-
Period: to
Pyotr Chaadaev (1794 - 1856)
A famous, influential Westernizer whose most influential work is “Philosophical Letters”. He criticized the Orthodox church and called for its ending. -
Period: to
Alexei Khomiakov (1804 – 1860)
A theologian and philosopher who believed that everything the west was doing was wrong. He believed that both socialism and capitalism were both bad systems that Russia should not turn to -
Decembrist Revolt at the coronation of Tsar Nicholas I
At the coronation of Tsar Nicholas I, Intelligentsia members of the military refuse to swear allegiance to the new Tsar. They instead demand limits on the power of the Tsar and freedom for the serfs. Around 500 noble officers and 3,000 soldiers participate and a standoff against 9,000 loyal troops ensues ending in victory for Tsar Nicholas I. Those who refused to swear allegiance were banished to Siberia or killed. -
The Intelligentsia splits into two seperate groups
the Intelligentsia splits into the slavophiles and the westernizers. between 1839 and 1842, the two groups elaborate on their differing doctrines. Over time, the divide between the two groups grows. -
Period: to
Viscious ideological disputes occur between the Westernizers and Slavophiles
these disputes on philosophy further deepen the growing divide between the two groups. -
Westernizers and Slavophiles reach a point of no return
By early 1845, the two groups refuse to discuss further or associate with one another. They turn to newspapers to respond to one another's attacks and arguments. -
Karl Marx's manifesto is published
-
The emancipation of the serfs is decided
Despite 52 million serfs being set free in theory, in reality almost everyone ends up being unhappy with the emancipation. Serfs do not have the means to pay the government for land and the land they could have for free would be small and the soil was essentially unusable. Members of the intelligentsia turn to nihilism as a result of this essentially failed effort to free the serfs. -
Period: to
Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918)
Son of Tsar Alexander III, Tsar Nicolas reigned for 22 years. He marked the end of monarchical rule in Russia following his abdication and subsequent death. He was regarded as being ill-prepared for the throne and delusional to the socio-political landscape of the country/ empire. He ruled for just under 21 years. -
Period: to
Vladimir Lenin (1870 - 1924)
Born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, Vladimir Lenin was the face of the Bolshevik party though the party claimed to have no leader. Lenin used brutal tactics to beat his enemies, bullied other party members into submission, and lead the party up until he began to suffer strokes near the end of his life. -
Period: to
Joseph Stalin (1878 - 1953)
Born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili, Joseph Stalin began with humble origins. The formidable Georgian politician man gained much power throughout his political career. As a member of the Bolshevik party, Stalin was in Lenin's close circle though the two did have disputes especially near the end of Lenin's life. Stalin consolidated power by using vicious, Leninistic tactics against his competition. -
Period: to
Trotsky
Born Lev Davidovich Bronstein, Trotsky was a key figure in Soviet Russia. Originally a Menshevik until 1917, he rose quickly in the Bolshevik party and was the commander of the Red Army, a favorite of Lenin, and a Marxist theoretician. He faced off politically with Stalin following the death of Lenin as Stalin wanted to consolidate power and rid himself of competition (like Trotsky) He was murdered in Mexico by NKVD agent Ramón Mercader. Mercader used an axe. -
The Okhrana is formed
The Okhrana (aka security police) were given the abilities to search, question, detain, and exile those found likely to/ suspected of committing a crime -
Tsar Alexander II is assassinated
Tsar Alexander II, father to Tsar Alexander III and grandfather to Tsar Nicholas II, was assassinated by the People's Will in Saint Petersburg, Russia while returning to the Winter Palace from elsewhere in the city. -
Tsar Alexander III passes away
Tsar Alexander III passes away from Kidney disease at the Livadia Palace in Livadiya, Crimea. He was 49 years old. -
Nicholas II marries Alix of Hess
Following the wedding, Princess Alix of Hess changes her name to Alexandra and becomes Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. Nicholas -
The coronation of Nicholas II.
Following the death of his father Tsar Alexander III, Nicholas II finds himself ill-prepared to take the throne as his father had not properly trained him as he assumed he would live a very long life. Nonetheless, Nicholas II is coronated in the Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. -
Father Gapon forms workers unions
Also known as "clubs", Father Gapon's workers unions began as loyalist but transitioned to an independent labor union called the Assembly of Russian Factory and Mill Workers. His unions were radicalized from below. They wanted a progressive income tax, a govt responsible to the people, 8 hour work days, and trade union rights. Even Gapon didn’t know how this would be made possible and knew nothing about political theory -
Russian Socialist Movement splits
In 1898, Russian Marxists organized the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party. In 1903, they split into the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks. The Mensheviks were more moderate and believed that a revolution was inevitable so there was no need to instigate it. The Bolsheviks, lead by Lenin, on the other hand, were more radical and believed that a revolution should be instigated. -
Period: to
Russo Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was widely unpopular. The defeats in battle by the Japanese further added to anti-monarchical and anti-patriotic sentiments among the people. -
Bloody Sunday
In St Petersburg, Russia, unarmed demonstrators led by Father Gapon were fired on and killed by soldiers as they marched in the streets towards the Winter Palace to present a petition to Tsar Nicholas II. Some people were shot and many more were killed by being trampled to death by those that ran. -
The mutiny of Battleship Potemkin
Following the deplorable conditions of the food on board the ship and a decrease in rations, sailors harboring revolutionary sympathies decided to revolt. The captain was killed and officers were shut in. The sailors raised a red flag and sailed to Odessa where revolutionary riots and revolts where playing out. The revolutionaries on board the Potemkin were denied amnesty by Odessa officials and after a while at sea, they surrendered in Crimea. Those involved were executed or exiled to Siberia. -
Tsar Nicholas II signs the October Manifesto
The October Manifesto expands the rights of the people and establishes the Duma -
The First Duma begins
Following Tsar Nicholas II's reluctant signing of the October Manifesto, the first Duma is established. All men were allowed to vote and no laws could be passed without the Duma's approval. The first Duma tried to pass the most liberal legislature of all the Dumas. boycotted by the Bolsheviks but Constitutional Democrats (Kadets) receive the most votes, followed by the Socialist Revolutionaries. The first Duma only lasts 72 days as the Tsar decides to dissolve it. -
The First Duma is dissolved
Tsar Nicholas II did not approve of the legislature the Duma was trying to push through as he deemed it too radical. He dissolved the Duma in hopes that the second one would be more moderate. -
Period: to
Agrarian Reform
workers lose the peasantry’s zeal for rebellion -
The Second Duma begins
Some extreme leftist parties such as the SRs and Mensheviks are elected into the second Duma much to the dislike of the Tsar and loyalists. Despite their leftist nature, the second Duma passes a law restricting non-Russian nationalities ability to vote. -
The Second Duma is dissolved
The election/ presence of the SRs and Mensheviks displeased Nicholas II. The elected members are more radical than the first Duma. This makes the tensions between the Tsarist government and the Duma rise and leads to the second Duma being dissolved. -
The Third Duma begins
Following the legislature passed in the previous Duma, many non-Russians are not allowed to vote for the third Duma. This leads to a majority of centrist and right party members being elected and holding power in the third Duma. The Kadets, SRs, and Non-Russians combined only held 1/4 of the total seats. This lead to the third Duma being more loyalist, moderate, and passive towards the monarchy. -
Pyotr Stolypin is assassinated
Stolypin is assassinated at an opera in Kiev while attending with the Tsar and his family. Stolypin had already resigned from his position as Prime Minister and had survived 10 earlier attempts on his life. -
The Third Duma ends
The third Duma was the first to make it a whole five years. The third duma was made up of more Russians than those before it as a result of the legislation passed in the second Duma. The third Duma was more to the Tsar's taste as it was less radical and made up of more affluent, landowning men. -
The Fourth Duma begins
The fourth Duma was made up of many centrists/ moderates including Kerensky. -
Russia joins WWI
Due to alliances and a string of events beginning with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Russia joins the war under Tsar Nicholas II's leadership. Despite the number of available troops, soldiers are ill-equipped and ill-trained which leads to high death counts. -
Period: to
World War I (1914 - 1918)
World War I, or the Great War, began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria -
The Fourth Duma is dissolved
the centrist and moderate members of the Duma suggested forming a coalition government to gain the confidence of the people and institute reforms to help the war effort. This was due to the Russian people's resistance to the war and government's distrust of local initiatives in supplying medical aid and munitions. This does not go over well with Tsar Nicholas II who refused and ended the fourth Duma. -
Rasputin is assassinated
Rasputin had been a close friend of Alexandra (Tsar Nicholas II's wife) as he had said he knew how to cure hemophilia from which the royal couple's only son suffered. Rasputin had been seen as a threat by some considering his close relation with the German-born queen during WWI when anti-German sentiments were high. He was poisoned, drowned and shot. The bullet, ultimately, is what killed him. -
Church land is seized
Land belonging to the church is seized by the government. This is only the beginning of a deeply violent anti-religious movement on behalf of the State. -
Nicholas II forced to abdicate
Against his wishes, Nicholas II was forced to give up his throne and power. Nicholas II had been an autocrat but had taken no interest in politics nor did he listen to those who warned him of the rising anti-monarchical sentiments. He had preferred to spend his time with family, going on outings, and essentially being cut-off and oblivious to the problems his empire faced. He instead liked to surround himself with those who would tell him what he wanted to hear. The end of the Romanov Dynasty. -
The March Revolution
200,000 workers in Petrograd strike against the over food shortages and WWI. Guards who had been ordered to shoot at the protesters join the crowd in their strike against autocracy and the war. -
The collapse of the First Coalition Government
The First Coalition government of liberals and socialists collapses over the issue of Ukrainian autonomy. -
demonstrations break out in Petrograd
Demonstrations in Petrograd break out led by a military machine gun regiment, demanding “All Power to the Soviets” -
Protests in Petrograd continue & become more violent
more soldiers and workers join, participate in riot/chaos (looting), amass in front of the Tauride Palace and demand to see a government minister. Military members loyal to the Provisional Government are used to disperse crowds and disarm soldiers/ workers. There are mass arrests and casualties -
The Kornilov Affair
Kornilov, the Commander-in-Chief, was an anti-revolutionary who wanted to restore order in Petrograd.
He mobilized troops to eliminate the Soviet in favor of the PG. Though, some think instead of supporting the PG he was trying to institute a military dictatorship. On 9/10/17, Kornilov was dismissed from his post but continues the advance on the Soviet. The Soviet then releases Bolshevik political prisoners to fight off Kornilov's troops. The situation ends on 9/13/17 without conflict. -
The invasion of the Winter Palace
Members of the Provisional Government, who were hiding out behind the walls of the palace, were seized and arrested by the Bolsheviks carrying out the invasion. The invasion was not a well organized, well run plan. -
Lenin declares himself Chairman
Lenin declared himself chairman of the Council of People's Commissars -
Period: to
The Russian Civil War
Due to a power vacuum and a large population's dislike of the Bolsheviks, a civil war over who would/ should control the government begins. The Red Army was the army of Bolsheviks/ Bolshevik supporters while the White Army was made up of many different ethnic/ political groups who opposed Bolshevik rule. The White Army was more disorganized & had multiple leaders each with their own agendas. The two armies were extremely brutal both to each other and to bystanders. Heinous pogroms were committed -
Churches are rented out
Following the seizure by the State, churches could be rented or charge church goers to make rent. Religious education could no longer be taught and was instead swapped for worshipping communism and the State. -
Tsar Nicholas II and his family are killed
Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their five children are killed by the Bolsheviks in the basement of Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. The family's remains were only discovered decades later. -
The Women's Department is created
Alexandra Kollontai and Inessa Armand create the Women's Department as a part of the Bolshevik government. The department was exclusively devoted to and took an active
interest in women’s affairs in the 1920s until it was disbanded. -
Fall 1921: Lenin Initiates a Party purge
This was the first of many purges to come but it was the
only one initiated by Lenin. 25% of Party members are purged. Many of whom were Oppositionists (though this was
not the stated goal. -
Spring 1921: The Economy Collapses
Following the Civil War, strikes, destabilized infrastructure from the decommissioning of the Red Army, and halting industry and agriculture, the economy collapses in the Spring of 1921 during the famine. -
Churches are closed and priests are executed
Continuing on a war path against religion, the State begins to exile, imprison, and execute priests. Because priests volunteered to sell all of their earthly possessions for famine relief besides those that were religiously important, the State decides to execute them. The actions of closing churches, tearing them apart to sell the goods, and executing priests was done by Jewish Bolsheviks to divert attention away from the party. This was because antisemitism was very, very high. -
The NEP begins
Following a tax that took the place of the agricultural requisitions and subsequent revolts, Lenin created the NEP which allowed for a mixed economy in hopes that conditions would improve. The NEP was capitalistic but was considered "State capitalism." -
Period: to
Famine
Following the end of the war, the economy was in shambles and peasants were revolting over the grain requisitions. Agriculture alongside industry and transportation remains at a standstill. This famine killed more than WWI and the Civil War together and lead to those who can afford to flee to do so. This meant that 2 million educated non-Bolshevik elites leave. -
The USSR is formed
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed. -
Stalin becomes General Secretary of the Party
Stalin became General Secretary which meant that he had his hands in all 3 parts of the organization as he was a member of the Politburo, was General Secretary, and was a member of the Orgburo. Lenin, despite his disagreements with Stalin, used him to run the day-to-day operations in the Party. Due to his position, he had control over appointments to executive Party position
nominations. He incentivized this loyalty with extra food rations and access to consumer goods. -
A temporary suspension on killing, exiling, and imprisoning priests is put into place
Due to pressure from Western countries with whom the State was doing trade with, a temporary suspension on the persecution of churches and clergymen is put into place. -
The NEP begins to show signs of weakness
Growth began to slow and the Party begins to doubt the rapid industrializing capabilities of the NEP. This leads to the creation of the five year plan -
Stalin v. Left Opposition
Stalin combats the Left Opposition (aka Trotsky) before turning to the Right Opposition on the issue of the peasantry -
the NEP ends
Stalin betrays the Party's political right and ends the New Economic Policy in favor of rapid industrialization. -
The Cultural Revolution begins
The Cultural Revolution is characterized by Stalin's struggle against the Kulaks, the bourgeois, the old intelligentsia, and the Right Opposition (NEP-men). This revolution is instigated to establish Communist proletariat dominance. the Cultural Revolution is very anti-religious, anti-bourgeois, and pro class confrontation. It appeals heavily to young Communists as the revolution's goal is to establish them as the new elite. -
the First Five Year Plan begins
Made by Stalin, this plan was used to force Russia's industrialization. The three main components of the First Five Year Plan were a Command Economy, Collectivization, and Heavy Industry. By the end of the plan, only the oil industry was able to meet its goal. -
The liquidation of the Kulak class
Stalin announces the liquidation of the Kulaks. These "wealthy" among the peasants are killed, exiled to Siberia or elsewhere, and imprisoned in Gulags. This leads to the collectivization of the peasants as well as wide spread fear. From 1929-1930, almost half of all peasants are collectivized. -
Period: to
Gross Domestic Product booms
As a result of the Five Year Plans, GDP does boom and in fact doubles. Skilled laborers are paid more than unskilled laborers to incentivize education. Around 10 million women enter the workforce even though they are paid less than their male counterparts. Despite the growth, living conditions remain less than desirable to say the least. -
The Women's Department is disbanded
-
Internal Passports are made for urban populations only
To prevent starving peasants from leaving collectivization in search of food, the Party creates passports for internal travel but makes them available only to those who live in urban areas. -
Period: to
Holodomor
Brought on by a lack of care, collectivization, and drought, the Great Famine, or Holodomor, begins. As grain procurement quotas increased, so did the horrid conditions peasants found themselves in. Starvation and death rates grew drastically alongside the government mandated quotas. Stalin refused the aid of relief organizations who offer to help those who are suffering from starvation. -
The Second Five Year Plan begins
The Second FYP was started under Stalin. He promised that he would improve the standard of living for workers but due to the continuation of rationing, conditions remained tense and difficult. -
Only art that promotes socialist values is allowed to circulate
As a result of the Cultural Revolution, only art that served as propaganda for the socialist cause was patronized/ commissioned. The art had to show daily life but could not show the struggles the people face. The genre of socialist realism is mandated across art forms. -
Conservative gender roles are reinstated
As a reaction to a decline in birth rates, abortion was once again outlawed and divorce was made difficult. This was, in a way, a return to pre-revolutionary times as the Bolsheviks had once advocated for easy divorce and access to abortions for women.