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Period: to
The Russian Revolution(1880-1930)
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Reign of Czar Alexander III(1881-1894)
-succeeded his father, Alexander II
-halted all reforms in Russia
-created an autocracy
-imposed strict censorship codes and established an uniform culture.
-targeted the Jewish people while promoting the nobility
*The Czars started to lose the trust and support of the Russian people because of their cruel and oppressive rule in which they held total power. -
Reign of Czar Nicholas II(1894-1917)
-continued tradition of Russian autocracy.
-Rapid industrialization changed the face of the economy during this period.
-several revolutionary movements began to grow and compete for power.
*The rise of revolutionaries showed the czar's weakness, paving the way for revolution. The Russians revolt against him. -
Russo-Japanese War(1904-1905)
-Russia and Japan competed for control of Korea and Manchuria.
-Japan was much more industrialized.
-Russia broke treaties and Japan retaliated by attacking the Russians at Port Arthur, Manchuria, winning the war.
*News of repeated losses on the side of the Russians sparked unrest at home and led to a revolt in the midst of war(proof of weakness and added to Czar Nicholas' negative reputation) -
Establishment of the Duma
-Russia's first parliament
-Approved by Czar Nicholas due to the consequences of Bloody Sunday and the Russo-Japanese war.
-Led by moderates who wanted Russia to become a constitutional monarchy.
*This was the first step towards the freedom of the Russian people in the matters of their own government. However, because the Czar was hesitant to share his power, he later dissolved the Duma. -
Bloody Sunday
-Workers and their families approached the Czar's Winter Palace carrying a petition asking for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature.
-Czar Nicholas ordered his soldiers to fire on the crowd, wounding and killing many.
*Bloody Sunday provoked a wave of strikes and violence that spread across the country. -
Russia's participation in WWI(1914-1917)
-Czar Nicholas dragged Russia into the war even though they were unprepared to face the economic consequences.
-Russia had a weak army compared to Germany.
-Russians faced several defeats and by the end, more than 4 million were dead.
*Revealed the weakness of czarist rule and military leadership. -
Death of Rasputin
-Uneducated, peasant
-Considered a "holy man" (exorcist and psychic)
-He healed Czar Alexander and Czarina Alexandra's only son from hemophilia(he gained favor in Czarina's eyes)
-The Russian people started to believe that Rasputin was beginning to take control of the government.
-The nobility eventually assassinated him.
*Shows the great lengths Russians will go to in order to prevent a person from having a role in government affairs. Even the nobles turned on the royal family. -
Abdication of Czar Nicholas II/est. of Provisional Government
-The March Revolution forced Czar Nicholas to step down.
-A year later, he was executed along with his family.
-Leaders of the Duma established a provisional government, or temporary government.
-This government was unpopular because they wanted to keep fighting in the war.
*This led to the rise of Soviets or local councils consisting of workers, peasants, and soldiers. These groups started to have more influence than the provisional government. -
Bolshevik Revolution
-Factory workers stormed the Winter Palace calling themselves Bolshevik Red Guards.
-They took over government offices and arrested the leaders of the provisional government.
-After the Bolsheviks seized power, Lenin ordered that all farmland be distributed among the peasants.
-Russians started to object the Bolsheviks due to the humiliating terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
*Set into motion political and social changes that would lead to the formation of the Soviet Union. -
Civil War(1918-1920)
-The opponents of the Bolsheviks formed the White Army.
-This group either supported the return to rule by the Czar or wanted a democratic government.
-Western nations sent help to the White Army but that did not help.
-In the end, the Red Army led by Trotsky won.
-14 million Russians died and a flu epidemic spread.
*Showed that the Bolsheviks were able both to seize power and to maintain it. This would later lead to the establishment of the USSR and the Communist Party. -
Establishment of the USSR
-Lenin organized Russia into self-governing republics to prevent the rise of nationalism.
-The country was named USSR in honor of the councils who helped launch the Bolshevik Revolution.
-The Bolsheviks renamed their party the "communist party" after Karl Marx(they held all the power).
*Although the government created a constitution based on socialist and democratic principles, in reality all power was in the hands of the Communist Party.This would result in a dictatorship of the Communists. -
Stalin's rise to power(1922-1928)
-His fabricated name means "man of steel" in Russian.
-In 1922, as general secretary of the communist party, Stalin worked behind the scenes to bring himself into power.
-After the death of Lenin, Stalin was in total control(1928).
*Stalin completely transformed the government after Lenin's death and wielded all power to himself. This would eventually lead to a totalitarian government. -
Lenin's Death
-Lenin suffered a stroke in 1922 but survived it.
-Shortly after in 1924, he died.
-The incident set in motion competition for heading up the Communist Party.
-Lenin believed that Stalin was dangerous.
*His death paved the way for Joseph Stalin to begin consolidating power to himself. -
Leon Trotsky's exile
-Revolutionary leader who commanded the Bolshevik army during the Civil War.
-He was forced to exile by Stalin because he was seen as a threat to his power.
*Stalin now stood poised to wield absolute power as a dictator. He faced no obstacles in his way. No one could stop or oppose him.
