-
Nicholas II Becomes the Russian Czar
After Czar Alexander III died, his son Nicholas II became the Russian Czar in 1894. Nicholas II continued to lead Russia using autocracy. Czar Nicholas II would begin Russian Industrialization and later be overthrown during the March Revolution in 1917 because of the poor living and working conditions that his rule caused. -
Russian Industrialization
During the reign of Czar Nicholas II, he began Russian Industrialization to improve production of coal, steel, and oil. The Russian Industrialization greatly increased production which led Russia to be the 4th highest world steel producer. The Russian Industrialization led to worse working conditions, leading to strikes and riots that led to the formation of the Marxist Party. -
Marxist Party in Russia Splits
After the Marxist Party formed in Russia, it later split in 1903 into the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. The moderate Mensheviks had many members, but the radical Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, and its committed members would continue the revolution. The Bolsheviks eventually overthrew the government while the Mensheviks faded into the background. -
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was caused by Russia breaking territorial agreements with Japan over Korea and Manchuria. Japan responded by attacking Russian ports, and Russia losing the battles. The loss of the Russo-Japanese war began more revolts throughout Russia against the government and began to expose the government's weaknesses. -
Bloody Sunday: The Revolution of 1905
To petition for better working conditions, 200,000 workers went to the Winter Palace. Czar Nicholas II had them fired upon, and many were killed or wounded. Bloody Sunday led to more riots and violence in Russia which later forced the czar to give better working conditions and to form the Duma, the first Russian parliament. -
World War 1
Russia joined in WWI after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and Germany declared war on Russia after helping Serbia. Many Russians died in battle meanwhile civilians died because of the lack of food and basic needs as inflation rose and the economy worsened. WWI showed Russians the weaknesses of their government, and the poor living conditions encouraged Russian citizens to fight for change. -
March Revolution
Women Textile workers led a strike and began riots. Once Russian soldiers sided with the citizens, an uprising occurred and Czar Nicholas II was forced from his throne. This led to the formation of the provisional government led by Alexander Kerensky, but he would only worsen the living conditions in Russia, continuing the Revolution. -
Bolshevik Revolution
After Lenin returned in April 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution began in November 1917 with the Bolsheviks taking over the Winter Palace and establishing their own government. Lenin gave farmland and factories to the workers to lead and control. The Bolshevik government signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany to leave WWI, but in this treaty, Russia lost a lot of territory angering many citizens and leading to the Russian Civil War. -
Russian Civil War
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk angered many Russians, and these Russians formed the White Army to fight against the Bolsheviks, the Red Army. During the 3 year war, 14 million people died from battle, famine, or disease, and the war ended with the victorious Red Army standing strong. The end of the Russian Civil War meant poor living conditions for the Russians, and it led to the beginning of Communism and the establishment of the USSR. -
The USSR is Formed
After the Russian Civil War, Lenin began the New Economic Policy (NEP), and Russia slowly recovered. In 1922, Lenin established the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), which was made up of several self-governing republics. The USSR was later ran by the Communist party, which limited freedoms and created terror for its citizens for many years.
