Communism began with Karl Marx. Karl Marx believed that the lower, working class would overthrow the capitalists.

Vladimir Lenin was the man that made Marx's beliefs a reality. He lead a group of revolutionaries called the Bolsheviks.

To make this a reality, the provisional government that gained power in the March Revolution had to be overthrown by the Bolsheviks.

Lenin's "big thing" was that he told people that they would get peace, bread, and land, all things people wanted.

To give them peace, Lenin signed a peace treaty that got them out of WWI. Lenin gave them land by redistributing the all of the land so that it was equal between the poor and rich.

Lenin would not stay in power forever. Vladimir Lenin would be succeeded by Joseph Stalin

Stalin started what is known as the Great Purge. Upwards of 20 million people were sent to labor camps where half of them died.

Then, Stalin created the Five year plan. This plan was designed to industrialize Russia. Production of consumer goods was limited, so there were many shortages.

Stalin forced peasants to work on collective farms, to make food for the state. They would also work on state farms, that were basically factories.

Propaganda was used to make Stalin look like a good leader, when he was actually a corrupt dictator. He made people lose their freedom, and he killed millions.