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These factories were supposed to help boost Russia's economy but Russia still lagged behind the industrial nations of western Europe
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Alexander stuck to the principle of autocracy like his father Alexander II and his grandfather Nicholas I
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By the minister doing so this boosted Russia's steel industry to fourth largest in the world.
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This railroad wasn't only constructed by Russia. Russia had help from the British and French.
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Nicholas II continued autocracy which had been in Russian tradition for years.
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Bolsheviks and Mensheviks were the two new groups. The Bolshevicks were the more radicals willing to sacrifice everything for change. Mensheviks were the more moderate ones wanting a broad base of popular support for the revolution.
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This latter esculated to the Russo-Japanese war which was known as the first great war of the 20th Century.
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Carrying a petition asking for better working conditions, more personla freedom, and an elected national legislature, more than several thousand were killed or wounded. This became known as Bloody Sunday.
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This was known as the Lena Massacre
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Russia was unprepared to handle the military and economic costs their weak generals and poorly equiped troops were no match for the German army
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Riots flared up quickly over shortage of bread and fuel. approximately 200,000 workers stormed the streets shouting, "down with autocracy, down with the war!"
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Russia surrendered a larg part of its territory to Germany and its allies eventually causing anger and humiliation among Russians
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around 14 million Russians died in this three year struggle
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Lenin restored to a small scale version of capitalism called New Economic Policy.
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This was done in honor of the councils that helped launch the Bolshevik Revolution and to keep nationalism in check.
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Before his death Lenin wrote a letter in fear of Joseph Stalin's control "Comrade Stalin...has concentrated enormous power with in his hands , and I amnot sure that he always knows how to use that power with sufficient caution."
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In reality the Communists held all power Lenin had established a dictatorship of the Communists party.
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When Lenin suffered a stroke in 1922 this set in motion competition for head of government.
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Stalin now stood poised to wield absolute power as a dictator.
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This could not have happened if not for the new policies and peace that followed the civil war.