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Key Events for Russian Revolution
Dates are approximate, due to the calendar differences. -
Emancipation Edict
Created and passed by the current Tsar, Alexander II, this edict ended serfdom in Russia. However, due to the now unskilled workers not being serfs, this forced them to stay attached to the land they were already working on. This was becuase of their lack of skills/knowledge, and these ex-serfs could find work no where else. Just ended up being a mess. -
Failed Assassination Attempt
This was another one of many failed attempts on the life of Tsar Alexander II. This was a crude bomb that was to explode his dining room, but unfortunately for the people of Russia, he was left only slightly wounded. -
Assassination of Alexander II
The Tsar is successfully assassinated by a member of the group People's Will. This was a radical group of Russian people who were upset at the current situations of Russia, and demanded to see a change. The Tsar is succeeded by his son, Alexander III. Alexander III creates anti-terrorism laws to stop civil rights activities and eliminate freedom of the press. -
Spread of Pogroms
At this time, pogroms were spreading across the Russian empire. Pogroms are organized massacres of a specific group of people, at this time was Jews. These pogroms forced mass emigration of the Jewish population. -
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Famine Across Russia
Famine began to erupt across Russia, killing upwards of 400,000 people, and affecting the entire nation. -
Death of Tsar Alexander III
The Tsar dies of a sudden illness. Note, Alexander III had only been Tsar for 3 years, which was not a lot of time to train his son, Nicholas II, on how to be a Tsar. His son assumed the crown. -
Lenin is Arrested
Vladimir Lenin, soon to be the future leader of the Bolsheviks and of the very revolution, is arrested after enticing workers and peasants to revolt in the ideas of Marx. He is sentenced with solitary confinement for 13 months and then exiled to Siberia for three years. -
Bloody Sunday
There is a peaceful demonstaration against the autocracy and growing issues in Russia. The troops and police are ordered by Tsar Nicholas II to open fire into the crowd outside of the Winter Palace. About 1000 people are injured. The press blame Nicholas II for all of the problems in Russia. -
October Manifesto
Nicholas II issues this manifesto that promised civil liberties, and created the Duma. The Duma was an elected parliament to give the people more say in the government. Given this parliament, severe restrictions are placed on the Russian monarch. Thus began the downfall of autocracy in Russia. -
Father Gapon Takes to Bloody Sunday
Father Gapon was a working class leader during the revolution in 1905. He organized and led violent demonstrations in the name of change. Gapon would eventually be killed by secret police in the years to come. -
First World War Begins in Russia
Germany declares war on Russia. This all happened because Serbia angered Austria-Hungary, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who declare war on them. Russia is allied with Serbia and had promised to protect them from Austrian aggression, so Russia declares war on Austria.Germany is allied with Austria and has to help protect them from Russia, so Germany declares war against Russia, so now Russia is involved in the war. -
Grigorii Rasputin is Murdered
With Nicholas II away at the front lines of war, Rasputin was able to put on a facade of being a 'holy man' and work his way up to the Romanov family. He was able to help Tsarina Alexandra's son with hemophilia. Over time, he was able to control the throne, through his connections to the Tsarina. People took notice, and after several attempts,was able to murder him, and take away his control of Russia. -
International Women's Day Revolt
On this day, demonstrators took to the streets to protest food shortages and the war. The people were not interested in being involved with World War I, they were more interested with getting enough food to eat. The worker strikes would eventually spread across Russia. -
Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II
The Tsar gave in and removed his son from the succession of the throne. All other family members also removed themselves from succession. At this point, autocracy was no longer in Russia. A provisional government was created to serve as a buffer government until a new government can be developed. Thus ends the February Revolution -
Lenin Returns
After spending time in exile, learning how to effectively create his new version of Russia, Lenin returns to Petrograd secretly from Switzerland via Germany and Finland. -
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February/March Revolution
This was a series of public protests that took place all over Russia. Lasted for just under two weeks, and would eventually result in the removal of autocracy for Russia. Total number killed/injured is around 1,300 people. -
Milyukov Note Leaked
This note was a telgram sent to the Allied Powers by the Foreign Minister at the time, stating intention to continue the war. This note is then leaked to the Russian public, resulting in protests against the actions of the provisional government. This protests lead to increased support for the Bolsheviks. -
Bolsheviks Seize Control of Petrograd
In this October Revolution, the Bolsheviks take control of the last remaining holdout for the provisional government, the Winter Palace, under Lenin's direction. The Bolsheviks immediately go to work, creating the Decrees on Land, which redistributed land to peasants, along with abolishing "bourgeois press" destroying freedom of the press. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
This treaty was signed to get Russia out of the war. Lenin believed that in order to recreate Russia with his Marxist ideas, Russia needed to not be fighting in a huge war. This would allow for a moral boost within the people, and give Lenin the support he needs to rework the government. -
Start of the Russian Communist Party
At the 7th Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, the Bolsheviks change the name of their party to the Russian Communist Party. A minor change, however, the communists would go on the change much throughout Russia. -
Execution of Nicholas II and his Family
In order to make sure that no one from the Romanov family could ever take power again, Nicholas II and his family are executed by the Bolsheviks in Yetkaterinburg. -
New Economic Policy
These measures included the return of most agriculture, retail trade, and small-scale light industry to private ownership and management while the state retained control of heavy industry, transport, banking, and foreign trade. The peasantry were allowed to own and cultivate their own land, while paying taxes to the state.The New Economic Policy reintroduced a measure of stability to the economy and allowed the Soviet people to recover from years of war, civil war,and governmental mismanagement. -
Joseph Stalin as a Communist
Joseph Stalin began at a young age working in politics, and over time, would come to work directly under Lenin. He was brought into the communist party as General Secretary of the Party. He would begin to see what would need to be done to take control of the party after Lenin's death. -
Lenin's Death
Lenin dies, and leaves in his last will and testament, a passage stating that Stalin should not be permitted to take control of the party, and that a committee should rule. However, Stalin takes control anyway, and begins to go against much of what Lenin had worked so hard to put together. He ruled with an iron fist, and would rule as dictator into the mid 20th century.