-
Marxists revolutionaries disagree over tactics. The more radical Bolsheviks are ready to risk everything, and Vladimir Lenin becomes leader.
-
Russia breaks treaty with Japan. Japan retaliates by attacking the Russians at Port Arthur, Manchuria.
-
Workers and families of some 200,000 people went to Czar's winter palace in search of better working conditions and a national legislature. One thouand people were wounded and several hundred were killed by soldiers told to stop the people.
-
Russia's first parliament, the duma, met to discuss a constitutional monarchy. After 10 weeks Czar got rid of the Duma because he was hesitant to lose his power.
-
Nicholas II dragged Russia into WWI. The army was not prepared and got wrecked by Germany, showing Czar's military weakness and lack of leadership.
-
Women textile workers in Petrogad go on strike, causing the Russian leader to stop providing food and fuel. When the people started rioting, soldiers were ordered to shoot them. At first, they did shoot at the people, but overtime the soldiers sided with the rioters.
-
Factory workers stormed winter palace in Petrogad. They called themselves Bolshevik Red Guards and arrested the leaders of the government.
-
Russia and Germany signed treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russia surrendered a large part of its territory, angering the Russian people.
-
A civil war between the red army and the white army went on. The USA and other forces sent military aid to help the white army, but the red army still won. The victory showed that the Bolsheviks were able to seize and maintain power.
-
Lenin installed the New Economic Policy, a small scale form of capitalism. This allowed peasants to keep their surplus crops and allowed small businesses to function on their own.
-
Russia became known as the USSR. It was in honor of the councils that helped launch the Bolshevik revolution.
