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The Russian Revolution

By Kaylee Bulat
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    Russian Revolution

    Period of time that began with unrest in Russia due to czarist rule and ended with the formation of the USSR
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    Rule of Czar Alexander III

    • Anti-Semitic
    • promoted nobility over working class
    • one man rule, one language, one religion
    • Russian people began not to trust the Czar
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    Rule of Czar Nicholas II

    • Absolute ruler; did not want people to participate in government
    • peasants and workers became angry
    • created and resolved the Duma
    • blamed for Bloody Sunday and military failure in WWI
    • people were unhappy with the Czar and wanted change
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    Russo-Japanese War

    • Russia and China went to war over Manchuria
    • Japan was winning due to more ground troops, better navy, easier commute to China, and Russia Trans-Siberian railroad was incomplete (only way they could get supplies)
    • Russia backed out due to civil unrest
    • caused Czar Nicholas to create Duma and Russians began to view political system as inefficient

  • Bloody Sunday

    -200,000 Russian workers marched on Czar's winter palace to demand relief from poor working and living conditions
    - dressed nicely, marched on Sunday, and held religious symbols
    - when protestors were seen, soldiers opened fire (about 100 killed and 2000 injured)
    *though the Czar was not present, people blamed him
    *more people began to rise up against the czarist government

  • Establishment of the Duma

    • people were unhappy with the czarist government and wanted to participate in making decisions for the country
    • After bloody Sunday there were strikes and violence, so Czar Nicholas II approved creation of Russia's first parliament
    • didn't have much power
    • dissolved after 10 weeks
    • people were angry because they still had no say in the government and the Czar seemed to refuse to change
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    Russia's Participation in WWI

    • Nicholas II decided Russia would join
    • Russia was unprepared and suffered many losses
    • 4 million casualties
    • revealed more weaknesses of czarist rule and military leadership to the people

  • Death of Rasputin

    • Russian peasant who claimed to be a seer, exorcist, and healer
    • said he was the only one who knew royal family's secret (their son was sick)
    • became closer with royal family and gave Alexandria advice on how to rule when the Czar was at war
    • Assassinated by nobles because they didn't want him in control of government *Rumors spread that he was the reason for the downfall of Russia and caused people to have more distrust in the government

  • Abdication of Czar Nicholas II/est. of Provisional Government (March Revolution)

    • people were protesting and uprising began
    • forced Czar Nicholas II to step down
    • leaders of Duma created Provisional Government
    • government did not meet peoples expectations and they had more demands
    • some people became more radical and socialist revolutionaries rose up
    • as a result of this the Soviets were formed who eventually became Bolshevik Party

  • Rise of Lenin & Bolshevik Revolution (also called October Revolution)

    • communism appealed to soviets (peasants, workers, soldiers)
    • Lenin and soviets -> Bolshevik (Communist) Party tried to overthrow the government
    • Lenin created the Cheka to protect the revolution -> they used violence and force against those who opposed them
    • This was what led to the civil war and the Bolsheviks began to take action in order to form a new government
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    Civil War

    • war between those who supported the revolution and those who opposed them
    • Red Army (Bolsheviks) vs White Army (conservatives, foreigners, anti-Bolsheviks) Red Army was lead by Leon Trotsky
    • Red army won the war and by the end was under full communist control
    • set up for the formation of new communist country
    • Lenin first gained full control over the country

  • Establishment of USSR

    • Bolsheviks saw nationalism as threat, so Lenin organized self governing republics under a central government
    • became USSR (Union of Socialist Soviet Republics)
    • this established the way that Russia would be run for the next several decades up until the end of the Cold War
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    Stalin's Rise to Power

    • Before the death of Lenin he worked behind the scenes to move his supporters into positions of power
    • After Lenin's death he came into full control (winning his competition with Leon Trotsky)
    • He had Trotsky exiled from Russia so that he was no longer a threat
    • Eventually became a dictator
    • Stalin became a dictator and eventually played a very large role in the Cold War which eventually led to the downfall of the USSR

  • Lenin's Death

    • Lenin suffered a series of strokes
    • he survived at first but new leadership was needed
    • competition between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky
    • Lenin eventually died of a stroke soon after the first
    • Stalin started to compete with Trotsky which eventually allowed Stalin to gain control of the government

  • Leon Trotsky's Exile

    • After Lenin's death he competed with Stalin for power
    • he was exiled by Stalin so that he would no longer be a threat
    • this is what allowed Stalin to gain full control because Trotsky was the only one who had a real chance to overtake him