Periods in Russian History Discussion

Periods in Russian History Discussion

In January 1917, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia wrote: “however strange it may seem, the Government is today the organ that is preparing revolution, the people do not want it, but the Government is using all available means to create as many discontented people as possible, and is succeeding. We are witnessing the unheard of spectacle of a revolution from above, not below.”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer.

2. Consider the following periods in Russian history:

1905 – January 1917

February 1917 – September 1917

October 1917 – 1921

1922 – 1927

1928 – 1932

During which ONE of these periods do you think a Russian peasant would have preferred to live, if given a choice? Explain your answer.

3. Imagine that you are Lenin and that you have come back to life in 1939. Write a letter to Stalin in which you evaluate his leadership of the Soviet state between 1928 and 1939. Be sure to state your (Lenin’s) opinion of agricultural collectivization, industrialization, and the Great Purges.