideal socialist society
b. Believed that a bourgeois revolution was necessary before a socialist revolution
ii. Petrograd Soviets
a. Caused collapse of discipline in armed forces
iii. Bolsheviks
a. Split Mensheviks
b. (Lenin) insisted that small revolutionaries could seize power for the working class
c. April Theses insisted Soviets control gov while war should be revolution against capitalism (Became the Communist Party)
d. Wanted factories/banks/land to be nationalized
C. Other Actions by Provisional Gov
1. Remained in WWI
a. Provisional Govn thought that renewed war effort would inspire Russian support
2. Didn redistribute estates to peasants
a. Annoyed peasants seized estates
3. July Crises
a. Mount an offensive force on Eastern Front to counter French mutinies on Western Front
b. Kornilov (Conservative leader) Affair
i. Tries to end Bolshevik power with Cossack force
c. Kerensky (Petrograd Soviet) tries to rebuild support for the Provisional gov'n
D. Bolshevik/October/November Revolution (1917)
1. Fall of 1917-largest Soviet party
2. Trotsky/Lenin (leaders) took over positions in Petrograd, Russia
a. Little violence in initial takeover
b. Violence as a form of maintaining power
3. Allied with Germany
4. Signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
a. Remove Russia from war (1917)

E. Communist Reign
1. Goal to solidify control over Russia
2. Opposition by White Forces
a. Monarchists, republicans, British/American contigents
b. Creation of a Civil War in Russia
3. Red Terror
a. Lenin/Trotsky retaliation of opposition
b. By 1920-established rule over Russia (creation of total Soviet Union)
c. Third International-aid cause of revolutions
i. Cominterm-rise of this revolutionary body
ii. Maintained Soviet Union
d. New Economic Policy
1921-rebellion by sailors over war communism replaced with this new policy
ii. Economy made quick recovery
4. 1924-rise of Socialist STATE
a. Question on who should lead: Lenin/Trotsky?