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Marxists Revolutionaries Split
Marxists revolutionaries disagree over revolutionary tactics. The more radical Bolsheviks are ready to risk everything. The charismatic Vladimir Lenin becomes the leader. -
Russia Breaks Agreements with Japan
Russia and Japan signed agreements over territories, but Russia broke them. Japan retaliated by attacking the Russians at Port Arthur Manchuria. Russia's loss sparked unrest at home and led to a revolt in the midst of the war. -
Workers' March to czar's Winter Palace
Two-hundred thousand workers and their families approached czar's Winter Palace carrying petitions asking for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature. Nicholas' generals wounded 1,000 people and killed several hundred people. This even became known as "Bloody Sunday."
Later in 1905: Nicholas creates Russia's first parliament, the Duma, in October 1905. -
The First Duma Meeting
The first Duma met. Its leaders were moderates who wanted Russia to become a Constitutional Monarchy similar to Britain. But because he was hesitant to share his power, the czar dissolved the Duma after 10 weeks. -
Nicholas II's Fateful Decision
Nicholas II made the fateful decision to drag Russia into WWI. Russia was unprepared to handle the military and economic costs. They had weak generals and poorly equiped groups. Russia's involvement in WWI revealed the weakness of czarist rule and military leadership. -
Women Workers Lead a Strike
Women textile workers in Petrograd led a citywide strike. Riots flared up over shortages of bread and fuel. Soldiers shot the rioters at first but then later sided with them. -
"The Bolshevik Guards"
Armed factory workers stormed the Winter Palace and called themselves the Bolshevik Guards. They took over government offices and arrested the leaders of the provisional government. Kerensky and his colleagues disappeared almost as quickly as the czarist regime they had replaced. -
The Treaty That Angered Russians
Russia and Germany signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russia surrendered a large part of its territory to Germany and its allies. The humiliating terms of this treaty angered Russians. They objected to the Bolsheviks and their policies and the murder of the royal family. -
The Red Army Defeats The White Army
Civil War raged in Russia. Several western nations sent military aid and forces to Russia to help the White Army, but they were no help. Around 14 million Russians died in the 3 year struggle. Bolsheviks (Red Army) took over the power and they kept it. -
The Benefits of the New Economic Policy
Lenin temporarily put aside his plan for a state-controlled economy. He resorted to a small-scale version of capitalism called the New Economic Policy (NEP). NEP allowed peasants to sell their surplus crops instead of turning them over to the government in which kept control of major industries, banks and means of communication, but it let some small factories, businesses, and farms operate under private ownership. The government also encouraged foreign investment. -
Russia is Renamed
Russia was named the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Lenin suffered a stroke in 1922 and survived. Stalin, as general secretary of the communist party, worked to move his supporters into positions of power.
