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Decembrist Revolt
A small group of nobles and army officers tried to overthrow the czar's government in December 1825. They hoped to set up a constitutional monarchy. Czar Nicholas I quickly crushed the uprising, which was known as the Decembrist Revolt. He executed five leaders and exiled hundreds to Siberia. -
Czar Alexander II emancipates the serfs
The freed serfs gained a few political rights and were allowed to keep their homes and tools. However, instead of being given land, they had to buy it at high prices. Burdened with debt and high taxes, most peasants continued to live in terrible poverty. -
Nicholas II becomes czar of Russia
Nicholas II inherited the Russian throne when his father died of kidney disease at the age of 49. Reeling from the loss and poorly trained in affairs of state, Nicholas II hardly felt up to the task of replacing his father's role. In fact he confessed to a close friend, "I am not prepared to be a czar. I never wanted to become one. I know nothing of the buisness of ruling." -
The Russo-Japanese War
In 1904, conflict with Japan over Korea and Manchuria led to the Russo-Japanese War. Japan launched a suprise naval attack against Port Arthur, a major Russian naval base. Japan won a series of huge victories over the Russians who underestimated Japan's military potential. The war resulted in a stunning defeat for Russia and increased economic hardships at home. -
Bloody Sunday
Fathor Gapon planned a peaceful march of factory workers to the czar's palace in St. Petersburg. There, the workers would present a petition to Nicholas II, asking for better working conditions and some political freedoms. As the group headed towards the palace, Nicholas II ordered his guards to fire at the group, killing over 100 innocent people. -
Revolution of 1905
Riots and strikes swept the cities after the horrible events of Bloody Sunday. In the countryside, peasants looted and burned the homes of landowners. To end the violence, Czar Nicholas II agreed to set up an elected assembly called the Duma and to make other minor reforms. The Duma had little power, however, and the reforms failed to resolve Russia's basic problems. Discontent simmered across many groups including peasants, middle class liberals, and factory workers. -
The Social-Democratic Labor party splits into two groups
The Social-Democratic party split into the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. Bolshevik radicals were led by Lenin and were called the Red army. Menshevik conservatives were led by Markov and were refered as the White army. Lenin favored a small, disciplined party of proffesional revolutionaries, and the Mensheviks wanted a loosely organized mass party. -
World War I
Russia joined its allies, Britain and France, in fighting Germany and Austria-Hungary. As the war dragged on, Russia suffered a tremendous strain. Russian industries were not developed enough to meet the needs for war supplies. Also, the transportation system could not supply the armies at front. This left one third of the Russian army without a weapon. They were told to take a weapon from the fallen Russian soldiers on the battleground. -
Czar Nicholas II abdicates the Russian throne
Czar Nicholas II abdicated the throne only a week after the Petrograd riots began. To restore order, leaders of the Duma set up the Provisional government. This temporary government included reforms such as freedom of speech and of religion. It called for an elected assembly to draw up a constitution. For the first time, Russia would have a government based on written laws rather than a czar. -
March Revolution
In March 1917, riots and strikes erupted in Petrograd, the Russian capital. Angry crowds protested the war and the shortage of food. "Bread and Peace!" they shouted. When the demonstrations began to spread, the government sent troops to restore order. Many soldiers refused to fire on the crowds, however. Hundreds of soldiers even joined the protestors. -
Alexander Kerensky becomes leader of the provisional government
The new provisional government was powerless and it wouldn't end the war. It had little authority in Petrograd or elsewhere in the country. It angered peasants by refusing to redistribute land right away. The government also lost much support by continuing the war against Germany. At the same time, socialist revolutionaries formed soviets, or councils made up of workers, soldiers, and peasants. The Petrograd soviet acted independently and challenged the authority of the Provisional government. -
Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks capture the Winter Palace
Lenin was determined to lead his Bolsheviks to power by exploiting the war-weariness that affected Russian citizens and soldiers alike. Throughout the spring and summer he attempted to rally crowds in the streets of St. Petersburg through speeches that called for Russia's immediate withdrawal from the war. Lenin ordered an assault on the Winter Palace, but his plan failed and left only ten people dead. -
Nicholas II and his family are executed
Nicholas II and his family were all killed in the same room by the Bolsheviks after the capture of the Winter Palace. This led to the canonization of Nicholas II, his wife, and their children by various groups tied to the Russian Orthodox Church. -
The Russian Civil War begins
The Russian Civil War was fought between the Red Army (Bolsheviks) and the White army (Mensheviks). The Bolsheviks ruthlessly took anything they needed to build up the Red army. They seized grain from the peasants and took control of all factories, mines, banks, and businesses. The opposing White army was supported by British, French, and American troops for a while. In the end, the Bolsheviks won control over most of the old Russian Empire. -
Vladimir Lenin dies and Josef Stalin becomes leader of the Soviet Union
After Lenin died, Stalin and Trotsky struggled for power. Stalin forced Trotsky into exile and then took over and set up a brutal totalitarian state. He also set up a dictatorship where the government made all of the descions about the economy and he industrialized Russia rapidly. Trotsky was later murdered by Stalin's agents.
