In 1917, a violent upheaval occurred in Russia that overthrew the czarist
government and installed a government that was based upon the ideas of Karl
Marx. The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin (shown below), ceased
control of the country.
Although many Bolsheviks supported a soviet democracy, a "reform from
above" model was adopted when Lenin died and Stalin gained
control of the USSR. After several year of civil war that brought death and
suffering to millions of people, power was firmly
concentrated in the hands of the Soviet Communist Party.
