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Reign of Czar Alexander III (1881 - 1894)
He had halted all reforms when he succeeded his father and was appointed as the Czar. He stuck to autocratic principles. He used harsh measures to wipe out revolutionaries along with censorship of the press. All school teachers had to send detailed reports of each student. Political prisoners were sent to Siberia. Oppressed minority groups to solidify uniformity within Russia. He had made Russian the official language and did not allow any others. He heavily persecuted Jews with harsh measures. -
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Reign of Czar Nicholas II
Nicholas had succeeded Alexander as Czar and continued the practice of autocracy. The economy had started to industrialize during Nicholas' reign and this resulted in poor wages along with long hours of difficult labor. Many did not like this and started to point the blame to Nicholas. He was not popular among the subjects of his nation. He had taken part in many Wars which had made Russia seem weak. He also had to take blame for failure in World War I. -
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Russo-Japanese War
Took place in the late 1800s when Japan and Russia went to war for control over Korea and Manchuria. Russia broke agreements which were made between the two nations. Russia faced repeated losses and this news spread to the public. This resulted in unrest and revolt during the war. Proof of weakness for the Russians. Russia claimed to have been on the same levels as major European powers and this was an embarrassment. Added to Nicholas poor reputation. -
Bloody Sunday
200,000 workers along with their families went to the czar's Winter Palace in St. Petersburg seeking more freedom, better working conditions, and an elected national legislature. They try to protest in peace and over 3000 were hurt and 100 were killed. Sparked riots and strikes throughout the country. -
Establishment of the Duma
This is the elected legislature which forces the Czar to share power among others. He did this because the public was mad and he needed to please them. The Bloody Sunday along with the Russo-Japanese War caused the establishment. -
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Russia Participation in WWI
Russia mobilized and then had to pull out of the war early. Czar Nicholas went to the front of the battle and strategized during the war. At this time, Czarina Alexandra had control over the government. Since Russia did poorly in the war, the Czar was blamed very harshly. The czar stayed in the war too long and did not know when to exit. This tainted his legacy even further. Rasputin also got very close to power around this time. -
Death of Rasputin
Rasputin had gotten very close to power because he was considered a "holy man." He was described as strange and did not follow many religious rules. He had a say in many different government choices and got very close to the royal family during World War I. He was executed because he was deemed as dangerous and inadequate for his position. His death was cause for much lore even to this day. It took many attempts just to kill him. -
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Bolshevik Revolution
The Bolsheviks had started the revolution by taking over the Provisional Government.The Bolsheviks joined the Red Army in an attempt to revolt against the White Army non-Bolsheviks. This resulted in a civil war between the two parties. Red Army was socialist whereas the White Army was conservative. -
Abdication of Czar Nicholas II / Establishment of Provisional Government
Nicholas was not popular among his nation and made many blunders throughout his time as czar. He had already created the Duma as a way to please the nation. He abdicated because of the hatred he was receiving and a provisional government was established. This was a temporary government. -
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Russian Civil War
Between the Red Army and White Army and caused a great Civil War which ended up destroying Russia. The Red Army ended up winning. Red Army consisted of the Bolsheviks along with Lenin. The White Army consisted of essentially everyone against Lenin. This even included socialists who weren't as radical as the Bolsheviks. 14 million deaths occurred from this Civil War. This was the completion of the Bolshevik Revolution. They now had full control over Russia but it left it in shambles. -
Stalin's Rise to Power
Stalin started his climb to power at around 1922. In this year, he had become a general secretary of the Communist Party. Lenin believed that Stalin was too dangerous for the position and stated this around his death. In 1928, he had full control over the party and now was the dictator of the USSR. -
Establishment of USSR
Many Bolshevik leaders believed that nationalism was a threat to the society. They split Russia up into many self-governing republics. This is why they called it the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Bolsheviks renamed themselves the Communist Party. -
Lenin's Death
Lenin's death created a large race for who would become the next leader of the Bolsheviks. He believed that Stalin was a dangerous man and it would be better if Trotsky was elected. -
Leon Trotsky's Exile
Once Lenin was unable to rule the party properly, Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin were the two people most likely to take his position. Lenin preferred Trotsky but Stalin ended up beating him out. Stalin feared that Trotsky would cause trouble among the nation and he was exiled to Mexico. Once there, people with Russian ties to Stalin ended up killing Trotsky to eradicate the risk of him living.
