-
Russian Industrialization
The number of factories more than doubled between 1863 and 1900. Russia sought foreign investors and raised taxes to catch up with the industrial nations of Western Europe. Industrialization helped fuel the revolution because of its quick growth causing unfair working conditions and wages. -
The Marxists split
The Marxists believed that the industrial class of workers would overthrow the czar. They split into two new groups; the moderate Mensheviks and radical Bolsheviks. The formation of the Bolsheviks and their new leader Lenin would later gain control of many factories. -
Bloody Sunday
About 200,000 workers and their families approached the czar's palace petitioning for better working conditions and wages. Nicholas II's generals ordered open fire on the workers. More then 1,000 were wounded and several hundred killed. This event set a wave of strikes across the country. -
Russia enters World War 1
Nicholas II made the decision to bring Russia into World War 1. Russia was unprepared and after just one year more than 4 million Russian soldiers had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner. This war revealed the Czar's weakness, and left people at home wanting change and an end to this bloody war. -
March Revolution
Women textile workers in Petrograd led a citywide strike. This 5 day strike came about because of the shortages of bread and fuel. Almost 200,000 workers protested on the streets, and later soldiers sided with them. This forced Czar Nicholas to abdicate his throne, and he was executed. -
The Bolshevik Revolution
Lenin and the Bolsheviks soon gained control of the Petrograd soviet. Lenin's slogan of "Peace, Land and Bread" was very appealing to workers widespread. Lenin ordered all farm land to be evenly distributed among peasants. This created tension between parties in Russia. -
Lenin returns to Russia
Germans believed that Lenin and his Bolsheviks would stir up Russia and hurt Russian war effort against Germany. Lenin's return to Russia after many years of exile. -
Russian Civil War
The White Army was made up of many groups all who wanted Lenin and the Bolsheviks out of power. The Red and White Armies fought for two years, killing around 14 million Russians. In the end the Red army defeated the White Army, this showed that the Bolsheviks were able to seize power and keep it. -
The Bolsheviks renamed their party the Communist Party
Communist Party came from the word communism that Karl Marx used to describe the classless society. Lenin had established a dictatorship of the Communist Party. -
Stalin becomes leader
After Lenin suffered a stroke he decided that when he died he would had down his rule to Stalin. Stalin was cold, hard and impersonal. After Lenin died in 1924 Stalin had all the power as dictator of Russia.
