The great catalyst for revolutionary change and a strong factor in Marxism - Leninism having the profound affect on Russia that it did was the First World War which wrought havoc on the old order of Europe. Despite the embarrassing defeat of 1904-05, Russia remained on paper as much as in reality a great power that could have altered the balance of power in Europe. If the war had been short and victorious than perhaps things would have been different and the monarchy could have survived and successfully avoided revolution.
Nicholas II staked the future of the Romanov dynasty upon the successful outcome of the First World War. Given the weaknesses of the Russian economy, it’s backward industries and it’s chronically under equipped and led army that was a recipe for disaster. To make things worse Nicholas II compounded that error by making himself commander in chief of the army and thus directly to blame for its failures. Being away from Petrograd much of the time meant he was not fully aware of events and unable to change policies to avert trouble.
The entry of Turkey into the First World War had prevented the British and French supplying the Russian war effort, making it harder for the regime to stay in the war and survive its intense hardships. The failure of the Gallipoli offensive to knock Turkey out of the war meant that the Russians were in serious risk of losing the war.
Lenin, Civil War, and Stalin
Marxism - Leninism had an affect on Russia as the Bolsheviks were able to take over the Russian state following the October Revolution and tightened that control during the Russian Civil War. Lenin authorised the use of secret police, executions and war communism during the civil war; the ruthlessness of the new regime allowed it to survive. Trotsky formed the Red Army that won the civil war, which was then used to control the Soviet Union in the name of the Communist Party.
Marxism - Leninism in theory had extolled the virtues of the differing nationalities within the Soviet Union in an effort to keep control over the different parts of the Russian empire that sought independence after the collapse of the monarchy. The Red Army had ended the Ukraine’s brief independence, been unable to regain Finland and the Baltic States whilst suffering defeat against Poland
Stalin arguably took the Soviet Union in a different direction than Lenin had intended to, or so those that wish to clear Lenin of any blame for the excesses of the Stalin regime would claim. The cult of Lenin began in earnest after his funeral and with Stalin later carrying out all his policies in the name of Marxism - Leninism. It was Stalin that made Marxism - Leninism affects upon Russia and the rest of the Soviet Union more deeply than may otherwise have been the case.
Marxism / Leninism was a term originally used by Stalin in order if not to explain his policies to at least justify their consequences. Humanity was controlled by ‘uncontrollable social forces’ that still needed to be enacted by leaders with the rare qualities of Lenin and his only viable successor Stalin. Stalin could explain his U-turns in domestic and foreign policy by keeping true to the essence of Marxism - Leninism. Such U-turns included initially supporting the New Economic Policy and then adopting collectivisation and industrialisation after defeating his rivals or Stalin’s unsuccessful attempts to counter the fascist powers in the 1930s prior to signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939.
Therefore Marxism - Leninism affected Russia because it was enforced upon the majority of the population following the Bolsheviks seizure of power in October 1917 and the consolidation of that power following their victory in the Russian Civil War. The Bolsheviks had originally been able to take power in Russia due not only to their strengths and strategy but also the weaknesses and mistakes of their immediate predecessors Nicholas II and the Provisional Government. Perhaps the main reasons that Marxism / Leninism had an affect on Russia were the disastrous consequences of the First World War upon the Imperial regime.
Sources:
Bullock A (1991) Hitler and Stalin – Parallel Lives, Harper Collins, London
Castleden R (2005) The World’s Most Evil People, Time Warner Books, London and New York
Eatwell, R. & Wright, A (2003) Contemporary Political Ideologies 2nd Edition, Continuum, London
Hobsbawm, E (1994) Age of Extremes, the Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991, Michael Joseph, London
Longley J D – Makers of the Twentieth Century: Lenin, History Today, Volume 30, Issue 4, April 1980
Marix Evans M (2002) Over the Top – Great Battles of the First World War
Pereira N – Stalin and the Communist Party in the 1920s, History Today
