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Decembrist Revolt
A group of army officers and nobles tried to overthrow the czar. Their goal was to set up a consitutional monarchy. Nicolas I quickly stopped the uprising. He exiled five leaders and sent hundreds to Siberia. The army officers and nobles became heros. -
Alexander II Emancipates the Serfs
Alexander II emancipated all the serfs. More than 23 million serfs received their liberty. They gained full rights which allowed then to marry whoever they wanted without getting permission, own land, and own a business. Household serfs only gained freedon, no land. -
Nicholas II becomes czar of Russia
Nicholas II inherited the throne when his father died in 1894. He recived a good education through privete tutors. At age 19, he joined the army. He was very passionate for the military. Nicholas was nervous about being czar. Infact, he confessed to a friand that he was not prepared. Nicholas and his wife had five children however, only one was a boy. Alexi was diagnosed with hemophilla. He is not liked for long. His poor handling of Bloody Sunday and World War One lead to his abdication. -
Russo- Japanese War
The conflict started when both Russia and Japan wanted control over Korea and Manchuria. China had control over it, but they let Russia use it. This made Japan mad. Before war was declared, the Japanese attacked the Russians at Port Arthur. The two fought for a year. There were many casualties and the cost of the war was very large. -
The Revolution of 1905
Bloody Sunday and the Russo- Japanese war lead many Russians to be outraged. They were upset about the social and political systems in Russia. Many workers and students went on strike. Nicholas established an assembly to advise the government (Parlement). However, the Russsian people we still upset. By April, they demanded that the assembly be removed. The revolt continued to spread. -
Bloody Sunday
The Russo- Japanese war caused ecomomic hardships in Russia. Father Georgi Gapon was the organizer of a peaceful march for factory workers. This took place at the czar's palace in St. Petersburg. The workes wanted to present a petition to czar Nicholas the second. The workers wanted better working conditions and some political freedoms. As they were protesting, soldiers came out and shot many of them. 100 protesters died and hundreds more were injured. -
Social- Democtatic Labor Party Splits in Two (Bolsheviks and Mensheviks)
Lenin was a political activist for the Bolshevks. He didn't agree with the democratic decision- making process. He thought that revolutionary parties should consist of ideology, theorists, and professionals. Lenin wnated the party to be small, dedicated, and secretive. Only "professional revolutionaries" could be a member. Lenin's rival was Julius Martov. He thought just the opposite. However, the Bolsheviks lead the way -
World War I (Russian Involvement)
Russia got involved in World War 1 for the same reasons that many other European countries got involved. They wanted a bigger military/ country and more power. Russia's ecomomy was still developing so getting involved was not very smart. They had the biggest military, but they didn't have the suppleis to arm most of them. World War 1 was devistating to Russia. Over seven million lives were lost, most from disease, cold, and starvation. -
The March Revolution
Riots and strikes broke out in Petrograd. They were upset about the serious food shortages and the large number of deaths. By 1917, most Russians were against czarism. The strikes and riots started simple with workers wanting a 50% wage increase so they could buy food. However, the riots got more violent. At one point, the police shot some people, but this made the rioters even more outraged. Nicholas II abdicated his throne. -
Alexander Kerensky becomes the leader of the provisional government
He was a member of Nicholas II Duma. He was also the deputy chairman for the Petrograd Soviets. After Nicholas II abdicated, Kerensky became the Minister of Justice for the povisional government. He was promoted to Minister of War and finally Prime Minister. He made two major mistakes (staying in war and not giving the pesants land) that allowed Lenin to gain support at Kerensky's expense. Lenin eventually took power. -
Lenin and Bolsheviks capture the Winter Palace
On the morning of October 25 (morning after the start of the Russian Revolution), the Winter Palace was the only building the Bolsheviks hadn't taken. While Kerensky went to get soldiers, the Bolsheviks brough a warship up the Neva River near the palace. By afternoon, the entire palace was surrounded and only weak guards defended it. By the late evening, a few Bolshevik leaders broke through a window and convinced the guards to give up -
The Russian Civil War begins
The civil was was between the Bolsheviks and the Monarchists, militarists, foreign nations. The Bolsheviks were called the reds and the others were called the whites. By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks only had control of Petrogrand and Moscow. The Bolsheviks wanted communism. Other countries joined in on the war because they did not want communism coming to their country. However, the communists won. About 8 million people died in the Russian Cival War. -
Czar Nicolas II abdicates the Russian throne
After the Russo- Japanese war, Nicholas II sighned a manifesto. He promiced basic cival liberties for the Russian people, however, he did not deliver on most of these. The Russian people were upset and the Petrograd insurgents basicly forced him to abdicate. The provincial government was put in his place. -
Nicholas II and his family are executed
After Nicholas II abdocated, him and his family were kept as prisoners in a town near Petrograd. They were then transported to the Ural Mountains in a town named Ekaterinburg. The seven members of his family and their retinue were kept there. In the early morning, the family went into the cellar for a "picture". They were all executed. Their bodies were berried and acid was pored over them. -
Vladimir Lenin dies and Josef Stalin becomes leader of the Soviet Union
Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks, died at age 54 from a brain hemorrhage. Josef Stalin takes is place. Stalin had a rough childhood. His father was a drunk and Joseph get arrested any times. He became a powerful communist dictator. He sent many people to prisons and labor camps.
