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The Russo-Japanese War
Russia and Japan were competing for control of Korea and Manchuria. The two nations had signed an agreement over the territories but Russia broke it. The Russians lost in the battles for the land which led to a revolt back home. -
Bloody Sunday
Russian workers attempted to petition Czar Nicholas ll for better working conditions, freedoms, and a representative government. The czar's troops fire on the petitioners and kill several hundred. This event demonstrated the socioeconomic problems suffered by average Russians and the unwillingness of the monarchy to reform. -
World War l
Nicholas ll made the decision to drag Russia into World War l. Russia was not ready to handle the military and economic costs that came with entering the war. The were not equipped to to fight the much stronger German army. The 4 million lives lost revealed the weakness of their military. -
The March Revolution
Women textile workers led a citywide strike. Riots flared up over shortages on bread and fuels. Nearly 200,000 workers filled the streets for a five day riot. At first soldiers obeyed the orders to shoot the rioters, but it didn't take long for the soldiers to join them. -
Bolsheviks in Power
Without warning, armed factory workers calling themselves the Bolshevik Red Guards took over government offices and arrested the leaders of the provisional government. The Bolshevik government signed a truce with Germany, gave control of factories to the works and equally distributed the farmland to peasants. -
The Czar Steps Down
What started as a small protesting led to a large uprising. It forced Czar Nicholas ll to step done from the throne. A year later Nicholas was executed along with the rest of his family. Although the March Revolution was successful in ending the czarist three-century rule, it failed to set up a strong government -
The Treaty of Brest-Livosk
In March of 1918, Russian and Germany signed this treaty surrendering a large portion of Russian territory over to Germany and its allies. This humiliating loss triggered anger throughout all of Russia. They were against the Bolsheviks and their policies. -
Civil War Rages in Russia
Opponents of the Bolsheviks formed the White Army.The groups barely cooperated with each other, but they all opposed Lenin's styles of socialism. At one point there were three White Armies fighting against the Red Army. Several Western nations including the United States sent military aid and forces to assist the White Army. -
Political Reforms
Nationalism was seen as a threat to unity and party loyalty. To keep nationalism in check, Lenin had Russia split up into self governing republics under the central government. In 1924, the Bolsheviks part was named the Communist Party. It gave an impression of a constitution based on socialist and democratic principles but in reality they had all the power. -
Stalin Becomes Dictator
After Lenin suffered a stroke in 1921, competition sparked for heading up the Communist Party. Stalin began is way to become head of the government. Lenin believed the Stalin was a very dangerous man. By 1928, Stalin was in command of the Communist Party. Stalin forced Trotsky into exile and now had absolute power as a dictator.
