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Period: to
The Russian Revolution
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Reign of Czar Alexander III(1881 - 1894)
Brief Description:
-Clung to principles of autocracy(he had total power
-imposed strict censorship codes on published materials and written documents, including private letters.
-He had secret police carefully watch everywhere
-Made Russian the official language of the empire and forbade such as Polish and other languages
-Started a wave of pogroms to prosecute Jews. Significance: People are not happy with the rule of the Czar so he started the whole problem. -
Reign of Czar Nicholas II(1894 - 1917)
Brief Description:
-Continued tradition of Russian autocracy
-In the 1890s his minister advised him to start Russian industrialization. By 1900, only the US, Germany and GB had more steel
-With British and French investors, he built the Trans-Siberian Railway
-He began the Russo-Japanese War
-He approved the creation of Russia first parliament(Duma) Significance: His general's actions led to the Russians being unhappy, ultimately leading to the Bolshevik Revolution. -
Russo-Japanese War(1904 - 1905)
Brief Description:
-Russia and Japan competed for control of Korea and Manchuria, they signed a treaty between each other but Russia broke it
-Japan retaliated by attacking the Russians at Port Arthur, Manchuria, in February 1904
-Lots of Russian people died that day Significance: The Russian people were angry that Russia broke the treaty and led to a revolt in the midst of the war. Adds to Czar Nicholas's negative reputation. -
Bloody Sunday(1905)
Brief Description:
-On January 22, 1905, workers and their families approached the czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.
-They wanted better working conditions and more personal freedom
-Nicholas's general's fired into the crowd and more than 1,000 were wounded, several hundred were killed
-Provoked strikes and violence that spread across the country Significance:
He did not help the working class by giving them better working conditions and more freedom and his generals firing did not help -
Establishment of the Duma(1905 - 1906)
Description:
-Russia's first parliament
-First met in May 1906
-Its leaders were moderates who wanted Russia to become a constitutional monarchy similar to Britain
-Czar Nicholas was hesitant to share his power, the czar dissolved the Duma after ten weeks Significance:
Czar Nicholas II was not willing to share power so he got rid of the rights and more freedom that he gave before so the Russian people were angry. -
Russia's Participation in WWI(1914-1917)
Description:
-Russia was unprepared to handle the military and
economic costs.
-Its weak generals and poorly equipped troops were no match for the German army. German machine guns mowed down advancing Russians by the thousands
-Defeat followed defeat. Before a year had passed, more than 4 million
-Russian soldiers had been killed, wounded, or taken a prisoner Significance:
This was the final action which caused the revolution. This was the "final blow" and finished the Czar's reputation -
Death of Rasputin
Description:
-Czarina fell under the influence of the mysterious Rasputin. A self-described “holy man,” he claimed to have magical healing powers.
-Alexis suffered from hemophilia, Rasputin seemed to ease the boy’s symptoms.
-To show her gratitude, Alexandra allowed Rasputin to make key political decisions.
-In 1916, a group of nobles murdered Rasputin. They feared his increasing role in government affairs. Significance:
Rasputin further made the people's view of the czar and government worse -
Bolshevik Revolution(1917 -1920)
Brief Description:
-Lenin ordered that all farmland be distributed among
the peasants.
-In March 1918, Russia and Germany signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russia surrendered a large part of its territory to
Germany and its allies.
-The humiliating terms of this treaty triggered widespread anger among many Russians Significance:
Along with the Civil War, Bolsheviks gain control of Russia and they can conduct socialist activities throughout Russia. This leads to the Soviet Union. -
Abdication of Czar Nicholas II/ Est. of Provisional Government
Brief Description:
-Czar is forced to step down because of the Russians
-Leaders of the Duma established a provisional government.
-They continued to fight in World War I cost him the support of both soldiers and civilians.
-Angry peasants demanded land. City workers grew more radical. Significance:
This created an unstable government and Russia is ready for a revolution. -
Civil War(1918 - 1920)
-The Bolsheviks now faced a new challenge stamping out their enemies at home. Their opponents formed the White Army.
-The White Army was made up of very different groups. There were those groups who supported the return to rule by the czar, others who wanted a democratic government, and even socialists who opposed Lenin’s style of socialism
-Only the desire to defeat the Bolsheviks united the White Army Significance:
Bolsheviks winning, allows them to expand and take control of Russia(USSR) -
Stalin's Rise to Power
Brief Description:
-Stalin began his ruthless climb to the head of the government between 1922 and 1927.
-In 1922, as general secretary of the Communist Party, he worked behind the scenes to move his supporters into positions of power
-Lenin believed that Stalin was a dangerous man Significance:
A strong and cold-hearted person known as Stalin (man of steel) is in control of the vast USSR. -
Establishment of USSR(1922 - 1991)
Brief Description:
-To keep nationalism in check, Lenin organized Russia into several self-governing republics under the central government.
-In 1922, the country was named the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), in honor of the councils that helped launch the Bolshevik Revolution.
-The Bolsheviks renamed their party the Communist Party Significance:
The Bolsheviks have changed their party name and made people loyal to the government to keep out nationalism. -
Lenin's Death
Brief Description:
-Incident set in motion competition for heading up the Communist Party. Two of the most notable men were Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin.
-Stalin was cold, hard, and impersonal. During his early days as a Bolshevik, he changed his name to Stalin, which means “man of
steel” in Russian. Significance:
This event caused competition for the control of the Soviet Union. -
Leon Trotsky's Exile
Brief Description:
-Stalin and Trotsky compete to rule USSR. Stalin becomes the leader
-Trotsky, forced into exile in 1929, was no longer a threat
-Stalin now stood poised to wield absolute power as a dictator Significance:
Leon Trotsky is exiled and now the USSR is in control by Joseph Stalin, who won the competition for ruling USSR.
