The Hatred of the Bolsheviks
All throughout the communist regime of Lenin, and later Stalin, Germans from Russia underwent severe persecution. German villages along the Volga River were sacked, burned, and the inhabitants deported. Mass shootings of hundreds and even thousands took place on several occasions. The elderly, women, and children were not even spared from the atrocities brought on by the Bolsheviks in the name of requisition. But why? What caused this undeserved hatred? Was it for cultural differences, or for political and ideological reasons? Perhaps it was for a chilling reason like purely economic gain? And what of Lenin and Stalin, what did they contribute to these mass injustices? Through my research I hope to be able to shed some light on these questions.

                                           Envy
The Germans who were living in Russia at this time were very well educated compared to the rest of the country. Through strong work ethics and hard work they had gone from poor immigrants in a foreign land to a rich and prosperous people. In a relatively short time, they gained land and wealth. They now farmed many acres of land and hired local Russians to help. Nestor Ivanovich Makhno was a Ukrainian anarchist who worked for a wealthy German from Russia in his youth. It was during this time his hatred toward these Germans grew. He envied their land holdings and their lifestyle. When the Bolsheviks came to power, he joined the Red Army and led several Russian parties that wreaked havoc on the Germans.
                                            Greed
Germans from Russia were wealthier than the vast majority of Russians. They had rich farmland, which employed hundreds of workers on several occasions. The communists gained much of this land and money taken from the Germans, which they in turn used for their own political gain. Much the same as Hitler and the Jews, the Bolsheviks profited from the massacres. Not only with wealth, but many of the deportees were sent to work in slave labor camps. Some were forced to work on the projects in the 5 year plan, like the White Sea Canal and the Great Dnieper Dam, where hundreds died from mistreatment. In such projects, the laborers well being was not a concern in the governments mind, giving inadequate supplies and poor housing.

                                           Politics
The Germans from Russia had come to the Black Sea and Volga River areas because of the manifesto made by Catherine the Great in 1763. Tsars had invited the Germans, so they naturally disproved of the new government formed by the Bolsheviks. Also, about this time Germany had invaded Russia. Both Lenin (in WWI) and Stalin (in WWII) feared, despite having lived in Russia for years that the Germans may corroborate with the invading army. Often they deported them to more eastern provinces like Siberia and Chechnya.