-
Period: to
The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was like a firecracker with a very long fuse. The explosion came in 1917, yet the fuse had been burning for nearly a century. The cruel, oppressive rule of most 19th-century czars caused widespread social unrest for decades. -
Czar Alexander III(1881-1894)
In 1881, Alexander III succeeded his father, Alexander II, and halted all reforms in Russia. Like his grandfather Nicholas I, Alexander III clung to the principles of autocracy, a form of government in which he had total power.
He imposed strict censorship codes on published materials
and written documents, including private letters. -
Czar Nicholas II(1894-1917)
When Nicholas II became czar in 1894, he continued the tradition of Russian autocracy. Unfortunately, it blinded him to the changing conditions of his times. -
Russo-Japanese War(1904 - 1905)
In the late 1800s, Russia and Japan competed for control of Korea and Manchuria. The two nations signed a series of agreements over the territories, but Russia broke them. Japan retaliated by attacking the Russians at Port Arthur, Manchuria, in February 1904.
News of repeated Russian losses sparked unrest at home and led to a revolt in the midst of the war. -
Bloody Sunday
On January 22, 1905, about 200,000 workers and their families
approached the czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. They carried a petition asking for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature. Nicholas II’s generals ordered soldiers to fire on the crowd. More than 1,000 were wounded and several hundred were killed. Russians quickly named the event “Bloody Sunday.” -
Establishment of the Duma
In October 1905, Nicholas reluctantly promised more freedom. He approved the creation of the Duma —Russia’s first parliament. The first Duma met in May 1906. Its leaders were moderates who wanted Russia to become a constitutional monarchy similar to Britain. But because he was hesitant to share his power, the czar dissolved the Duma after ten weeks. -
Russia's participation in World War 1(1914 - 1921)
In 1914, Nicholas II made the fateful decision to drag Russia into World War I. Russia was unprepared to handle the military and
economic costs. Its weak generals and poorly equipped troops were no match for the German army. -
Death of Rasputin
His wife, Czarina Alexandra, ran the government while he was away. She ignored the czar’s chief advisers. Nicholas and Alexandra’s son, Alexis, suffered from hemophilia, a life-threatening disease. Rasputin seemed to ease the boy’s symptoms. To show her gratitude, Alexandra allowed Rasputin to make key political decisions. He opposed reform measures and obtained powerful positions for his friends. In 1916, a group of nobles murdered Rasputin. -
Bolshevik Revolution(March 8 - November 7)
Lenin and the Bolsheviks soon gained control of the Petrograd soviet, as well as the soviets in other major Russian cities. By the fall of 1917, people in the cities were rallying to the call, “All power to the soviets.” Lenin’s slogan—“Peace, Land, and Bread”—gained widespread appeal. Lenin decided to take action. -
Abdication of Czar Nicholas II/ est. of Provisional Government
The local protest exploded into a general uprising—the March Revolution. It forced Czar Nicholas II to abdicate his throne. A year later revolutionaries executed Nicholas and his family -
Civil War(Nov 7, 1917 – Oct 25, 1922)
The Bolsheviks now faced a new challenge—stamping out their enemies at home. Their opponents formed the White Army. The White Army was made up of very different groups. There were those groups who supported the return to rule by the czar, others who wanted democratic government, and even socialists who opposed Lenin’s style of socialism -
Stalin's Rise to Power(1922 - 1927)
Lenin suffered a stroke in 1922. Two of the most notable men were
Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin. Stalin was cold, hard, and impersonal. During his early days as a Bolshevik, he changed his name to Stalin, which means “man of steel” in Russian. The name fit well. Stalin began his ruthless climb to the head of the government between 1922 and 1927. In 1922, as general secretary of the Communist Party, he worked behind the scenes to move his supporters into positions of power. -
Establishment of USSR
Bolshevik leaders saw nationalism as a threat to unity and party
loyalty. To keep nationalism in check, Lenin organized Russia into several selfgoverning republics under the central government. In 1922, the country was named the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), in honor of the councils that helped launch the Bolshevik Revolution. -
Lenin's Death
Shortly before he died in 1924, Lenin wrote, “Comrade
Stalin . . . has concentrated enormous power in his hands, and I am not sure that he always knows how to use that power with sufficient caution.” By 1928, Stalin was in total command of the Communist Party. Trotsky, forced into exile in 1929, was no longer a threat. Stalin now stood poised to wield absolute power as a dictator. -
Leon Trotsky's Exile
By 1928, Stalin was in total command of the Communist Party. Trotsky, forced into exile in 1929, was no longer a threat. Stalin now stood poised to wield absolute power as a dictator.
