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1905 Revolution and the October Manifesto
Image depicts a member of the Okhrana firing on an unarmed protester during Bloody Sunday, the catalyst of the 1905 Revolution. The picture highlights the extent of force Tsar Nicholas II would use to maintain autocracy. -
Beginning of WWI
U.S. political cartoon titled "A Threatening Situation" illustrates the chain reaction of defensive alliances threatening to throw Europe into war. Shows Russian mobilization was caused by Austria's threat to Serbia, in turn obligating Germany, Britain, and France to join Middle Eastern conflict. -
Tsar Nicholas II Takes Sole Control of Military
Image depicts a boss (representative of Tsar Nicholas II) who claims he is "not responsible for anything" similar to how Nicholas II does not admit the impact his poor judgement as Commander in Chief had on frontlines' morale and economic hardship/unemployment on the home front. -
Brusilov Offensive
The Brusilov Offensive contained 1,000,000 casualties. They fought with the aid of the Japense who shipped more than one million rifles to the soldiers. Due to this the army had individual arms which helped in the offensive. -
Assassination of Rasputin
Cartoon of Grigori Rasputin with the Tsar and Tsarina published in 1916 illustrates the Russian public's view that Rasputin (a mystic peasant) was infiltrating the Royal Family, eroding faith in tsardom. Assassinated by Russian nobles to reestablish trust in the autocratic government. -
International Women's Day March in Petrograd
Political poster depicting peasant women and workers marching on Petrograd during International Women's Day. The toppled business man (representing tsardom) illustrates the strength found in numbers/solidarity (240,000+ protesters united against famine, conscription, and exploitation in factories). Start of the February Revolution 1917. -
Nicholas II Abdicates
Political cartoon published in Russian newspaper depicting the joy peasants/workers felt once freed from autocratic tsardom. -
Provisional Government formed
Although the Provisional Government was progress towards peasant/workers' demands for democracy, it became an oligarchy (as depicted) of influential Russian citizens in support of constitutional monarchy. -
April Theses published
This picture depicts the April theses as a blueprint as it called for key revolutionary actions like the end of the provisional government, end to the war, and power to the soviets. -
Return of Lenin from exile
Depicts Lenin's return from exile in Siberia after the dissolution of autocratic tsardom in Russia. The globe symbolizes Lenin's ideology of continuous revolution as described in his April Theses. -
First All-Russian Congress of Soviets meets
This image depicts a formal business meeting which represents the russian congress of soviets meeting and electing a committee. This image reflects the formal setting of the meeting in which they were able to conclude the supremacy of the provisional government. -
July Days
In this image there are people all over the streets which is what the streets looked like during the July Days as workers and soldiers in Petrograd staged demonstrations against the provisional government. -
Kornilov Affair
This picture depicts soldiers gathered together carrying the leader which in this case represents General Lavr Kornilov who aimed to launch a coup in Russia and seize power from the government. The soldiers gathered together show the attempt to seize power by this military organization. -
Trotsky organizes Red Guard to defend Petrograd
This image depicts the red guard shooting at individuals in order to protect Petrograd. Their use of rifles represents their increasingly violent actions against the civilians in Russia. -
Bolsheviks overthrow the Provisional Government and take control
This picture depicts a man wearing a suit holding a broom sweeping away the other people. This represents Lenin overthrowing the provisional government as he's sweeping out the previous powers and king, taking over. -
Cheka formed
This image depicts the secret police (cheka) formed in Russia. The soldiers in cheka are shown in the image and the shading in the image shows the intensity and fear instilled in the people of Russia by the cheka. -
Constituent Assembly meets and is disbanded
This picture represents the disbandement of the constituent assembly. The assembly was dominated by the anti-Bolsheviks' leader Victor Chernov, meaning the Comittee was more anti-Soviet. The Bolsheviks and Left SRs decided to dissolve the assembly so that the Soviet government could happen. This photo represents this disagreement because of the obvious White vs Red sides and the split due to their different viewpoints on the Soviet Government, resulting in a split of the Comittee itself. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The key symbolizes the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which was signed by Soviet Russia and the Central Powers. In the photo, the big hand represents the Central Powers and the little person is Russia recieving the key, since the Treaty was Russias key for being able to leave WW1. -
Wartime Communism Created
This photo represents the policies that War Communism created for the people. It shows a politician, seen as the man in a suit with a tophat, and a worker, seen as the man with overalls, in a confrontational stance. This represents how Lenin decided to impliment War Communism to win the Russian Civil War, which was benificial for the Bolsheviks, even though it had negative effects for the workers. -
Red Terror
This photo represents the Reds as an evil skeleton walking around, destroying houses, with executed people in the background. This represents the terror that the Reds implemented during the time of the Red Terror and the evil things that they have done.The Red Terror started in Early september, 1918 and ended in 1922. -
Ukraine Brought under Soviet Control
This photo represents Ukraine turning Soviet as a result of the Red Army invading Ukranian land. This image shows a man conquoring a mountain (the Reds conquouring Ukraine) and a flag being placed on the peak of the mountain (the spread of a Soviet Government). -
Kolchack Begins serious attacks against the Reds form Siberia
This image of a white blood cell killing a red lukemia cell represents the Kolchack's attacks against the Reds because it shows the Whites fighting back. The simularity to white blood cells and cancer cells is because of the Whites trying to protect their country from a Soviet-style government but the Reds often being more powerful than the Whites. -
Poles move toward Kiev
This photo represents Poland (guy standing up) trying to help Ukraine (person on ground) be indepenant. -
Soviets attempt to take Warsaw
The image depicts a group uniting as a team, representing the Polish armies' surge in motivation when defeating the Reds under the threat of Communist invasion, despite being driven back from Kiev to Warsaw by Bolshevik forces . -
Tambov Rebellion
Grain represents the most significant cause of the Tambov Revolt: Bolshevik grain requisitioning through the Food Supplies Dictatorship. -
Kronstadt Uprising
Depicts soldiers standing uniformly, just as the 30,000+ Kronstadt sailors united against Bolshevik dictatorship and the extreme famine under War Communism. -
Ending of Wartime Communism
Lenin's New Economic Policy (NEP) introduced aspects of free market capitalism, receiving public support (as depicted) for significantly benefitting Kulaks/NEPmen and spurring industrial + agricultural output. -
Treaty of Rapallo
Image of businessmen shaking hands indicates Treaty of Rapallo's focus on mutual economic gain between Russia and Germany. Plus, it indicates that the agreement was bilateral and a work around the Allies' Treaty of Versailles. -
Formation of Soviet Union
Soviet Union flag uses a crossed golden sickle and hammer to depict Bolshevik's Communist aims of uniting the labor of workers and peasants through . -
Lenin dies
Political cartoon depicting Lenin's death as the death of Communism; implies that Lenin's aims for the USSR as described in his final 1922 Testament were suppressed by the Central Committee.