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Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II
Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and a new government led by Kerensky was established. -
Communist Revolution
The communists, led by Lenin, led a revolution which quickly spread to Moscow. -
Russia leaves World War I
At Brest-Litovsk in early 1918, Russia signed a peace treaty with the Germans and left the First World War. -
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Russian Civil War
Between 1918-20, there was a civil war in Russia, between the Reds (communists) and the Whites (anti-communists). The Reds won. -
Foundation of the USSR
The Communists founded the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), -
Death of Lenin
Lenin died in 1924, two years after the establishment of the USSR. -
Staline heir to Lenin
Staline defeated his main rival, Trotsky, and became the heir to Lenin. -
Collectivisation and Kolkhozes
In 1928, Staline decided to make the USSR into a great industrial state and to establish an egalitarian society. All industries became state owned and controlled. -
Period: to
Purges (The Great Terror)
Stalin carried out the Purges. The State Police (NKVD) acted against important Communist Party officials and officers of the Red Army whom he suspected of plotting against him.