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Czars Resist Change
Russian leader Alexander III used harsh measures to oppress groups and knowledge, such as censorship on letters, books, and wanted to keep tabs on all students and teachers. He put Jews in the center of persecution, and his police and soldiers stood by as Russian citizens looted and destroyed Jewish homes and property. It was the first step in the downfall of the Czars. -
Trans-Siberian Railway and steel production
Russia took steps to finance the buildup of Russian industry in many ways, but one important one is the raising of taxes. These various steps led to heavy industry production in steel; With the help of Britain and France, Russia began work on the worlds longest continuous rail-line (Trans-Siberian Railway) that connected European Russia in the west with Russian ports on the Pacific Ocean in the east. Allowed for trade for goods and opened up new opportunities for travel. -
Citizens petiton for change
200,000 workers and their families marched up to the Czars St. Petersburg palace asking for better working conditions, more freedoms, and an elected national legislature. The Czar then ordered his soldiers to fire on the crowd, a few hundred were killed and over 1,000 were injured which led to Nicholas giving freedom and the Duma (Russia’s first Parliament). After ten weeks the Duma was dissolved because the Czar did not want to give up his power which was a major impact in the Czar downfall. -
World War I
Nicholas II decided to drag Russia into World War I even though Russia was not ready militarily or economically. Russia's weak generals and poorly equipped troops were no match for the German army which mowed down the Russian soldiers by the thousands. Before a year had passed over 4 million Russian soldiers had been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner that showed the weakness of the Czar and Russia as a whole. -
Women spark uprising
Women textile workers in Petrograd led a citywide strike. Riots started over shortages of Food and fuel and Nearly 200,000 workers swarmed the streets. The riot exploded into an uprising (March Revolution) and forced Czar Nicholas to give up his throne and it ended the three century rule (last step in the Czar downfall). -
Bolsheviks
After the Bolsheviks took over, Lenin ordered that the land be equally distributed among the people. Then the Bolshevik government signed a truce with Germany and began peace talks. Russia surrendered a large part of its territory to Germany and its allies which angered many Russians and led to increasing rebellion. -
Bolshevik Crisis
The Bolsheviks now had a problem of getting rid of their opponents at home which still supported the rule of the Czar which then formed the White Army. The White Army was not only the people who wanted the Czar, but also people who wanted a democratic government. The two groups never cooperated other than the fact of getting rid of Lenin and the Bolsheviks; and the US also joined in financially to take out the Red Army which was a impact of stopping communism. -
NEP, Lenin Gov Reconstruction
After Russia's Civil War the economy was destroyed, trade was at a standstill, and there was minimal industrial production, and Lenin decided to drop his way of a state controlled economy and implemented a small scale version of capitalism. This new form of government was called NEP (New Economic Policy) allowed farmers to keep and sell their surplus crops, but the government still held control over major industries, banks, etc. Showed that maybe their was another way then complete control. -
Rise of the soviet union and communist party
Lenin renamed the country USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) after the councils that helped launch the Bolshevik Revolution. The Bolsheviks changed their party to the communist party, derived from Karl Marx that used word communism to describe the classless society. The Communists created a constitution based on socialist and democratic principles which then allowed them to hold all the power over the people and increased opposition because they had just had their land given back. -
Competition for Leader
After Lenin suffered a stroke, leaders started competing up the ladder and the two main competitors were Trotsky and Stalin. Stalin was a cold, hard man and was feared by many for those traits, and even Lenin believed he was a very dangerous man. After Stalin took over and Lenin died, Trotsky was sent into exile which left Josef Stalin in full command of the communist party and was one cause of the next World War.
