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The Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was fought between Russia and Sweden. It lasted from 1700 to 1721. By the end of the war, Sweden lost the supremacy as the leading power in the Baltic refion and was replaced by Russia. -
Decembrist Revolt
A small group of nobles and army officers tried to overthrow the czar. They wanted to set up a constitutional monarchy but Czar Nicholas I quickly crushed the revolt. He executed five leaders and exiled hundreds more into Siberia. -
Czar Alexander II Emancipates the Serfs
In 1961, Alexander II emancipated, freed, the serfs. They gained few political rights and could keep their homes and tools. They had to buy their own land, though, at very high prices. They also ended up with large debts and high taxes so many peasents continued to live in poverty. -
Assassination of Alexander II
On Sunday, March 13th, 1881 Czar Alexander II was going to Mikhailovsky Manège for the military roll call like he did every Sunday for many years. He was acompanied by a bunch of guards and the chief of police. When they were on the Pechesky Bridge, a young man threw a bomb under the carriage. Alexander II was only stunned but he refused to leave the scene...that was a mistake. a second man in the crowd threw another bomb at the feet of Alexander II. The bomb badly wounded Alexander II and he en -
Russo-Japanese War
Russia and Japan went to war over a warm water port that would be opperational year round. They also were fighting over Korea and Manchuria. Russia suffered a stunning defeat and increased economic hardships at home. -
Bloody Sunday
Thousands of workers began a peaceful demonstration led by Georgi Gapon. They were met by armed soldiers that fired on the crowd. Over 100 marchers were killed and hundreds more were wounded. -
Revolution of 1905
The Russian Revolution of 1905 was a wave of political and social unrest that spread through Russia. Riots and strikes swept through the cities. Peasants looted and burned houses of landowners in the country.To end the violence, Czar Nicholas II agreed to set up an elected embassy called the Duma. -
Russia in World War I
Russia joining WWI was a very costly mistake. They were constantly dominated during the war and were forced to surrender in 1917 after the Russian Empire crashed and after the October Revolution. -
Czar Nicholas II abdicates the Russian throne
Czar Nicholas II was never trained to rule. The terrible outcome of the Russo-Japanese war led to the Revolution of 1905 which Nicholas didn't diffuse well. Then in 1914 he led Russia into World War I which was very costly for Russia. In 1917 he was forced to abdicate by striking workers. In 1918, a secret meeting was held and a death sentance was passed on Nicholas's family. Then on July 16, 1918 Nicholas, his wife, their children, and some of their servents were shot to death. -
The February Revolution
In February, workers began many strikes. On March 7th, workers at Putilov announced a strike. There were clashes with the czar's forces but nobody was hurt. Strikes continued to go on and unrest continued. By March 10th, almost every business in Petrograd was closed.