-
Czar Nicholas II Rule
Nicholas II used the Russian tradition of autocracy but it blinded him to the changing conditions of his times. -
Russian Industrialization
The government raised taxes and sought foreign investors in order to have rapid industrialization. -
Development of Revolutionary Groups
Growth of factories created bad work conditions, bad wages, and child labor. People organized strikes. The workers were call preletariats and they tried to start revolitions. They followed the views of Karl Marx who wanted the workers to overthrow the czars. The Bolsheviks were more extremist revolutionaries and their leader was Lenin. -
Bloody Sunday
200,000 workers and thier families went to St. Petersburg to ask the czar for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature. Nicholas II's generals ordered soldiers to fire at the people and many died and many were wounded. -
World War I
Nicholas II dragged Russia into the war but they were unprepared to handle military and economic costs which casued weak generals and poorly equiped troops who were no match for the German army. More than 4 million Russian soldiers were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. The Russian homefront was not in good condition either. -
The March Revolution
Women textile workers in Petrograd led a citywide strike but five days later, riots started because of the shortages of bread and fuel. Soldiers first started shooting rioters but soon sided with the strikers. -
The Czar Steps Down
The March Revolution forced Czar Nicholas II to leave his throne and a year later, revolutionaries executed Nicholas and his family. The March Revolution was a success but it failed to set up a strong government to replace his regime. -
The Bolshevik Revolution
When the provisional government was overthrown, the Bolsheviks took over and they signed a treaty with Germany to leave World War I. This revolution also started the civil war in Russia. -
Lenin in Power
Lenin restored order in Russia by putting aside his plan for a state-controlled economy and resorted to a small-scale version of capitalism called the New Economic Policy. -
Stalin became a dictator
When Lenin had a stroke, he set up a competition for who would lead the Communist Party. It was between Trotsky and Stalin and Stalin won and forced Trotsky into exile. Stalin then stood poised to wield absolute power as a dictator.
