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The Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a war with Russia, Denmark-Norway, and Saxony-Poland against Sweden which lasted from Febuary 22, 1700 until September 10, 1721. Sweden was making advances in the Baltic Sea, which angered the nearby nations, causing a war. Eventually, Poland surrended and ended its allience with Russia. Later, Charles XI, the king of Sweden was killed in battle, and the Sweden influence declined. This made Russia a major power in that area. -
The Decembrist Revolt
The decembirst revolt was caused by a group of army officers and nobels when they tried to overthrow the czar and his government. The group wanted to set up a constitutional monarchy but failed. Nicholas I quickly ceased the movement and exectued several officials and exiled hundreds to Siberia. Nicholas I banned most books from the west and spied on schools and other establishments because he thought they were centers of unrest. -
Czar Alexander II Emancipates the Serfs
When Alexander II was in power, he emancipated the serfs. This meant that all of the serfs had some political rights and could keep their homes and tools. However they were not simply given land, they had to buy it at very high prices. This meant that the serfs usually paid in poverty and debt. After he emancipated the serfs, Alexander II encouraged the building of the schools and improved health care. -
The Assassination of Alexander II
On March 13th, 1881 a terrorist organization called the Peoples Will assassinated Alexander II. One of the members of the group threw a bomb at his carriage and mortally wounded him. He eventually died from the wound. This caused Alexander III to resort to repression to try to stop the revolution. -
The Russo Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was a war between Russia and Japan that lasted from Febuary 8, 1904 through September 5, 1905. Russia and Japan both wanted dominance in Manchuria and Korea, and eventually a war broke out between the two nations. After a while, the Russians lost against Japan. This was considered the First Great War of the 20th Century. It was also the first time an Asian Country won a war against a European Country. -
The Revolution of 1905
After Bloody Sunday, the citizens of Russia were horrified and thus began the Revolution of 1905. Peasants ransacked the homes of their landowners and riots were started in the cities. Nicholas II created the Duma which was an elected assembly to do small political tasks. The Duma didn't do too much for Russia, and many people were still furious at the czar. This caused a governmental change in Russia, and much unrest in Russia. -
Bloody Sunday
On January 22nd 1905, workers from factories in St. Petersburg planned a peaceful march on the winter palace. They were going to ask for better working conditions and some political freedom. The people gathered in front of the palace started singing "God Save Thy Czar". This was misinterpretated by the soldiers who started firing shots at the workers, killing about 100 of them. -
World War I Begins
World War I was a war that started when the Arch Duke Franz Fereinand was assassinated. When Russia joined the allies, it did not do well. Russia did not have enough guns or supplies to fight. They invaded Germany but the Germans pushed them out. Russia was being paid to fight in the war, and they had to keep fighting as the country had little money. Many Russians died and communism rose out of the ashes. -
The March Revolution
On March 4th, workers in the city's largest factories demanded a 50% wage increase so that they could buy food. The management refused so the workers went on strike.30,000 workers were locked out of work, they were not paid and could not afford any food. By March 9th, the riots were getting worse and all hell was breaking loose. -
Czar Nicholas II abdicates the Russian Throne
Angry citizens were starting riots and strikes in the Russian capital, Petrograd, about the war and food shortage.Troops were sent by the government to restore order, but some even joined the citizens in rioting. Many czarist officials were being overthrown throughout Russia, so Nicolas II gave up the throne. This changed Russia greatly, since Nicolas II was the last czar of Russia, and the entire government changed after that.
