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WWI started
WWI caused Russia to become poor and the standard of living lowered. This resulted in protest from the Bolsheviks -
Rise of the Bolsheviks
*Date is approximate
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, wanted change. They protested and overthrew tsar Nicholas II -
Tsar Nicholas II overthrown
*Date is approximate
After being successfully being overthrown by the Bolsheviks, the revolution began. The Red Army won, which lead to Lenin taking charge and a communist government formed. -
WWI ended
By this time, living conditions were terrible. This made the people of Russia want a better government even more. -
USSR established with communist government
The people got what they wanted. The Red Army won the revolution and the USSR was established. -
Vladimir Lenin dies/Joseph Stalin takes over
Lenin died and Joseph Stalin took over power. He creates the command economy, rapid industrialization, more food, better living standards, and expands the USSR into a world superpower. -
Hitler invades Poland
WWII begins which causes many people to die. Later, Germany tries to expand it's power, but the USSR holds them off. -
Hitler attacks USSR
Hitler broke the non-aggression pact that he signed with Stalin by attacking the USSR. They were no longer allies. The USSR fought back and pushed back the troops by 1945. -
USSR pushes back Hitler's Army
*Date is approximate
After 3 years, the USSR fought off Hitler's 2.5 million troops. They also captured Berlin and liberated Auschwitz which gained them lots of power for doing. -
End of WWII/start of Cold war
At the end of WWII, the US and the USSR had different goals in mind. The two countries' relationship fell apart and they started to compete globally for power, known as the Cold War. During this time, both countries created nuclear weapons which caused tension between them. -
Stalin dies
Stalin dies and later Khrushchev takes over. The USSR continues on in the Cold War. -
Khrushchev takes power
Khrushchev takes over and continues the USSR's role in the Cold War. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The 14 day confrontation between the USSR and the US almost resulted in a nuclear war. The US blockaded Cuba. This caused lots of fear for people everywhere. -
US lands on the moon
The US was now ahead of the USSR in the Space Race. Again the caused tension because the USSR wanted to always be better. -
Gorbachev takes power
Gorbachev takes power as the last leader of the USSR. He made up the terms glasnost (cultural openness) and perestroika (restructuring the economy). Because of his belief in glasnost, Billy Joel went on tour in the USSR. -
Billy Joel goes on tour in USSR
*Date is approximate
Because Gorbachev wanted more cultural openness for the USSR, Billy Joel went on tour there. This resulted positively because the people of the USSR were more open to the US. -
Gorbachev resigned/fall of USSR
Yeltsin encouraged people of the USSR to protest to change, resulting in the resigning of Gorbachev. This marked in the fall of the USSR. -
Yeltsin became President of Russia
Yeltsin became the president of Russia. He advanced Russia's government into a democracy. -
Putin becomes president
Putin continued to develop Russia and is still the president.