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Bloody Sunday
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSsunday.htm Bloody Sunday can be known as a very tragic event in Russian history as a group of unarmed demonstrators marched to the Winter Palace with a proposal for Czar Nicholas II, where they would be shot down mercilessly by Imperial Guards. This shocked the public and would contribute to the foundations that would lead to the fall of the autocratic government that was put in place in Russia. -
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Ferdinand-Archduke-of-Austria-Este The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand is what many people consider the cause of World War I. Shot and murdered by Gavrilo Princip during a time where Nationalism played a major role in the drastic increase of world tensions. -
Austria-Hungary Demands Serbia To Arrest Black Hand.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/austria-hungary-issues-ultimatum-to-serbia Shortly after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary became furious with the terrorist/militaristic society known as the Black Hand. Of course, the Black Hand was responsible for this planned attack that involved Gavrilo Princip. This would then lead Serbia to ask Russia for assistance, which sparked hostility throughout the entire continent of Europe. -
Russia Enters WWI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_entry_into_World_War_I This was a major event that happened during the Russian Revolution and perhaps one that led the country's proletariat government to its downfall. There is no doubt that with a series of revolutions going on in the conflicted country, Russia was not ready for a war against the Central powers, both in terms of military equipment and war supplies (especially food). This would destroy the country's economy and trust within the people. -
War Propaganda Bureau Conference
https://spartacus-educational.com/FWWwpb.htm The War Propaganda Bureau began a conference in Britain to examine the options available for increasing the interest of Britain during the war. Many Authors and artists at the meeting swore an oath to keep anything discussed a secret from the public. The group's main goal is to encourage more British men to enlist in the army to help the war effort. It was a huge success as hundreds of thousands of men joined the British army during the war. -
Sinking of Lusitania
https://www.history.com/news/how-the-sinking-of-lusitania-changed-wwi The Sinking of Lusitania was essentially a German attack on a British supply ship that killed well over 1,000 civilians on board. This would inevitably spark outrage in the United States, warning the Germans that another attack on civilian cargo would result in them breaking diplomatic ties and entering the war against the Central Powers. This was simply one of many German's blunders that would force the US into war. -
Battle of Verdun
https://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/battleverdun/index.htm#start The Battle of Verdun, being famous for one of the bloodiest and brutal battles of World War I, ends with a hard-fought French victory. Both sides suffered major losses with France losing approximately 162,440 men while German lost about 143,000. Falkenhayn's (German General) reasoning to launch an attack on Verdun was simple, he wanted a battle that would cause France to expend so much manpower that they can't defend the west anymore. -
Battle of Jutland
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/31/what-was-the-battle-of-jutland-why-was-it-so-important-to-the-fi/ The Battle of Jutland was the major naval battle of World War I between the British and the Germans. Whilst the fact that Britain had lost more men and ships during the conflict, they were the ones who actually won. Both sides suffered major casualties, however, Germany's naval power was inferior to Britain, which prevented them from going to battle on sea for the rest of the war. -
Battle of Flers-Courcelette
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-battle-of-flers-courcelette/ The Battle of Flers-Courcelette first introduced tanks in modern warfare, key in shaping how later wars were fought as technological innovations began to create deadlier weaponry. The British and the French fought against German forces, resulting in the Allied forces' victory. -
Zimmerman Telegram Intercepted by Britain
https://www.theworldwar.org/explore/centennial-commemoration/us-enters-war/zimmermann-telegram In January of 1917, the Germans secretly sent a telegram to Mexico, persuading them to ally with Germany if the United States enters World War I. However, the British managed to intercept this coded telegram and released the information to the Americans. This would spark outrage and eventually lead the US to enter the war against the Central powers with Mexico staying neutral. -
February Revolution
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-the-february-revolution One of the two major revolutions during the Russian Revolution, and the first, as it was caused by failures in Russia's government to provide for the people. Not only were they losing greatly in World War I in terms of supplies and manpower, but their economy was also going down the drain; which was the main reason why the people started to turn to the Bolsheviks and Lenin for aid. -
Czar Nicholas II Abdicates Throne
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/czar-nicholas-ii-abdicates Nicholas II, crowned in 1894, was the last Russian emperor who ruled until his forced abdication of the throne in 1917. After the abandonment of his powerful position, the Russian Provisional Government would temporarily take over. Note that he was never trained to be a proper ruler, which is the main reason why he performed so poorly during the tragic event of Bloody Sunday and Russia's involvement in World War I. -
Lenin Publishes April Theses
https://www.britannica.com/event/April-Theses Lenin essentially encourages the Bolsheviks to remove the Russian Provisional Government and take it over by force. Upon his return to Petrograd from his exile, he wanted new communist policies and a socialist revolution; though he did not believe in socialist unity. Within the ten points he made in his April Theses, he also wanted to lay the foundations for a government where the working class has control of political power. -
July Days
https://www.britannica.com/event/July-Days The July Days was a short period in the Russian Revolution where workers went on an armed demonstration against the Russian Provisional Government. Influenced by Bolsheviks' slogans, it would seem that they were responsible for the altercation. Instead of peacefully defusing the situation, the Bolsheviks decided to support the movement instead but was arrested later on. In the end, the government came back to power until the October Revolution. -
Kornilov Affair
https://www.rbth.com/history/326164-kornilov-affair-how-militarys-last Lavr Kornilov, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army, attempted a coup d'etat against the Russian Provisional Government. Though there is no concrete evidence of why Kornilov attempted to eliminate the Soviets from Petrograd, it was clear that he wanted to restore peace in the city. This affair would be swiftly put down by Kerensky and Kornilov was removed of his military rank. -
October Revolution
https://www.britannica.com/topic/October-Revolution-Russian-history The October Revolution was the last out of the two major rebellions during the Russian Revolution. This was when the Bolsheviks would finally topple the Russian Provisional Government with ease and eventually take over Russia, with Lenin being the head of the new government. There was basically no resistance as the Russian government was weak and the people were encouraging the coup. -
Woodrow Wilson Announces Fourteen Points Peace Program
https://www.britannica.com/event/Fourteen-Points A peace attempt was written by US President Woodrow Wilson with its purpose being to end World War I without any more violence, believing that this was the war to end all wars. The points that he had made in the document were quite lenient on the Central Powers because he believed that another major war would start if they were treated too harshly. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaties-of-brest-litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk officially ended Russia's involvement in World War I. This document was signed between the Bolsheviks Russian Government and the Germans in 1918. With the withdrawal of Russian forces from the eastern front, this allowed Germany to focus all of its military power on the western front near the end of the war. -
Treaty of Versailles
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles-1 With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, World War I had officially ended. Germany received much of the blame as well as a major reduction in military power. The country was forced to give back much of its conquered land during the war and was responsible to pay back a tremendous debt accumulated on both sides. Instead of preventing another military conflict, this treaty would ironically lead to World War II. -
Formation of The USSR
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ussr-established Five years later after the October Revolution and influenced by the Bolsheviks led by Lenin himself, the Soviet Union was created. This was a result of the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR which would allow the unification of Russian, Transcaucasian, Ukranian, and Byelorussian republics. The Socialist state would eventually undergo rapid industrialization under Joseph Stalin with its ideology being Marxism-Leninism.
