-
Alexander III succeeds his father and becomes the czar of Russia
When Alexander III came to power, he had the same strong autocratic views as those before him. He used extremely cruel methods like terror and persecution to keep his people in check. -
Nicholas II becomes the czar after Alexander III
When Nicholas came to power he continued the methods and ideas of Alexander III. Unfortunately, this caused him to be unable to keep up with the industrialization of Russia. -
Russia doubles its amount of factories
When the number of factories increased, so did the production of the goods they produced. This led to Russia becoming the world's fourth-ranking producer of steel at the time. It also laid the foundation for an even bigger form of industrialization. -
The Mensheviks and Bolsheviks split and form their factions
The Mensheviks and Bolsheviks both fought for the same cause, but they disagreed on how to accomplish their goals. The Mensheviks wanted to take the peaceful route, whereas the Bolsheviks were more radical. They wanted change as soon as possible, no matter the cost. -
The Russo-Japanese War begins
This war fought between Russia and Japan was for control of Korea and Manchuria. The Russians took massive casualties because their government was considered weak when compared to Japan's. It ended with the two countries signing multiple agreements that the Japanese greatly benefited from. -
The Trans-Siberian Railroad is complete
This railroad was the longest one on the planet at this time. It provided Russia with a way to quickly transport goods, people and other resources across the country in a couple of weeks. Without this railroad, Russia would have taken many more years to industrialize. -
Bloody Sunday
On Bloody Sunday, more than 200,000 workers and their families marched on the czar's Winter Palace with a petition for better and safer working conditions, more personal freedoms and an elected national legislature. The soldiers there were ordered to fire on the crown killing and wounding over 1,000 people. -
The first Duma comes together
The first Duma was the equivalent of a Russian parliament. Unfortunately, Nicholas's greed led to him disbanding the Duma after 10 weeks because he didn't want to share his power with anyone. -
Russia joins World War One
This fateful decision by Nicholas II had catastrophic effects. Russia was unprepared and too ill-equipped to be able to fight and win in a war of this scale. This played a critical role in the revolution because it showed the Russian people the same weakness the czar had like in the Russo-Japanese War. -
Czar Nicholas moves his headquarters to the frontline
Nicholas did this to motivate the soldiers that were going off or fighting on the front lines. However, he left his wife back at their palace where she fell under the influence of a so called "holy man" named Rasputin. -
The March Revolution
Women textile workers march on the current capital of Russia, Petrograd, over shortages of bread and fuel.The riot was so massive that the soldiers ordered to fire on them eventually stopped and joined their ranks. -
Nicholas II abdicates the throne
The uprising sparked from eh March Revolution grew so large that it forced Nicholas II to give up the throne, and they were later executed by revolutionaries. In the czar's absence, the Duma set up a weak provisional government. -
Lenin returns to Russia
After a decade of hiding in Germany from the czarist regime, the Germans thought he could stir unrest in Russia and hurt their war effort against Germany, so they sent him back into Petrograd in a boxcar. When he returned, he assumed command of the Bolsheviks and began their rise to power. -
Bolshevik Red Army storms the Winter Palace
When the Bolsheviks attacked the Winter Palace, they arrested all members of the provisional government and took control almost as quickly as the temporary government did. The Bolsheviks now controlled, the government of Russia.
