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Nicholas II crowned Tsar of Russia
During the 1890’s when the ideas of Marxism were growing, the tsar, Alexander III was the ruler until he died in 1894. In his place, his son, Nicholas II was crowned ruler of the Orthodox church. He wanted to be like his parents in his rule, however he had a much different character. He was not as smart as his father, and relied on things like his police (the Okhrana) much more. This weakened the empire and made the Russian Revolution happen quicker than it would have. -
Russo-Japanese War
Japan and Russia both wanted land in Korea and Manchuria, so Russia started a war against them, thinking that it would be easy. However, Russia fought with old fighting techniques and weapons, which along with causing millions of deaths, also caused the people to start blaming the government about their losses. -
The Revolution of 1905 (and Bloody Sunday)
Hundreds of thousands of upset workers and peasants led by Georgy Gapon started walking in peaceful protest to the Winter Palace to confront the Tsar. The Tsar’s secret police came up and fired on the crowd of peaceful people. Nearly a thousand people were dead or injured, which was why it eventually was known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. It changed the minds of people about the tsar. Soon after, the October Manifesto was created, which had reforms such as the Duma, that stopped people for a while. -
February Revolution
Hundreds of thousands of angry women and factory workers went on strike on February 23, 1917. They were protesting the corrupt government that had formed after the tsar went help in WWI and Rasputin started abusing power. Eventually, on February 27, even some of the tsar’s secret police and soldiers started joining the mutiny, making that day a turning point in which even the government was basically turning against itself. Because of this, Nicholas II abdicated the throne and the dynasty fell. -
October Revolution
Vladimir Lenin (previously exiled to Siberia for his beliefs) was the leader of the Bolshevik party. The Bolsheviks favored a socialist party and used Marxism (focused on the working class, or Proletariats). Although, the Provisional Government (lead by Alexander Kerensky) leading Russia at the time was not that. So, in November 1927, Lenin and the Bolsheviks overthew the Provisional Government, and replaced it with a socialist government with eventually formed the USSR. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovisk
Russia was fighting on the Allied Powers’ side against Germany in World War I. The Russians had suffered millions of deaths, along with food shortages because of the war and famines. Also, people had been fighting against the government, and a revolution would be starting soon, so Russia basically quit World War I so they could focus on their own country. The treaty basically said that Russia would quit WWI. -
Russian Civil War Begins
In 1918, after the October Revolution where the Bolsheviks took over the Provisional Government, opposition to the Bolsheviks (the Red Army) was growing from the Mensheviks (The White Army). They declared a civil war against each other, fighting for three years. The Bolsheviks won the fight in 1921, allowing them to keep their power over the government. A year later, their socialist government was replaced with the USSR. -
USSR is formed
After the revolutions in Russia where everything was being controlled by socialists, they still didn’t have a real government. At that time, Joseph Stalin took over in Vladimir Lenin’s place after his death, and worked together with many other countries to form the Soviet Union, or USSR. It was a socialist party based on Marxist Socialism where the communists controlled the government and the state owned everything. It lasted nearly 70 years; until 1991, -
Russian Civil War Ends
In 1918, the White Army, or Mensheviks, started the Russian Civil war against the Red Army, or Bolsheviks. The end winner would control the government, which happened to be the Bolsheviks, who were the leaders before the war. They regained their power in the government with their socialist government. Eventually in 1922, they formed the USSR, or Soviet Union.
