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A wave of strikes, protests, and mutinies spread across Russia. The Tsar was forced to create the Duma (parliament) and issue the October Manifesto promising civil liberties, but reforms failed to satisfy demands for change.
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Bloody Sunday (January) saw peaceful protesters shot by the Tsar's troops, sparking nationwide strikes and uprisings. Tsar Nicholas II reluctantly issued the October Manifesto, granting limited civil liberties and creating the Duma. This revealed the weakness of autocracy; Nicholas's refusal to share real power sowed lasting resentment among workers and peasants.
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Russia’s defeat in the war undermined confidence in the Tsarist government and worsened social unrest contributing to the 1905 Revolution.
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Peaceful demonstrators led by Father Gapon marched to present a petition to Tsar Nicholas II in St Petersburg but were fired upon by soldiers, killing hundreds. This event sparked widespread unrest and shattered the image of the Tsar as a benevolent ruler.
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Prime Minister Stolypin introduced reforms to break up village communes and allow peasants to own private land, hoping to create a class of loyal, prosperous farmers. Some farmers benefited, but many remained poor; reforms failed to fully modernise agriculture or end rural poverty.
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Tsar Nicholas II issued the Fundamental Laws, reaffirming his autocratic power despite the creation of the Duma, disappointing reformers and limiting the parliament’s power.
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The first Duma met and demanded reforms but was dissolved by the Tsar after 10 weeks due to conflict with autocracy.
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Prime Minister Stolypin introduced land reforms aimed at creating a class of conservative peasants but also used repression to quell unrest.
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The second Duma was more radical and confrontational; it was dissolved after a few months. The Tsar altered the voting laws to reduce the influence of revolutionaries.
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Stolypin was assassinated, weakening reform efforts under the Tsarist regime.
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Russia entered WWI on the side of the Allies. The war caused heavy casualties and economic hardship, exacerbating discontent with the Tsarist regime.
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Russia entered WW1, hoping to defend Serbia and assert its status as a Great Power. Initial patriotism faded quickly as the Russian army suffered defeats, high casualties, and equipment shortages. Tsar Nicholas the II took personal command of the army in 1915, leaving the unpopular Tsarina Alexandra and Rasputin in charge of the government. This directly tied the Tsar to military failures and deepened the sense of national crisis.
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Rasputin gained increasing influence over the Tsarina due to his supposed healing powers over her haemophiliac son, Alexi. His influence at court and involvement in government appointments made him a symbol of corruption and incompetence. He weakened public confidence in the monarchy, contributing to the perception of a collapsing regime.
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The Tsar assumed direct command of the army, linking himself personally to military failures.
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Rasputin, a mystic, gained influence over the royal family, undermining the credibility of the monarchy.
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War-related food shortages caused widespread strikes and unrest in cities, especially Petrograd.
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Food shortages, striked, and mutinies spread across cities and the countryside. Nicholas II was blamed for the hardships caused by the was and the economy, as he had left the government in the hands of the unpopular Tsarina and Rasputin. Popular discontent reached a tipping point, setting the stage for revolution.
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Workers’ and soldiers’ councils (Soviets) formed, creating a dual power situation with the Provisional Government.
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Bolsheviks issued decrees promising an end to WWI and redistribution of land to peasants, gaining popular support.
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The Provisional Government, led by Alexander Kerensky and others, took power but failed to withdraw from WWI or address key social issues.
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A failed military offensive by the Provisional Government that further weakened its position.
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General Kornilov attempted a coup against the Provisional Government, which failed but weakened the government further and increased Bolshevik support.
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Strikes and protests in Petrograd led to the collapse of the Tsarist regime. Nicholas II abdicated, ending centuries of Romanov rule. A provisional government was established.
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Workers and soldiers protested demanding power for the Soviets. The uprising failed, and Lenin fled to Finland temporarily.
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The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, seized control in Petrograd, overthrowing the Provisional Government and establishing Soviet power.
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Lenin returned from exile and published the April Theses, calling for “All power to the Soviets” and opposing the Provisional Government.
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A temporary government led by liberals and moderate socialist that continued fighting in WW1 and failed to address key problems like land reform and food shortages. Meanwhile, the Petrograd soviet grew in influence, undermining government authority. It lost popular support, paving the way for the Bolsheviks.
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Mass protests in Petrograd began over bread shortages and quickly turned political. Soldiers refused to fire on demonstrators, joining them instead.
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Nicholas II abdicated in response to the February Revolution on a train on the way to Petrograd. He tried to get his brother to take over, but he refused. This ended to 300-year-old Romanov dynasty and forced the creation of the Provisional government.
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Led by Trotsky, Lenin and the Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd, promising 'Peace, Land, Bread'. They used the Red Guards and the Kronstadt Sailors to capture key buildings and the winter palace. Overthrew the provisional government and established a Bolshevik dictatorship in spite of Kerensky.
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Russia signed a peace treaty with Germany, ending its involvement in WWI but losing significant territory.
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The Bolsheviks closed the constituent assembly after losing elections, nationalised industry and banks, and redistributed land to peasants. They created the Cheka to suppress opposition. this established a one party state and laid the foundations of communist rule.
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Civil war broke out between Bolshevik Red Army and White Army forces, along with foreign interventions and other factions.
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A conflict between the Red and White armies. the Bolsheviks won due to their strong leadership, centralised control, effective propaganda, terror. Also due to white weaknesses (internal conflict, poor leadership, lack of co-ordination). The Bolsheviks' victory ensured the survival of their regime but left Russia devastated.
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The Bolshevik government used the Cheka secret police to eliminate opposition during the civil war, including executions and imprisonments.
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Policy of strict state control over the economy and requisition of grain from peasants to support the war effort.
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Sailors and workers rebelled against Bolshevik rule demanding reforms; the rebellion was violently suppressed.
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Lenin introduced the NEP to allow limited private trade and small-scale capitalism to revive the economy after war communism.
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Lenin died, triggering a power struggle within the Communist Party.
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Stalin promoted a cult of personality, portraying himself as the infallible leader through posters, art, media, and education to gain popular support and suppress dissent.
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Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party due to his opposition to Stalin’s policies, weakening Stalin’s main rival.
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Aimed at rapid industrialization, the plan focused on heavy industry and collectivization of agriculture.
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Forced consolidation of individual peasant farms into large collective farms, causing widespread resistance and famine.
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After Lenin’s death in 1924, Stalin gradually outmaneuvered rivals such as Trotsky, Zinoviev, and Kamenev by building support in the party, controlling key positions, and promoting “Socialism in One Country.” He used political alliances, propaganda, and purges to remove opponents. By 1929, Stalin had become the undisputed leader of the USSR.
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Trotsky was forced to leave the Soviet Union, removing a major threat to Stalin’s leadership.
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Wealthier peasants (kulaks) resisted forced collectivization. Stalin responded with dekulakization—arrests, deportations, and executions—targeting kulaks to break peasant opposition.
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A devastating famine caused by collectivization policies, resulting in millions of deaths.
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The NKVD (secret police) carried out mass arrests, imprisonments, torture, and executions under Stalin’s orders, enforcing the Great Purge and consolidating his control.
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Also called the “Stalin Constitution,” it promised rights and freedoms but was ignored during Stalin’s repressive regime.
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Mass arrests, show trials, executions, and imprisonments of party members, military officers, and civilians accused of disloyalty.
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Public trials of former Bolsheviks and party members accused of treason and sabotage, used by Stalin to eliminate political enemies during the Great Purge.
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Non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR that allowed for the division of Eastern Europe.
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Nazi Germany launched a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, beginning the Eastern Front of WWII.
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A prolonged and deadly siege by German forces, causing immense civilian suffering.
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A decisive Soviet victory marking a turning point in WWII on the Eastern Front.
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Soviet forces captured Berlin, leading to Nazi Germany’s surrender and the end of the war in Europe.
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Tensions rose between the Soviet Union and Western powers over post-war Europe, leading to decades of geopolitical rivalry.
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Stalin died, ending his harsh rule and leading to a period of de-Stalinization under Khrushchev.