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Period: to
Russian Revolution
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Russian Marxists Split Into Two Groups
The moderate Mensheviks wanted broad support for the revolution. The radical Bolsheviks supported revolutionaries willing to give up everything for change and were led by Vladimir Lenin, a ruthless but excellent organizer. Despite fleeing western Europe to escape the supporters of the czars, Lenin remained in contact and continued to lead the Bolsheviks. -
The Russo-Japanese War
Russia and Japan competed for control of Korea and Manchuria. Russia broke the territorial agreements between the countries. Japan retaliated by attacking Russians at Port Arthur, Manchuria in February 1904. News of Russian losses sparked unrest in Russia and led to a revolt. -
Bloody Sunday
200,000 workers and their families went to the czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg carrying a petition for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature. Nicholas II’s soldier shot the crowd, killing over 1,000 people. The event provoked a wave of strikes and violence and caused Nicholas II to reluctantly promise more freedom and create the Duma (Russia’s first elected legislature), which would soon be dissolved. -
World War I
Russia entered World War I but were not prepared for military and economic costs as well as the cost of life; they had weak generals and poorly equipped troops and German machine guns mowed them down as they advanced. In 1916, a group of nobles assassinated Rasputin in fear of his increasing role in governmental affairs. WWI revealed the weaknesses of czarist rule and military leadership and the people demanded change. -
The March Revolution
Women textile workers in Petrograd led a citywide strike and riots broke out over a shortage of bread and fuel. It exploded into a general uprising known as the March Revolution that forced Nicholas II from the throne and executed him and his family. The revolution succeeded in dethroning the czar but failed to establish a strong government to replace it. -
Lenin Returns to Russia
Believing that Lenin and his Bolshevik supporters returning to Russia would cause unrest and hurt the Russian war effort, Germany sent Lenin in a railway boxcar to Russia where he arrived in Petrograd in April 1917. Lenin would bring about autocratic rule as the Bolsheviks came to power. -
The Bolshevik Revolution
Armed factory workers (Bolshevik Red Guards) stormed the Winter Palace and took over government offices and arrested the leaders of the provisional government. Lenin ordered that all farmland be distributed among the peasants, gave control of the factories to the workers, and signed a truce with Germany to end their fighting. Under the treaty, Russia surrendered a lot of land to Germany, triggering widespread anger among many Russians and objected the Bolsheviks and their policies. -
Civil War Rages in Russia
The Bolsheviks fought against the White Army, which consisted of groups that supported the return of the rule of the car, opposed Lenin’s rule, or wanted a democratic government. The victory showed that the Bolsheviks were able both to seize power and to maintain it. The destruction and loss of life from fighting, hunger, and a worldwide flu epidemic left Russia in chaos. -
Lenin Restores Order
In order to revive the economy and restructure the government, Lenin resorted to the New Economic Policy; the government kept control of major industries and banks but let private oweners keep small farms and businesses. Lenin organized Russia into several self governing republics under the central government and renamed Russia as the USSR. Lenin's restructuring of Russia helped the country survive and led to the creation of a constitution based on socialist and democratic principles. -
Stalin Becomes Dictator
After Lenin suffered from a stroke and survived, Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin competed to become the head of the Communist Party. Stalin worked behind the scenes to move his supporters into positions of power and put Trotsky in exile. After Lenin’s death, Stalin was in total command of the Communist Party.
