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The Russo-Japanese War
Russia and Japan competed for control of Korea and Manchuria. Japan retaliated by attacking the Russians at Port Arthur, Manchuria.News of repeated Russian losses sparked unrest at home and led to a revolt in the midst of the war. -
Bloody Sunday: The Revolution of 1905
On January 22, 1905, about 200,000 workers and their families approached the czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. They carried a petition asking for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature.Bloody Sunday provoked a wave of strikes and violence that spread across the country. -
World War I: The Final Blow
Nicholas II made the fateful decision to drag Russia into World War I Russia was unprepared to handle the military and economic costs. Its weak generals and poorly equipped troops were no match for the German army. Russia’s involvement in World War I revealed the weaknesses of czarist rule and military leadership. -
The Revolutionary Movement Grows
Rapid industrialization stirred discontent among the people of Russia The growth of factories brought new problems such as grueling working conditions miserably low wages and child labor. As a result of all of these factors, several revolutionary movements began to grow and compete for power. -
The Czar Steps Down
The local protest exploded into a general uprising the March Revolution It forced Czar Nicholas II to abdicate his throne. A year later revolutionaries executed Nicholas and his family.The March Revolution succeeded in bringing down the czar Yet it failed to set up a strong government to replace his regime. -
Lenin Returns to Russia
The Germans believed that Lenin and his Bolshevik supporters would stir unrest in Russia and hurt the Russian war effort against Germany. They arranged Lenin’s return to Russia after many years of exile. This helped them tear down the losing enemy more. -
The March Revolution
women textile workers in Petrograd led a citywide strike. In the next five days, riots flared up over shortages of bread and fuel. Nearly 200,000 workers swarmed the streets shouting, “Down with the autocracy!” and “Down with the war!” At first the soldiers obeyed orders to shoot the rioters but later sided with them and brought the revolution to an abrupt halt. -
Civil War Rages in Russia
The Bolsheviks now faced a new challenge stamping out their enemies at home. Their opponents formed the White Army The White Army was made up of very different groups.There were those groups who supported the return to rule by the czar, others who wanted democratic government, and even socialists who opposed Lenin’s style of socialism.