-
The Start Of The Russian Revolution (1917)
It began during the First World War, with the February Revolution that was focused in and around the then-capital, Petrograd. The revolution erupted in the context of Russia's major military losses during the war, which resulted with the Russian Army being ready to mutiny. In the chaos, members of the Duma, Russia's parliament, assumed control of the country, forming the Russian Provisional Government. This was dominated by the interests of large capitalists and the Russian nobility/aristrocacy. -
Period: to
The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution took place in 1917 when the peasants and working class people of Russia revolted against the government of Tsar Nicholas II. They were led by Vladimir Lenin and a group of revolutionaries called the Bolsheviks. The new communist government created the country of the Soviet Union. The economy, widespread inflation and food shortages in Russia contributed to this revolution. -
February Revolution
On March 8, 1917, Russia's February Revolution (so named because of the Julian calendar that Russians still used at the time) began with rioting and strikes in St. Petersburg (Petrograd).
When the strikes and riots began, they did not appear to pose a threat to the Russian monarchy headed by Czar Nicholas II. Which later on changed, from not being something important to one of the main objectives of this revolution. -
Dual power (March, 1917)
A period of dual power ensued, during which the Provisional Government held state power while the national network of Soviets, led by socialists, had the allegiance of the lower classes and, increasingly, the left-leaning urban middle class. -
October Revolution (7–8 November 1917)
With the October Revolution in 1917, a Bolshevik-led armed insurrection by workers and soldiers in Petrograd successfully overthrew the Provisional Government, transferring all its authority to the Soviets. They relocated the national capital to Moscow. The Bolsheviks secured a strong base of support within the Soviets and, as the supreme governing party, established a federal government dedicated to practice soviet democracy on a national and international scale. -
Dual power (November, 1917)
After Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne, the resulting February Revolution led to the establishment of the Provisional Government and its counterpart, the Petrograd Soviet. With the Russian government moving from an autocracy to this system of "dual power" with the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet constantly vying for power, there was much confusion on how both could coexist and govern effectively. -
The Russian Civil War (The start)
It broke out in 1918 shortly after the October Revolution, resulted in the deaths and suffering of millions of people regardless of their political orientation. The war was fought mainly between the Red Army ("Reds"), consisting of the uprising majority led by the Bolshevik minority, and the Whites: army officers, cossacks, the bourgeoisie and political groups ranging from the far Right, to the Socialist Revolutionaries who opposed the drastic restructuring. -
The execution of the Romanovs
On July 16, 1918, the Romanovs were executed by the Bolsheviks. -
The Russian Civil War (The end)
Many pro-independence movements emerged after the break-up of the Russian Empire and fought in the war. Several parts of the former Russian Empire—Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland—were established as sovereign states, with their own civil wars and wars of independence. The rest of the former Russian Empire was consolidated into the Soviet Union shortly afterwards.
This war ended with the "Whites" being defeated -
The End Of The Revolution (1923)
The Russian Civil War ended in 1923 with Lenin's Red Army claiming victory and establishing the Soviet Union.