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Disregarding the Duma & Bloody Sunday
The Duma, Russia’s “congressional body” was essentially a useless group because it did not have the power to make effective change within the country. Tsar Nicholas had the power to dismiss anything brought forward by the Duma, and he often did exactly that. In 1905 a group of workers, led by Georgy Gapon, brought forth demands for the Tsar and were met by gunfire, killing and wounding many of them. Nicholas' actions began to make the weak leader appear even weaker. -
World War One & Tsar Nicholas' Failure to lead
Nicholas had already shown his incompetence to lead the Russian nation, and the world war only further showed it. Russian soldiers were left at times without ammunition, proper clothes and footwear and most importantly, food. Not only was Nicholas' incompetence showing but the leadership within his ranks was showing it as well. -
International Women's Day Protests
Russian women took to the streets in Petrograd to protest the mismanaged war effort. Eventually Soldiers and workers who were fed up with the poverty and incompetence of leadership joined in the protests, many in hopes of democratic reform, while others wanted socialist and other forms of reform. -
Abdication
After years of mishandling his power, The Tsar was forced to abdicate the throne effectively ending over 300 years of Romanov rule. The balance of power had changed, the Tsar and his entire family was assassinated a year later to prevent any attempt of reclamation of the Russian throne. -
The Return of Lenin
The Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, returned to Russia shortly after the Abdication of the Tsar and seized control of Russia with the help of the red guard. Lenin believed that revolution would come at the hands of the working class, that a peaceful revolution was not possible and any opposition must be taken out. -
The Beginning of Bolshevik Rule
The return of Lenin, the disposal of the provisional government, and the culling of any political opponents came swiftly. The Bolshevik party asserted themselves as absolute rulers over Russia and promised the people peace, bread, and land. Most of the population were enchanted by Lenin and support for the Bolsheviks grew throughout the country. The few oppositions, like the white army, had little to no effectiveness in battling the red army. -
Treaty of Brest-Livovsk
After coming to power, Lenin began working on keeping his promises of peace, bread, and land to the people. One of these promises was to remove Russia from the war against the Germans. Lenin was in favor of giving the Germans any of the demands they put forth, but eventually, to attain peace, Lenin gave up a large chunk of the Russian western front. Ultimately achieving some of the "peace" he was promising. -
The Emergence of Joseph Stalin
While Lenin was leading the Russian communist party, behind the scenes the true face of communism was emerging. Joseph Stalin became General Secretary of the communist party, solidifying his footing within the growing movement. Surrounding himself with loyalists Stalin began to achieve more power than anyone else, including Lenin within the party. While Trotsky was supposed to be the successor of Lenin, after his death Stalin seized control and began his rule over Russia.
