Until 1921, the Russian economy was completely mutilated and destroyed by war communism. Socialism did not start in good light, so Lenin became worried about the overall state of the economy. the war of communism that lasted from 1918 to 1921 brought the economy to a complete collapse. In March 1921, the Kronshtadt Rebellion happened, which convinced Lenin that changes in the economy should be made. Thus, in 1922. he revised economic policy and introduced the so-called new economic policy (NEP). The peasants were allowed to sell part of their property for profit, and traders were allowed to engage in business. He was thinking that it would last for decades, but only seven years later in 1928. Lenin's successor, Stalin, centralized the economy and again nationalized a huge part of the economy.
In his book "Looking Backward", Bellamy tells the story of Julain West, a young American who lived in Boston towards the end of the 19th century (1887). During this period, industrialization was affecting all economic activities, as developments made manufacturing sites more productive and there was also a growing need for a labor force, as the growth of industry was exponential. Throughout all of this process, owners of these businesses were getting very rich.
One night, Wells falls asleep and wakes up 113 years later. He sees Boston as a city who suffered a dramatic change. Technological developments could be seen everywhere. He later learned that the country had adopted a socialist model which was fully executed. Enterprises were run and organized by a central office and labor was distributed by an organization called "The industrial army", who effectively assigned labor resources among the industries.
The book had great reception. Bellamy was praised by many unions, including the American Federation of Labor and The Knights of Labor, which saw the book as a reference on how industrial matters should be managed in the country.
They were stone structures topped by huge towers, the exteriors were covered with carvings of the god worshipped inside.
One significant event that lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the March from Selma to Montgomery. The purpose of this peaceful protest was to register black voters in the state of Alabama. However, these peaceful protestors were met with violence from white citizens who did not want to see blacks have a significant voice in the political realm. This outbreak of violence showed that the federal government needed to make a law to help protect African-American voting rights, hence resulting in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
