A History of the Modern World, 9/e

R R Palmer, Yale University
Joel Colton, Duke University
Lloyd Kramer, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union

Learning Objectives

Chapter 18 teaches students about:

The origins and agents of revolutionary activities under the Russian tsarist autocracy.

The emergence of revolutionary parties and the split between the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks.

The limited attempts at reform and westernization in a context of increasing violence and repression leading up to the revolution of 1917.

The fall of the tsar, the Bolsheviks' rise to power, and the ensuing civil war.

The use of terror, first by the Bolsheviks, then by Stalin, as a means of consolidating power and eliminating dissent.

Lenin and Trotsky's contributions to Marxist thought.

The governing principles of the USSR and the role of the party within that entity.

Soviet efforts to modernize the economy and Russian society.

The social costs and effects of Soviet economic planning.

The influence of the Third International on colonized regions as it promoted world revolution.

2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.