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The February/March Revolution
On February 23, while Czar Nicholas II was away from Moscow to meet with troops fighting in World War I. On the 24th of February, there is a mass protest and on the 26th troops fired on the demonstrating crowds. Following this over 80000 soldiers in the army mutiny against the Czar and join forces with the protestors. On the 28th of February, members of two political parties, the Duma and the Mensheviks who were pat of the Socialist Revolutionary Party started calling for a full-scale revolution -
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Russian Revolution
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Provisional Government Takes Control
There was widespread elation in Russia after the February revolution and a provisional government with a strong center-left representation was formed. Russia was declared a Republic. George Lvov headed this republican government. Four days later, the Petrograd Soviets was formed. The two councils shared control over Russia. The provisional government allowed the return of all exiled Russians. This paved the road for revolutionaries like Lenin and Stalin to return to Russia. -
Tsar/Czar Nicholas Abdicates
Following the mass protests, Czar Nicholas abdicates the throne. It was expected that he would abdicate in favor of his son Alexis; however, he surprised everyone by abdicating in favor of his brother Michael. On March 3rd, Michael abdicated the throne as well, resulting in Russia being without a leader. the Tsar, an -
Lenin Returns and the April Theses/Thesis
On the 3rd of April, Lenin arrived at Petrograd after living in exile in Switzerland. He was greeted by excited crowds who were met by Lenin denouncing the Duma and the Mensheviks and warned everyone that if they were not Bolsheviks, he would consider them as enemies. On 7th April Pravada newspaper published the April Thesis, which outlined the ideas Lenin had for Russia. It included the New Economic Plans Lenin had created. with several other Socialists for their opposition to the War. -
Lenin Takes Control
Following the storming of the Winter Palace, Lenin declared himself as the leader of the new Communist Republic. With the support of the Bolsheviks and the Soviets, Lenin put his New Economic Plans into action. He immediately ordered that all privately owned farms be distributed among the peasants. This privately owned land belonged to the Kulaks. This was called collectivization. On 17th July, Lenin ordered the executions of the Nicholas II and family including his wife Alexandra and their chi -
October Revolution
Following the chant “Peace, Land, and Bread” being used widely throughout Russia, Lenin decided to take action. On October 23rd, Lenin ordered the Red Army, which consisted of Bolshevik supporters and other Socialists, to start a revolution and storm the Winter Palace. The Red’s faced little opposition in this attack but it was a significant stage in the overthrowing of Kerensky’s provisional government. Leon Trotsky led this Red army, and the supporters of the provisional government were called -
Storming of the Winter Palace/October/November
The Winter Palace, the last holdout of the Provisional Government, is taken by the Bolsheviks; the Council of People's Commissars (abbreviated as Sovnarkom), led by Lenin, is now in control of Russia -
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was fought throughout Russia and was between the Bolsheviks (Reds) and the Anti-Bolsheviks (Whites). The Civil War was partly caused by the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and its harsh conditions. The Reds won the war and this solidified the Bolsheviks as the ruling party of Russia. Finland, Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states earned their independence and the rest of Russia formed the USSR. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The first goal Lenin had when he came to power was to get Russia out of the war. He tried to negotiate a deal in which all powers ceased hostilities but he was ignored. On the 3rd of March 1918, Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This resulted in Russia paying a fee to Germany and it also meant that Russia lost a lot of territory including Finland, Poland and the Baltics. -
Five Year Plans
On 21st January 1924, Lenin died from a stroke. Although he originally planned for Trotsky to take over, Stalin was the one who succeeded him as the Premier of the USSR. Stalin decided to implement a new economic policy called the Five Year Plans. These set goals for the country to reach after five years. The first five year plan feature the collectivization of all privately owned farms and the rapid industrialization of the country. -
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a time of terror in the Soviet Union. It was headed by Stalin at the time and featured the elimination of all who Stalin considered as threats including numerous members of the Communist party. One famous example was the trails of Nikolai Bukharin who was a major supporter of Stalin’s. Others were sent to prison camps of gulags where almost all who went ended up dying. He was purged on account of treason. The use of a secret police force and the presence of propaganda were al
