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Decembrist Revolt
The Decembrist Revolt was an unsuccessful uprising in December of 1825. Decembrists consisted mostly of upper class families with military backgrounds. They refused to take an oath of loyalty to Nicholas I, who took the throne over his brother Constantine. The uprising was poorly organized and ended shortly after it started. These revolutionaries were considered an inspiration for future generations. -
Nicholas II becomes Czar
Nicholas II became czar on November 1, 1894, and is known as the last Emperor of Russia. He never wanted to take the throne and was a laid back and poor leader. His poor leadership was one of the last events needed to push the up-and-coming revolution. -
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was fought over control of Manchuria and Korea. Russia ended up losing a war they should have won, but due to poor management, the great distance between Moscow and the east coasts of Russia, and the lack of modern technologies in their military. This rather pointless war caused disapproval rates of Nicholas to skyrocket. -
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday is the name given to events of Sunday, January 22. A group of demonstrators marched upon the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, protesting for land reform. The Imperial Guard fired on the crowd killing and wounding hundreds. The Czar was not at the palace and did not give the order to fire, but was widely blamed. This incident caused him to be referred to as Bloody Nicholas by his political opponents. -
Russia's involvement in WWI
Russia joined in WWI in 1914 due to alliances. Referred to as the unpopular war at home, no civilians or soldiers really knew why Russia had joined in the war. They were under equipped and suffered a high amount of casualties. Lenin saw this as an opportunity to gain more support for the Bolsheviks, while support for the czar plummeted. -
Revolution
After Nicholas abdicated, the provisional government set up was very weak, allowing for an easy seizure of power by the Bolsheviks. Lenin is made supreme leader and turns Russia into a communist state. The Mensheviks object to the new state, which causes a civil war to break out. -
Czar Nicholas Abdictates the throne
While Nicholas was away at the front, riots and protests had started to break out in Russia, as a result of the economy falling apart and Russia’s involvement in the war. In an effort to calm the masses, Nicholas II stepped down as czar hoping he would be left alone with his family. Instead, they were all executed. While the government was unstable, Lenin saw this as a time for a revolution. -
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War breaks out after Mensheviks and Bolsheviks disagree over the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The war left most of Russia in ruins and over 6 million dead. After defeating the whites, Lenin captured the Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan back after land was lost through the treaty. Lenin then proceeds to unify all soviets from all of the Republics. -
Creation of USSR
After Lenin becomes supreme leader, he establishes the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), consisting of Russia, Ukraine, and many other smaller republics. The USSR was the first major communist state, which caused a rivalry with the west, and eventually led to the Cold War. -
Lenin's Death
Vladimir Lenin died on January 21, 1924 due to brain hemorrhaging. In his honor, Petrograd was renamed to Leningrad. His successor would be Joseph Stalin, who would be the leader of the Soviet Union up to and through WWII.
