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Emancipation Manifesto
A manifesto issued by the Russian emperor Alexander II on February 19, 1861 that accompanied 17 legislative acts that freed the serfs of the Russian Empire. -
The Zemstvo
A type of government that was created in 1864 that was established to help local activities after the emancipation of the serfs. They built many things such as schools, roads, hospitals, and they also helped former serfs become more like citizens by helping them get land and use it for farming. The Zemstvo consisted of Feudal Lords, priests, merchants, and industrialists. -
Pogrom
A pogrom is an organized massacre of a particular ethnic group. The first pogrom followed the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881. False rumors caused Russian mobs in more than 200 cities and towns to attack Jews and destroy their property. -
Russo-Japanese War
A military conflict in which a victorious Japan forced Russia to abandon its expansionist policy in the Far East, becoming the first Asian power in modern times to defeat a European power. It developed out of the rivalry between Russia and Japan for dominance in Korea and Manchuria. -
Russian Revolution
An uprising that persuaded Czar Nicholas II to transform the Russian government from dictatorship to a constitutional monarchy. -
The Duma
The first Duma, a consultative body, was lead by the Kadets. The Kadets wanted Russia to have a parliament that consisted of the British model with legislative powers. But, those who had power over the Duma only wanted it to be a place of discussion to figure out who were friends or foes by the speeches that were made. The first discussion they had was that of an idea of reform that was presented to Nicholas II. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
In June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by the Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, and a month later World War I began with Austria’s declaration of war against Serbia. -
The Rasputin
Not many people liked Rasputin because of his affairs with women, but he did have healing talents. During this time Nicholas II and his wife, Tsarina, were rulers of Russia. After having five girls, they finally had a son, but unfortunately he was affected by hemophilia. The king and his wife heard of Rasputin and asked him to heal their son. When he seemingly “cured” of hemophilia, he became very famous. -
The March Revolution
By 1917 many things had effected Russia. The people of Russia were very angry with what was happening. WWI caused millions to die and the supply of food and fuel was decreasing. People were losing their jobs due to lack of money for pay checks, riots began to become more common and more violent, and the Duma started to go against Nicholas. By the end, the rule of tsar had ended. -
“Peace, Land, and Bread”
Because of the war there were many food shortages. People rarely had something to eat. Bread was something that everyone wanted and craved. Another thing that was greatly caught the attention of these people was peace. Everyone just wanted peace, particularly the soldiers fighting. And above all, the thing that people had more desire for was land. -
Lenin
Lenin, whose real name is Vladimir Ilych Ulyanov, was very important in Russian history. He was the man who placed the first communist government in Russia, the first government of that kind in the world. He lead this kind of government to power. He also was the reason the political party that he was a part of split in two. Most people joined his side, called the Bolsheviks. -
The Assassination of Czar Nicholas II and his Family
After the Bolshevik Revolution, Nicholas II and his family were imprisoned in Yekaterinburg. Soon, in the basement of an old mansion, the entire family was brutally murdered. -
The Brest-Litovsk Treaty
Delivered an end to the war for Russia and Germany. Lenin told the Bolshevik to go to the Germans and create a treaty with them to end the war so that Russia could deal with issues within their own country without having to worry about war, but half of the people that were supposed to show for the meeting didn't come. So they made a small peace agreement by themselves. -
The Cheka
A group of Soviet government apparatuses assembled by Vladimir Lenin. It was formed to help Lenin gain a strong control over the people after the November 1917 revolution. -
Trotsky
One of the main people who lead the Russian revolution. He helped with both motivation and structure. His control and direction secured the Revolution of 1917. -
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/event/Emancipation-Manifesto
https://www.britannica.com/topic/pogrom
https://www.britannica.com/event/Russo-Japanese-War
https://www.britannica.com/event/Russian-Revolution-of-1905
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-Ferdinand-archduke-of-Austria-Este
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-russian-revolution-an-annotated-timeline--9
