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Rasputin killed by Prince Yusupov
Due to Rasputin's bad political influence on the Tsarina Alexandria (who was ruling the country during Tsar Nicholas II's time at war), he was invited to Yusupov's palace and survived my doses of cyanide, and 3 gunshots before being thrown into a river. -
International Women's Day protests.
On Internation Women's Day, protesters (who were mostly female workers) took to the streets with the chant "Bread and Peace". They wanted the end of WWI, the end of food shortages and the end of being ruled by a tsar (czarism). 2 days later, the strikes spread across to Petrograd. -
Tsar Nicholas II abdicates and Provisional Government takes over.
Tsar Nicholas II abdicates as well as removing removing his son from the succession. He offered the throne to his brother, Mikhail, who refused it. A Provisional Government replaces the tsarist government, lead by Prince Lvov. -
Lenin returns from exile
Lenin returns from a decade of exile, travelling to Petrograd in a sealed train from Switzerland via Germany and Finland. He wrote a book called "April Theses" and published it on the 7th April 1917. The main lines were "Peace, bread and land" and "All power to the Soviets". This helped the Bolshevik Revolution as this told the people of a Russia that everyone wanted. -
Milyukov note leaked
A telegram sent to the Allied Powers by Foreign Minister Pavel Milyukov said that the Provisional Government intended to continue the war, one of the prime reason why the Tsar was abdicated. The note is leaked, resulting in protests and increased support for the Bolsheviks. After this, Milyukov resigned and members of the Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks joined the Provisional Government. -
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July Days
Kerensky replaced Lvov for leader of the Provisional Government and a series of anti-government demonstrations of industrial workers and soldiers begin in Petrograd. The Bolsheviks, initially reluctant, attempted to prevent the demonstration but subsequently decided to support it. However, Kerensky soon crushed the demonstrations. Kerensky orders Lenin and Trotsky to be arrested. Lenin fled to Finland, but Trotsky was imprisoned. -
June Offensive
Alexander Karensky (Minister or War for Russia), launches an offensive (military campaign) against Austria-Hungary in Galicia. Although the attack started off successful, soldiers soon refused to leave their trenches and fight as well as disobey officers. The soldiers soon returned home. Due to this, the attack collapsed four days later and the Russians had to respond to the Austria and Germany's counter attack. -
Kornilov Affair
The Provisional Government were met with a coup (violent seizure of power from the government) from General Kornilov, the commander of the Russian army, when he ordered troops on Petrograd. This, however, failed. This promoted the Bolsheviks and put down the Provisional Government among Petrograd as the credibility of the Provisional Government and Kerensky were crushed. -
Bolsheviks seize Petrograd
Bolsheviks seize Petrograd when Trotsky's Red Guards ("any of various radical or socialist groups, in particular an organized detachment of workers during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and a militant youth movement in China (1966–76) which carried out attacks on intellectuals and other disfavoured groups as part of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution.") helped some Kronstandt soldiers cut off Petrograd from the rest of Russia by taking over bridges and telephone lines. -
New laws introduced by the Bolsheviks
On the same day, The Decrees on Land (proclaiming abolition of private property and the redistribution of the land amongst the peasantry), and Peace (proposing an immediate withdrawal of Russia from the First World War), are issued by the new Bolshevik government. As well as this, workers' Decrees were introduced meaning that workers could only work 8 hours a day, a minimum wage was set and the death penalty was abolished. This greatly increased popularity amongst peasants, a large part of Russi -
Bolsheviks finally take over Russia
Bolsheviks finally take over Russia after the Winter Palace was taken over. At 9:40pm, a shell was fired from the cruise ship - Aurora, which signalled for the Red Guards to take over the Winter Palace. This was the headquarters of the Provisional Government as well as the last thing they owned. -
Russian Constituent Assembly election
After the Bolsheviks had seized power, they announced an election. What this would do is consolidate the Bolsheviks' power and prove that they had a majority vote (similar to what Theresa May did on the 8th June 2017). However, it turned out that the SR party had nearly double the votes of the Bolsheviks, meaning that the Bolsheviks had to rule with the SRs. The other leaders weren't happy with Lenin to rule and so he dissolved the Constituent Assembly and ruled with only the Bolsheviks.
