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World War I Begins
World War I VideoWorld War I was a bloody war, that engulfed Europe from 1914 to 1919. There were many lives lost and little ground or land won. World War I saw an estimated 10 million military deaths and around 20 million wounded. Many people hoped WWI would be the war to end all wars -
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Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution -
Czar Nicholas II assumes supreme command of the Russian Army
Czar Nicholas II Czar Nicholas II was the last czar (a title used to designate supreme rulers or certain European Slavic monarchs) of Russia. He ascended the throne after the death of his father in 1894. Nicholas II was thought to be a naive and incompetent leader, as he was unprepared for his role. He ruled from 1894 to 1917. -
The February Revolution begins
February Revolution(Also known as the March Revolution if following the Gregorian Calendar)
The February Revolution was the first of the two revolutions in Russia. The revolution lasted less than a week, and involved mass demonstrations and armed clashes with police and gendarmes (military charged with police duties). The revolution appeared to break out spontaneously, without any real leadership or planning. The immediate result of the revolution was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dyn -
Nicholas' brother, Mikhail announced his refusal to accept the throne. Provisional Government formed
MikhailMikhail was the youngest son of Emperor Alexander III of Russia. He was fourth-in-line to the throne following his father and elder brothers. When Nicholas abdicated on 15 March 1917, Michael was named as his successor instead of Alexei (Nicholas’ son). Michael, however, did not accept the throne until ratification by an elected assembly. He was never confirmed as Emperor, and after the Russian Revolution of 1917, he was imprisoned and murdered. -
Vladimir Lenin returns from exile
Lenin VladimirVladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He held a stash of illegal revolutionary literature, and traveled to various cities, aware that he was being monitored by the police, and distributed literature to striking workers in St. Petersburg. He was refused legal representation, so denied all charges. He was then sentenced without trial to 3 years exile in eastern Siberia. -
The July Days begin. Lenin is forced into hiding
The July DaysThe Provisional Government is an emergency government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The July Days took place in Petrograd between July 16-20 (Gregorian calendar), when soldiers and industrial workers in the city rioted against the Provisional Government. After the rising was put down, the Bolsheviks were blamed for it, and their leader Vladimir Lenin went into hiding, while other leaders were arrested. -
Alexander Kerensky becomes Prime Minister of the Provisional Government
KerenskyAlexander Kerensky was a major political leader before and during the Russian Revolutions of 1917. Kerensky belonged to the Socialist Revolutionaries, the Petrograd Soviet and was a member of the Duma. In July 1917 he became the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government. He was also voted in as the deputy chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, therefore developed a positive relationship with the working class of St Petersburg. -
The Kornilov Affair
The Kornilov AffairThe Kornilov Affair happened in August 1917, when the new commander-in-chief of the army, Lavr Kornilov, began to march his army on Petrograd. Kerensky then panicked, realising that Kornilov probably wanted to oust the Provisional Government and replace them with a military dictatorship, he then asked the socialist dominated Petrograd Soviet (a powerful body that co-ruled Russia) to try to stop him. In the end, the attempted coup didn’t work and the ramifications were enormous. -
The October Revolution
October Revolution(Also called the November Reovlution) On October 10(Julian Calendar), a secret meeting of the Bolshevik party leaders was held. Lenin used all his powers of persuasion to convince the others that it was time for an armed revolt. Having debated through the night, a vote was taken the following morning - it was ten to two in favor of a revolution. So a second Russian Revolution took place, and placed the Bolsheviks as the leaders of Russia, resulting in the creation of the world's first communist -
The Winter Palace is taken by the Bolsheviks
The Winter PalaceThe Winter Palace was the official residence of the Russian monarchs. The Council of People’s Commissars, was a government formed after the October Revolution. It evolved to become the highest governmental authority of executive power which was controlled by the Bolsheviks (under Lenin). -
The new Bolshevik government converts Russia from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar turning February 1 into February 14
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The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-LitovskThe Treaty of Brest-Litovsk brought the end of the war between Germany was signed and it took Russia out of the World War I. Lenin had ordered the Bolshevik representatives to get a quick treaty from the Germans in order to end the war so that the Bolsheviks could concentrate on the work they needed to do in Russia itself. -
Russian civil war begins
Russian Civil WarThe Russian Civil War tore apart Russia for three years. It occurred because after November 1917, many groups were formed that didn’t fully agree with Lenin’s Bolsheviks’. They were known as the Whites, and the Bolsheviks’ were known as the Reds. -
Czar Nicholas II and his family are executed
VideoThe mounting pressures of World War I and years and years of injustice finally came and paid its price. Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and was replaced by a Provisional Government that was committed to continuing the war. Throughout this, the Tsar and his family were kept as prisoners. During the early morning hours of July 17 the Tsar, his wife, children and servants were herded into the cellar of their prison house and executed. -
An assassination attempt leaves Lenin seriously wounded
Assassination Attempt VideoAn assassination attempt leaves Lenin seriously wounded
Lenin survived two assassination attempts. The second one took place on August 30, when Fanya Kaplan approached Lenin at his automobile after a speech. Kaplan called to Lenin, and when he turned around to face her, she shot at him three times. The first bullet struck his arm, the second struck his neck and jaw and the third missed him but hit the woman behind him whom he was speaking to. He lived to call this a failed assassination, but i -
Russian civil war ends
Russian Civil WarThe Russian Civil War as mentioned before was between the Bolsheviks’ opposers known as the Whites, and the Bolsheviks’ known as the Reds. -
Joseph Stalin is appointed General Secretary
Joseph StalinStalin was appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Lenin considered Stalin a loyal ally, and when he was caught in the middle of squabbles with other politicians, Lenin decided to give him more power. -
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) established
USSRThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally communist state that existed between 1922 and 1991. The Soviet Union had its roots in the Russian Revolution of 1917. -
Lenin dies; Stalin will become his successor
Joseph StalinWhen Lenin died of a heart attack in 1924, a power struggle began involving seven Politburo members. Stalin pushed for more rapid industrialization and central control of the economy, and eventually ended the purges in 1938.
