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The Khodynka Tragedy
After Tsar Nicholas II's coronation, a human stampede in Moscow occurred during festivities. There was an expectation that those who attended would receive gifts such as mugs, bread, and beer. When there was a rumor that there would not be enough, the crowd went wild, killing 1,300 people. Nicholas II was the last emperor of Russia. -
Party Split
The Russian Social Democratic Labor Party split into two different factions called the "Mensheviks" (minority) and the "Bolsheviks" (majority).This made Lenin's views widely accepted. -
Bloody Sunday
Troops and police opened fire on a peaceful protest outside the Winter Palace and other areas in St. Petersburg. Nearly 1,000 people were killed or injured. Restrictions were then implemented on absolute power of the Russian monarch and the Fundamental Laws of 1906 were issued. -
Russo-Japanese War
Japan and Russia went to war over an imperial conflict. Both wanted control over Korea and Manchuria. As a result, the Russian Empire and Tsar Nicholas II lost considerable prestige and 2 naval fleets. -
World War I
Tsar Nicholas II led Russia into World War I unprepared. The Germans obliterated the Russian forces. This showed the weakness of czarist rule and military leadership. Supplies dwindled and prices inflated. After WW1, Russia went into a civil war with the Bolsheviks. -
The March Revolution
The Revolution begin with strikes and rioting in St. Petersburg by minority groups and peasants. The upset was led by food shortages and bad working conditions in the city. Then the empire of Tsar Nicholas II collapsed and the rise of Marxism begin to occur under Lenin and the Bolsheviks. -
July Days
Industrial workers and soldiers led several demonstrations in Petrograd. Alexander Kerensky took over the Provisional Government and crushed the demonstrations. He issued an arrest for Lenin, who went into hiding. During this time period, women's suffrage became legal and the death penalty was reintroduced. This failed uprising showed loss of control over the Provisional Government. This was a very low point in the revolution. -
Red October (Bolshevik Revolution)
Though taking place in early November, the Bolshevik Revolution is often referred to as Red October because of the Julian calendar. This was the second and last major phase of the Russian Revolution. The Bolsheviks seized power in Russia against the Provisional Government and then appointed Lenin as the leader of Russia. -
The Brest-Litovsk Treaty
Russia's participation in World War I ended completely. Bolshevik Russia lost one-third of the empire’s population, one-third of its railway network, half its industry, three-quarters of its supplies of iron ore, nine-tenths of its coal resources and much of its food supplies. Five days after, the Bolsheviks changed their name to the Russian Communist Party. Moscow is also named the new capital of Russia. -
Stalin's Reign Begins
Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. After Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin rose to power as the leader of the Soviet Union.
