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Czar Alexander II is Assassinated by the Terrorist Group "People's Will."
When Alexander II was assassinated and instead of the government weakening, the czar’s death had an entirely different affect. His successor reduced educational opportunities, weakened the regional assemblies, and tried to bring the peasants communes under closer control. He made censorship more intense and increased the surveillance of revolutionary groups. They were able to keep the revolution in check for 20 years. -
Nicholas II crowned czar of Russia
When Alexander III died in 1894, he was succeeded by his son Nicholas II. He inspired neither fear nor respect from the people and had few political ideas. He angered many people including moderate reformers. The lack of fear and respect, sparked the revolution to grow. Nicholas made the moderate people angry, imagine how the radicals felt. The people’s want for change increased. His coronation was in 1886 but he reigned since 1894. -
Bloody Sunday in St. Petersburg begins the 1905 Russian Revolution
A large group of workers marched to the czar’s palace peacefully and were met by troops who opened fire. 130 protesters were killed on bloody Sunday. The news of this massacre was followed by the news of Japan defeating Russia in battles on land and sea which caused an uproar and widespread strikes. Peasants began seizing land or other property. Workers in Russia’s industrial centers formed councils called soviets that organised strikes and negotiated with employers and police. -
WWI begins
Russia was poorly prepared for wwi that put an enormous strain on Russian society.15 mil men served in the war and of those 15 mil, 6 mil had been killed, wounded or captured by 1917.At the beginning many Russians supported the war, but that faded as the Russian army suffered defeats and economic hardships.Protests began and prices raised while workers’ wages stayed.People of every class opposed the war and government but most upper and middle-class still supported it and didn't like the govmnt. -
The February Revolution begins with strikes, demonstrations, and mutinies in Petrograd (Continued)
Provisional Government. It was created to rule Russia until a democratic assembly could be elected to create a new permanent system of government. Russia's top military commanders supported it hoping it would end the unrest that was hurting Russia’s war effort. Nicholas gave up the throne. -
The February Revolution begins with strikes, demonstrations, and mutinies in Petrograd (Continued)
Provisional Government. It was created to rule Russia until a democratic assembly could be elected to create a new permanent system of government. Russia's top military commanders supported it hoping it would end the unrest that was hurting Russia’s war effort. Nicholas gave up the throne. -
The February Revolution begins with strikes, demonstrations, and mutinies in Petrograd
It started when female factory workers, who were angry over food shortages, protested having to stand in line for bread. Soon all factory workers in Petrograd were on strike. They were later joined by students and members of the city’s middle class. Troops refused to end the protests and many joined instead. The uprising spread to cities and army units across the empire. Nicholas responded by dissolving the Duma, it refused to disband and formed a temporary government called the ~~ -
Czar Nicholas II abdicates (gives up power)
He gave up power because he had lost everything. He lost control of his army, his government, and his people. After this the Provisional Government took over and ruled. Although they wanted to rule for everyone, most of their members were middle class. Since most of the members were middle class, working class citizens placed their loyalty with the All-Russian Petrograd. Both governments would pass laws when they disagreed and this system of dual power only caused even more chaos. -
Lenin returns from exile and arrives in Petrograd via a sealed train
When Lenin returned after 10 years of exile, he immediately called for the soviets to overthrow the Provisional government. Because if this, the Bolshevik workers and soldiers took the streets of Petrograd in July. The Petrograd Soviet refused to support them and government forces ended the uprising. Soon, because of Lenin, events turned in the Bolsheviks’ favor. -
Bolshevik uprising fails in Petrograd
After Lenin returned he called for the Bolsheviks to take action. In July of 1917, the bolshevik workers and soldiers took the streets of Petrograd. The BOlsheviks were the minority and the Petrograd Soviet refused to support them and their uprising failed. But soon after events started to turn in their favor. -
The October Revolution - the Bolsheviks take over Petrograd
When Lenin returned to Russia, he called for the overthrow of the Provisional government. The bolsheviks were in the minority so when they took to the streets of Petrograd, the soviets refused to support them and troops shut them down. By August, government offensive was bad, this led to the increasing numbers of russians that supported the transfer of power to the soviets. The government sent troops they failed as the soviets explained they were being used. -
The October Revolution - the Bolsheviks take over Petrograd (continued)
The Bolsheviks gained majority and overthrew the government taking key points of the city over and taking control. Lenin gave private lands to the peasants and gave workers control of their factories. He turned the people’s demand for “All Power to the Soviets” into a Bolshevik government. -
Russian civil war begins
The Russian civil war began because the Bolsheviks wanted to solidify their power.They reaffirmed the censorship of press and created a new secret police that were forced to deal with those who opposed them.They also ended Russia’s participation in the Great War.Lenin wanted the Bolshevik’s to hold power which plunged Russia into a complicated three year civil war.In February 1918, the Bolsheviks forced an army called the Red-Army.They fought with the whites and the greens and eventually won. -
Russia withdraws from World War I
They signalled their withdrawal from ww1 soon after the October revolution in 1917. After the Bolsheviks took power, Lenin wanted to end the slaughter of ww1, not because he was a pacifist, but because he wanted an international world war. When they left ww1, the anti-Bolshevik Russians took up arms against the the Bolsheviks. -
The Bolshevik Party changes its name to the Communist Party
They changed their name to the communist party during the civil war. This caused the allies (US, Britain, France) to fear that communism would spread to their countries if the whites failed. Lenin introduced an economic policy called war communism. -
The Bolshevik Party changes its name to the Communist Party
They changed their name to the communist party during the civil war. This caused the allies (US, Britain, France) to fear that communism would spread to their countries if the whites failed. Lenin introduced an economic policy called war communism. -
The capital of Russia is changed from St. Petersburg to Moscow
By the beginning of 1918 the German troops were so close to St. Petersburg/Petrograd that the Bolshevik government and Lenin chose to move the the capital to Moscow so it was farther away from the front and safer. Petrograd was left to be a regional center. -
Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed
On the night of July 16, Nicholas, his wife, their five children, and four servants were ordered to dress quickly and go down to the cellar of the house where they were being held. They had a picture taken of them and then they were gunned down and stabbed. -
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) established
When the Communists won, they joined these republics with Russia to from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USSR. -
Russian civil war ends
The Whites and the Greens had been defeated by the Reds. In regions with nationalist movements in the non-russian parts they had established six self-governing Soviet republics. When the Communists won, they joined these republics with Russia to from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USSR. -
Lenin dies
When Lenin was reshaping Soviet communism, his health started to fail and he died in 1924, His death set off a power struggle in the Communist Party. Over the next four years Joseph Stalin ousted his rivals and came to power in 1928.
