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Decembrist Revolt
-A group of military officials, that were liberals who felt threatened by the new ruler's conservative views, started a revolt against Tsar Nicholas I.
-The rebels wanted a Russian state that was free of government under the tsar. They wanted a constitution and a federal government.
-The military was supposed to swear allegiance to Nicholas, but instead the rebels opened fire, but soon fell to the tsar's powerful military. -
Emancipation of the serfs
-Serfdom was abolished, not because of the cruel lives that the serfs were forced to live, but because of the Crimean War.
-Russia was weak, because its military consisted almost entirely of serfs, so in order for Russia to become stronger, it needed to end serfdom.
-Alexander II created a committee to solve the problem of serfdom, and, when the serfs were free, they had little freedom because they had no land and were still treated brutally. -
Bloody Sunday
-Russian industrial employees had very harsh working conditions and there was little concern for their health and safety. So, with the help of Father George Gapon, they formed the Assembly of Russian Workers.
-Some of the workers were fired from their jobs, and so Gapon wanted to talk to Nicholas II, so he wrote a petition.
-The workers took the petition to the tsar and the police attacked. This signalled the beginning of the Revolutio of 1905. -
Revolution of 1905
-Bloody Sunday marked the start of the 1905 Revolution, which was an uprising of the people of Russia calling for a change in their government.
-After Bloody Sunday, Russia was in turmoil. There were many riots and strikes that broke out. Nicholas left the country to go to America for a peace conference.
-On his return, the tsar issued the October Manifest, which granted basic civil rights and liberties to Russian people. The Duma, a governing body that aided the tsar, was elected. -
Russia enters WWI
-Russia was an ally to Serbia, and when Austria and Serbia went into war, Russia supported Serbia.
-Thw war created a sense of patriotism and loyalty to the tsar. Only the Socialists within the Duma opposed Russian involvement in the war.
-The Russian army lacked effective leadership and modern technology, and so had a lot of casualties. -
Rasputin Murdered
-Rasputin had a powerful influence on the ruling family of Russia, and so Russian nobles wanted him dead.
-A group of Russian nobles put large doses of poison in his wine and food, but when that didn't kill him, they shot him several times.
-The shots still didn't kill Rasputin, so the nobles put him in a bag, beat him, and then tossed him in a river. It was found out later that Rasputin died from drowning. -
March Revolution
-Many citizens lost their jobs and had food shortages. This caused many riots to break out, and more and more people were joining in.
-The government ordered the military to stop the riots, but many of the soldiers did not want to shoot the citizens, so they joined the strikes and the military lost control of the situation.
-Because he had no military backing, Nicholas II, the last Romanov tsar, abdicated the throne, and ended the Romanov dynasty. -
Tsar Nicholas Abdicates
-The tsar first chose to abdicate in honor of Tsarevich Alexei, but quickly changed his mind because of his doctor's advice.
-After the March Revolution, Nicholas had no military backing and so was powerless.
-After his abdication, the tsar desperately wanted to go into exile. -
Bolshevik Revolution
-Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, convinced the Bolshevik party to form a rebellion against the Provisional Government, the government formed after tsar Nicholas abdicated.
-Red Guards, the armed workers, and other revolutionary forces seized major buildings, and, when the signal was sent, they stormed the Winter Palace.
-The Provisional Government fell to the Bolshevik Party and Lenin announced his attempt to construct the socialist order in Russia. -
Murder of the Romanovs
-After his abdication, Nicholas and his family were put under house arrest and, when the civil war developed, were moved to Ekateringburg.
-Many people thought that Nicholas was still the ruler of Russia, and the White corner was fighting to restore Nicholas the throne.
-The Bolsheviks made the decision to kill Nicholas and his family. So, they were taken into the basement of the house where they were staying, and once there, killed by Red Guards. -
The Treaty of Versailles
-The treaty was an agreement between the Allies that took away Germany's land, people, money, and belongings.
-The treaty put the blame of World War I solely on Germany. It took six months from the time of the armistice to the time of the treaty for Germany to accept that blame.
-Russia was not included in the negotiations for the treaty because it had negotiated a separate peace with Germany in which Germany gained a large fraction of Russia's land and resources. -
Lenin Dies/ USSR formed
-After the Bolshevik Revolution, four states were established in what had been the Russian Empire - the Soviet Socialist Republic of Russia, the 'Transcaucasian' SSR, Belorussia and Ukraine. These four republics united to form the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
-Stalin took over the USSR after the death of Vladimir Lenin.
-Lenin died at the age of 53 from a stroke, and bad health conditions. - -
Stalin Takes Power/ Death of Trotsky
-When Lenin died, everyone thought that Trotsky would become leader, but Stalin did instead.
-Stalin told Trotsky the wrong date for Lenin's funeral, and so he missed it, which made him very unpopular with the Russian people.
-Trotsky died on August 21, 1940 at the age of 60 from severe brain damage.
