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The Revolution of 1905 & the October Manifesto
The Revolution dated from Jan 22, 1905 – Jun 16, 1907 and the October Manifesto was a document signed by tsar Nicholas II during the revolution itself. This image is of the October Manifesto because it represents the demands made by the civilians during the revolution itself and the tsar’s compliance shows the intensity of the revolts. -
Beginning of WW1
Started on July 28th, 1914 due to the heightened tension of Europe, the assassination of Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was a tipping point for the start of WWI. The picture characterizes the Russian attitude during the beginning of WWI—ready for war and filled with nationalism. The start of the war had much support but eventually lost it over the years which is significant because the picture illustrates a sort of unification that was soon to be destroyed. -
Czar Nicholas II Takes Sole Control of Military Operations
Sep 5, 1915 is when tsar Nicholas II overtakes military control to motivate soldiers due to an authority figure being there. The tsar ignored his duties and homefront issues like the various demonstrations occurring at the time to participate in the military. This image depicts the tsar on the military front with soldiers bowing down in respect to his power. It seems like the soldiers are not kneeling properly which suggests that the tsar’s effort in direct military control was futile. -
Brusilov Offensive
From June to September 1916, the Brusilov Offensive was a military campaign with good leadership and planning allowed it to hold great power during WWI. The Russian army was well equipped with artillery intended to help the country bring an early end to WWI. This image displays an infantry of the troop, in a lineup to prepare for combat. -
Assassination of Rasputin
Assassinated by Felix Yussupov on December 30th 1916 due to the poor public image he had; civilians depicted him as controlling the tsar and tsarina. The image below shows Rasputin resting which does not characterize his actual death but it shows his authority to be laying down in a photograph back in those times. Rasputin being assassinated eliminated the tsar and tsarina being manipulated and controlled which in turn showed instability in the government. -
Trotsky Organizes Red Guard to Defend Petrograd
In March 1917 the Red Guard were a group of armed volunteers of workers and peasants to protect and defend the government. The group played an important role in Bolsheviks seizing power over the state to become a Soviet nation. The image displays a unit of the Red Guard in front of the Vulkan factory, which demonstrates the unity of the group members and the power they hold together. -
International Women’s Day March in Petrograd
Women went on strike on March 8th 1917 to protest the war, food shortages, and the government. Other groups joined the mass movement which essentially led to the Feb/March Revolution due to the widespread support for revolt. This photograph shows the significance of this day in history due to the mass demonstration and extent of the protest. The abundance of civilians participating in this revolt exhibits the Russian’s discontent with the government and circumstances they lived in. -
Provisional Government Formed
The Provisional Government was formed right after the tsar abdicated. This was meant to be a temporary regime of mainly liberal ministers and was reformed twice of its ruling. The picture shows the provisional government that consisted of the main members of the provisional committee. This details the new government formed after the autocracy and shows instability as there are a few members shown here and the mix of political parties challenged the governing process and policy making. -
Nicholas II Abdicates
On March 15 of 1917, tsar Nicholas II is compelled to abdicate by revolutionaries which indicates the fall of autocracy in which the government is replaced with the provisional government. The image below characterizes the abdication of the tsar as the March revolution cultivated violence which forced the tsar to give up his position. The pure chaos in the image exemplifies the civilians desire to make reforms to the government and the fall of a long term government—autocracy. -
Return of Lenin from Exile
Lenin returned from exile on April 3rd, 1917 and began gaining support through speeches and rallies because of his opposition to the Provisional Government. This picture shows Lenin conducting a speech in front of a crowd. This shows how Lenin was a prominent figure and a symbol of political opposition that gained mass support. This also illustrates the beginning of the Bolshevik overtake of the government, Lenin gathered support slowly to achieve his goal on reforming the government. -
April Theses Published
The April Theses was published and presented on April 7th 1917 in the April Conference. The purpose was to call the Soviet to take control of Russia and to promote himself to the Bolsheviks, especially with his phrase “peace, bread, and land”. The picture shows Lenin presenting the theses to the Russian conference. This shows the steps behind Lenin’s undermining of the government, he was calling for Soviet control to form a group of rebels to make a total change to the government. -
First All-Russian Congress of Soviets Meets
This meeting occurred on June 16th 1917, where the members discussed future plans and establishing the Soviet system which would reform the government. The image below shows the members that attended the Soviet conference and there seems to be an abundance of people. This is significant because the Soviets joined in union to plan for the future of Russia—specifically a change in the government. -
July Days
In 1917 from July 3 to 20, the July days were a series of demonstrations by the workers and soldiers in Petrograd against the Provisional Government of Russia. This image displays one of the demonstrations during the uprising outbreak. The July Days were significant for the citizens as the demonstrations temporarily took away Bolshevik influence over the state. -
Kornilov Affair
In 1917 from September 10 to 13, the Kornilov Affair was an attempted military coup against the Russian Provisional government organized by General Lavr Kornilov. The affair ultimately placed an internal threat against the Provisional Government, which weakened the Bolsheviks overall. This image illustrates General Lavr Kornilov, the organizer of this rebellion. -
Bolsheviks Overthrow the Provisional Government and Take Control
In 1917 on November 7, led by Lenin, the Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace, seized control over the provisional government, and claimed power. Also known as the ‘October Revolution’ the soviets took control over the government after suffering from economic inflation and widespread food shortages. The image illustrates a Bolshevik poster that displays the tsar and other members of the government being swept away out of power. -
Cheka Formed
In 1917 on December 7, a group led by Felix Dzerzhinsky to protect the Soviet State from those against it. Also known as the ‘Red Terror’ the group employed fear tactics to reduce rebellions by the citizens from through enforcing the grain requisition act and hunting down those who did not believe in the ideas of the Soviet State. The image below shows the Cheka emblem, which is significant as it is the symbol used to identify those in the governmental agency; a symbol of power. -
Wartime Communism Created
In June 1918 an economic and political policy of Soviet Russia introduced by Lenin and supported by the Bolsheviks. The policy allowed Bolsheviks to hold power over the Russian economy, by eliminating private businesses and economic freedoms of citizens. The image below illustrates a Bolshevik propaganda poster, significant evoked the idea of heroism to Lenin by his implementation of Wartime Communism -
Constituent Assembly Meets and Is Disbanded
In 1918 on January 5 to 6 between 4:00 P.M. to 5:00 A.M., Lenin dissolved the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and made the Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets the governing power of Russia. Consequently, the All-Russian Congress of Soviets was the governing body of Russia until 1936. The image illustrates the Constituent Assembly meeting for the election of the new political system of Russia, which is significant as it shows the many members this decision was composed from. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
In 1918 on March 3, a peace treaty between the Bolshevik power of Russia and the Central powers that ended Russia’s involvement in WWI. Within this treaty, Russia lost a large amount of territory and had to make large financial payments. The image below displays those present in the signing of the treaty, which is significant as it is a call for peace between Russia and the Central Powers (in regards to WWI). -
Red Terror
In 1918 on September 2, a violent political campaign of the Bolshevik group, the Cheka, to suppress citizen rebellion. Lasting until 1922, the Bolsheviks used terror tactics to maintain total power over the citizens/ country, preventing the rise of their enemies. This image illustrates the Cheka mercilessly killing a man in order to uphold their political campaign which is significant as it shows the lengths this group were to go to maintain their power. -
Kolchak Begins Serious Attacks Against Reds from Siberia
In March 1919, Alexander Kolchak led forces towards Moscow from Siberia during a White triple offensive. Kolchak wanted control between the Urals and Volga River, which is located north of Moscow, so the Whites could disrupt Red communication lines and transportation. The pictures displays white soldiers standing before their commanders. -
Ukraine Brought Under Soviet Control
On March 10, 1919 after Ukraine gained independence from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic came into power. The Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic was able to take control with the support of Soviet Russia. The picture of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic resembles USSR flag, which demonstrates the influence Russia had on the nation. -
Poles Move Towards Kiev
After gaining independence, Poland moved towards Kiev during the Kiev Offensive in 1920 in an attempt to gain lost territory back from Ukraine. The goal of the offensive was to form an independent Ukraine, but there was a divide among the Ukrainians regarding who to support. The offensive began on April 24 and successfully reached Kiev on May 7. The picture shows a large number of Polish troops in Kiev, which helps demonstrate the intensity of the offensive. -
Soviets Attempt to Take Warsaw
In 1918 from August 12 to 25, during the Polish-Soviet War, Mikhail Tukhachevsky led the Russian forces into Poland towards Warsaw. Poland and Russia were fighting for control over Ukraine: Poland wanted Ukranian land and Russia wanted Ukraine under Soviet control. The photo displays soldiers holding Soviet flags during the Battle of Warsaw, which lasted for 13 days. -
Tambov Rebellion
The rebellion lasted from August 19, 1920 to June 1921. Peasants in the Tambov region revolted against the terms of War Communism, especially grain requisitioning, that helped cause about 7 million peasant deaths. Eventually the rebellion was suppressed by the Cheka and Red Army with the use of torture, chemical weapons, and force. The picture shows peasants that used their own items as weapons during the rebellion. -
Kronstadt Uprising
In 1921 from March 7 to 17, sailors in Kronstadt protested against the Bolshevik’s governing, including War Communism and their one party government. The Kronstadt Uprising was significant as the sailors were the Bolshevik’s biggest supporters in 1905, but were now labeled ‘traitors’. Like the Tambov Rebellion, the Cheka and Red Army were sent to abolish the uprising, which they succeeded in doing by March. The picture shows some Kronstadt sailors with an anti-Bolshevik flag. -
Ending of Wartime Communism
In 1921 on March 21, because of the social and economic issues it caused, Wartime Communism was replaced with the New Economic Policy. While Wartime Communism was completely communist, the NEP contained capitalistic traits such as private trade. The picture is a copy of a NEP propaganda poster that says “From the Russia of the NEP period there will arise a socialist Russia”. -
Treaty of Rapallo
The Treaty of Rapallo was signed between Russia and Germany on April 16, 1922. Rapallo reversed the territorial and financial terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, boosted security for Russia, developed a line of trade between the two nations, and developed a secret agreement to cooperate in military matters. The picture displays government officials from the two nations meeting to speak about the treaty. The men's welcoming faces and stances display that the treaty was beneficial. -
Formation of Soviet Union:
Red victory in the Russian Civil War enabled the Bolsheviks to carry out the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) or Soviet Union on December 30, 1922. The Soviet Union included territory outside of Russia, yet still had Moscow as their capital. The picture below is a map of the USSR’s territory during its lifetime. -
Lenin Dies
Lenin on January 25, 1924, died due to a major stroke that was caused by complications with gunshot wounds he received in 1918. On August 30, 1918, Lenin was shot twice by a Social Revolutionary in an assassination attempt in Moscow while speaking at a factory. The photo displays the body of Lenin, which has been preserved and kept in Moscow.