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The Decembrist Revolt
In St. Petersburg about 3,000 liberal officials stood up against the czar Nicholas. They were defeated by Nicholas's forces, and the conservative binds on Russia were pulled even tighter. A group of spies and informers (alike the secret police) called The Third Section enforced censorship. -
Czar Alexander II Emancipates the Serfs
This happened the same day Abraham Lincoln took office. Loosening his grip on censorship, Alexander II freed the serfs with the Emancipation Manifesto. It was considered mostly unsuccessful, since then the former serfs had to fight over the less-than-promised amount of land that they were given. -
Assassination of Czar Alexander II
March sure is a popular month in Russian history. Alexander was assassinated with a bomb in St. Petersburg by a "People's Will" group that wanted to overthrow the czar's autocracy. This event could have provided inspiration to the people in Car Nicholas II's time. -
The Russo-Japanese War
The war lasted until September of 1905. Czar Nicholas II started war over Korea and it's nice mild ports with Japan, out of want more than need. The citizens were angry at Nicholas for making such a moronic move. -
Bloody Sunday
A group of people were protesting by the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. 200 to maybe even 1,000 were shot down by the czar's military. This event earned Nicholas II the nickname of Bloody Nicholas. This event probably started citizens' anger towards the czar. -
The Revolution of 1905
Ended in June 1907. When the Russo-Japanese war ended in 1905 with a devestating loss on Russia's part, the citizens were just over with it all. The revolution consisted of over two years of the country's unrest with strikes and riots over jobs and the czar and the bad shape of the country in general. The czar was still in power by the end of it, the revolutionists defeated. -
World War I
The Great War wasn't good for Russia, as industries and food supplies were under shortages, troops were poorly supllied, and hundreds of soldiers were killed. After the Bolshevik Revolution and Lenin's promises to end Russia's involvement, he followed through with the Brest-Litovsk Treaty in March of 1918. -
Nicholas II Abdicates Throne
This was the cause of the revolution. After the first revolution, Nicholas II gave up the thrown. Afterwards Mensheviks set up a provincial (temporary) government, and citizens suddenly had the freedom of speech and religion that came with all the reforms. Happiness didn't last long, though, as the provncial government wanted to keep on perservering with the war. -
The March Revolution
This revolt was probably the most important, as Nicholas II abdicated the thrown one week later. Riots and strikes broke out across Petrograd (formally St. Petersburg), and instead of repressing the crowd, most soldiers joined in on the chanting of "Bread and peace!"
