Did Russia have a better life under communism or under the czars?

Answer 1

The Russian population in 1917 was 80% rural peasants. So when the Bolsheviks won their fight against the Whites around 1921, 15 million had died (more than in World War 1), the rich land owners had their land taken by the State, the Provisional Government. This land was given to Russians to look after, those who had been given land were termed 'kulak(s).'

Once Lenin died, Stalin against Lenin's wishes seized power. He made a 5 year plan to industrialise and modernise the Russian economy. However the kulaks, Russian farmers, had extra produce and were able to sell a little on the side, earning more than the rest of the Russian populace. Stalin did not like this, because he wanted absolutely everything to be equal, he wanted his country to be united. He gave the kulaks the choice of handing over their land back to the State to collectivise the land, or to be liquidised. 15 million kulaks die or kill themselves, but before committing suicide the kill their flocks and poison their water supplies, 7 million more Russians will die from starvation.

Stalin's 5 year plan gave birth to electric-hydro dams giving electricity to Russia. Stalin was paranoid he feared someone would try and take power from him, so he had his secret police kill anyone who could possibly be a threat to his position. He had people from his Politburo (Leaders of Government) gone missing claiming that the were traitors. He had his best Generals killed because of their skill. He nearly lead Russian to their demise in WW2 where Germany had to give up because of the Russian winter they were not acclimatised to.

The Russian population was completely unaware of this at the time and only found out many years later, but they thought for decades that Stalin was a knight clad in shining white.

Stalin induced the terror, which meant he had lists made of random people who were to be made example of as traitors to the public, and their family would be deemed gulags, where they would go to Siberia (in summer the ground never fully thaws) to slave away, their life expectancy would be less than 12 months. They were not expected to survive the first winter.

Even thought there were numerous things that could have been done better, socialism (communism) was better than capitalism, because in capitalism the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor, eternally dividing by the social class barriers.

In summation communism was better for the masses, but Stalin did it in a way that was doomed to failure. The reason communism fails is because there is no incentive, why should I work hard when George over there does nothing all day yet we still get paid the same amount?

Answer 2

That's like asking which would be better; to drop a brick on your toe or to drop a log on your toe. Both would hurt.

Life for the average peasant was difficult and unpleasant in either case, but at least under the czars, it was possible to get away. The Soviet regime made even that more difficult.

Under the czars, the aristocracy didn't really care about average people, but in several areas of Russia during several years, the government was actively engaged in killing their own people, sometimes by starving them.

Overall, it was probably somewhat less unpleasant to live in czarist Russia than in Soviet Russia.