-
The Decembrist Revolt (December 26th, 1825)
The Decembrist revolt is also known as the Decembrist uprising. This took place in Imperial Russia by army officers who led three thousand Russian soldiers. The revolt took place in December so the rebels called themselves the Decemberists. This small group of nobles and army officers tried to overthrow the czar’s government. Five leaders were executed and hundreds of others were sent to Siberia. -
Nicholas II becomes Czar of Russia (1894)
Nicholas’s father, Alexander III, was the czar before him. During Nicholas’s coronation, overcrowding lead to a stampede in which people were crushed to death. He also had very little experience of government. -
The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
Because the Russians rejected the Japanese plan to divide Manchuria and Korea into spheres of influence, Japan launched a surprise naval attack against a Russian naval base in China. Japan destroyed the Russian fleet. The Russians underestimated the Japanese which lead to a series of decisive victories for Japan. -
Bloody Sunday (January 22nd, 1905)
Bloody Sunday was a massacre in St. Petersburg, of peaceful demonstrators which led to the violent phase of the Russian Revolution. At the end of the 19th century, industrial workers in Russia had begun to organize police agents, to prevent the Labour Movement from being overwhelmed by revolutionary influences. -
World War I (1914-1917)
World War I was a disaster for Russia. Soldiers were low on supplies and weapons due to lack of transportation and unmodernized industries. Also because of the war food was becoming more and more scarce. Not only were soldiers affected, but the cities and civilians were starving as well. -
The March Revolution (March 8th, 1917)
In March growing, civil unrest, coupled with large food shortages, lead to an open revolt. This forced Nicholas II to abdicate from the throne. -
Nicholas II Abdicates the Throne (March 15th, 1917)
Nicholas was neither trained nor inclined to rule. So he was forced to abdicate the throne by the Petrograd insurgents. These events lead to a provisional government to take his place. -
Creation of the U.S.S.R (December 28th, 1922)
WHen the communists won control, they organized Russia into a union consisting of four republics. They renamed the country, or union, the USSR (Union of Scviet Socialist Republics). The USSR later grew into 15 republics. -
Vladimir Lenin’s Death (January 25th, 1924)
After Lenin died everyone thought that Trotsky, the brilliant leader of the Red Army would become leader. Also because Lenin left a will saying that Stalin was dangerous and should be dismissed. Stalin then took power against Lenin’s will. -
Russian Civil War (October 1917-October 1922)
The civil war between the Bolsheviks (Reds) and the Mensheviks (Whites) tore apart Russia. This war started because the Bolsheviks had many enemies, army officers were angry that Lenin had made peace with Germany, and many other reasons.
