The Rise of Totalitarianism: Understanding Russian Communism and U.S. Response

1. 10-in-10 Top 10 Notes in 10 Minutes or Less American History B Unit 7, Lesson 3: Seeing Red Textbook Volume C: Pages 260-262

2. Note 1 • The Russians wanted to start a freedom revolution during the early 1920s • In order to do this, the Russians had to overthrow their government and get rid of their tsar. • The Russians wanted to bridge the gap between their rich and their poor • All this was happening while we were fighting in World War I

3. Note 2 • A revolutionary named Vladimir Lenin changed Russia’s plan when he became the dictator of Russia • Those fighting in the revolution wanted democracy at first but Lenin came in with new Totalitarian and Communistic ideas • Lenin didn’t believe in democracy

4. Note 3 • Vladimir Lenin and his successor Joseph Stalin took Russia from bad to worse • Their totalitarian form of ruling forced Russian citizens to obey the government no matter what • Their communistic form of economy changed the entire structure of Russia • Lenin withdrew troops from WWI, allowing Germany to move into France

5. Note 4 • Most Americans were afraid of Russia’s new leadership and did not want to see Communism spread to the United States • Under the communistic economy, most property and goods belonged to the government • Communist nations are not considered to be “free” nations • Some communist ideas spread to the United States but didn’t seem to stick as Americans were not attracted to the communist ideas

6. Note 5 • Anarchist ideas also spread to the United States • Anarchists don’t believe in any form of government and would rather see people just living amongst each other with no politics controlling any aspect of their lives • Anarchists typically believed that poverty, war, and evil was solely the result of government

7. Note 6 • Woodrow Wilson’s attorney general, A. Mitchell Palmer, tried to stop all communist and anarchist ideas in the United States • Palmer gathered up people holding these ideas and forced them into jails where they were treated horribly • If they could not provide citizenship documentation, they were sent to Russia

8. Note 7 • Communists were typically called “Reds” because red was the universal color for Communism and it always appeared on their flags • A. Mitchell Palmer tried to make people of the United States fearful of the “Reds”

9. Note 8 • Palmer wanted to use fear as a tactic to get him elected president • Palmer wanted people to fear the Reds • Americans were not allowed to speak about Communism • Americans were not allowed to speak out against the government

10. Note 9 • Palmer’s hunt to keep people quiet about communism ruined some people’s lives • Foreign immigrants, especially those from Russia and other Eastern European countries, were treated unfairly in the United States because people were afraid of them • People assumed that all Russians were Communists

11. Note 10 • Many people did not like what Palmer was doing because it was invading their right to free speech • The first Amendment to the Constitution was the right to free speech and people thought it was wrong that Palmer was prohibiting their speech

12. Go try your lesson assessment! • If you don’t pass, read through your Volume C textbook pages 260-262 and highlight/take notes. Then take the assessment again. • Good Luck!