Russian Timeline Project (note: for the events which did not have a specific date, but rather just a general month it occurred in, the day number is set to 1)
-
Revolution of 1905 and the October Manifesto
Initiated by unrest caused by the Massacre of Bloody Sunday. There were mass uprisings and strikes in opposition to the Tsar. The October Manifesto was presented in response; it presented an expansion of civil liberties, limited powers of the monarchy, legislature elected by universal votes, and the legalization of trade unions & political parties. This photo depicts the great amount of unrest that the Revolution was characterized by. -
Beginning of WWI
Archduke Franz-Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. In response, Austria sent a series of demands to Serbia, eventually declaring war. This photo shows a newspaper headline describing the first declaration of war. -
Czar Nicholas II take sole control of military operations
In an effort to inspire troops, Tsar Nicholas II leaves St. Petersburg to take sole control of the military. This left the Tsarina and Rasputin in control, sewing instability. This image shows Tsar Nicholas II amongst his troops, depicting how he attempted to inspire them. -
Assassination of Rasputin
A group of Russian nobles, fueled by distrust of Rasputin’s influence, lured away and assassinated him, supposedly with 3 gunshots, though specific details about his death are unknown. This political comic depicts the common sentiment held by the russian people that Rasputin was controlling the monarchy, which was what, in part, motivated his assasination. -
International Women’s Day March in Petrograd
A 2 day strike led by female textile workers demonstrated against the Tsar & food shortages. This led to mass riots and soldier mutiny, increasing the chaos. This event sparked the February revolution. This photo shows the scene of the women's day march. -
Nicholas II Abdicates
In response to the February revolution, Nicholas II abdicates the throne, and is forced into exile. This photo shows a newspaper reporting on Tsar Nicholas' abdication. -
Provisional Government formed
Directly following the Tsar’s abdication, the provisional government was formed by the state Duma. Members belonged to various political parties, including Kadets, SRs, Mensheviks, ect. This photo shows the members of the provisional government. -
April Theses published
It was Lenin's first act in Petrograd to publish this Manifesto that urged the Soviets to overthrow the Provisional Government in favor of a dictatorship of the proletariat. It promised an end to World War 1, land for the peasants, and improved food supply. The photo exemplifies how Lenin’s April Theses allowed him to gain the support of the public and a public platform by offering promises others were hesitant to offer (peace, bread, land). -
Return of Lenin from exile
In April 1917, Germany organized the return of Bolshevik leader Lenin from Exile in Switzerland. The general public welcomed him, allowing him to spread his ideas of revolutionary change among the populace (notably in petrograd). The picture shows how the Russian populace exalted Lenin when he returned, and the sway he had over the general public which he could use to spread his ideas of revolution. -
First All-Russian Congress of Soviets meets
It elected a central executive committee to be in permanent session and confirmed the supremacy of the Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks only had 105 delegates where as the Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries had 533 collectively. This photo exemplifies visually the idea that the Congress consisted of many Russian political parties, and was not yet dominated by Lenin or the Bolsheviks -
Brusilov Offensive
It was the largest Russian assault of World War I, led by General Alexei brusilov on the Eastern front. It successfully took the pressure off Verdun, broke through Enemy Lines, and defeated the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, it was costly and Russia couldn't fully recover. The photo exemplifies how despite the offensive being largely successful for Russia, it still was very costly to the point Russia could not fully recover. -
July Days
They were violent riots in Petrograd against the provisional government that were falsely blamed on the Bolsheviks. This caused a crackdown on the party, the closing of their newspapers, a decline in support, and the dispersion of leaders (including Lenin who fled and Trotsky who was arrested). This picture emphasizes and visualizes the intense violence of the July Days, putting further significance on it being blamed on the Bolsheviks. -
Kornilov Affair
General Kornilov ordered troops to attempt a coup in Petrograd, presumably to defeat the Soviet and create a military dictatorship. Kerensky had to ask the Soviet / Bolsheviks for help, and they successfully arrested him and his supporters for treason. The picture emphasizes how powerful and well armed Kornilov’s men were, making them a true threat. Thus, it adds to the understanding of why Kerensky felt the need to enlist the help of Trotsky and the Bolsheviks. -
Trotsky organizes Red Guard to defend Petrograd
Trotsky and other imprisoned Bolsheviks were released and provided weapons by Kerensky in return for defeating Kornilov. The Bolshevik leaders (except Lenin) were pardoned, and the Bolsheviks gained power (refused to return weapons. The photo emphasizes how the Bolsheviks were able to gain power and weaponry through defending Petrograd. -
Bolsheviks overthrow the Provisional Government and take control
The Bolsheviks lead a coup which overthrows the Provisional government. This photo shows Lenin leading the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War as they overthrew the provisional government, then led the Russian Government. -
Cheka formed
The Cheka was the Bolshevik security force or secret police. It was formed by Vladimir Lenin in a December 1917 decree and charged with identifying and dealing with potential counter-revolutionaries. The Cheka was headed by Feliz Dzerzhinsky, a Bolshevik of Polish extraction. This picture shows the members of the security force or secret police called the Cheka -
Constituent Assembly meets and is disbanded
The Constituent Assembly rejected the Bolsheviks’ demand that it recognize the authority of the Soviet government. The Bolshevik delegates (and the Left Socialist Revolutionaries as well) walked out. The next day, troops loyal to the Soviet government dispersed representatives of the non-Bolshevik parties, and the government officially dissolved the Assembly. This picture shows the Constituent Assembly, which was a constitutional body made in Russia after the October Revolution. 1917 -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a separate peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, between the new Bolshevik government of Russia and the Central Powers, that ended Russia's participation in World War I. The treaty was signed at German-controlled Brest-Litovsk, after two months of negotiations. This document shows the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk document. -
Wartime Communism created
War communism or military communism was the economic and political system that existed in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1918 to 1921. This document shows the Red army soldiers during this time -
Red Terror
The Red Terror was a Bolshevik-ordered campaign of intimidation, arrests, violence and executions. It began in mid-1918 following an assassination attempt on Vladimir Lenin and was carried out chiefly by the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police. This photo shows a propaganda poster in Petrograd in 1918 during the Red Terror campaign. -
Kolchak (one of the White leaders) begins serious attacks against Reds from Siberia
From 1919, when the Bolshevik forces managed to reorganise and turn the attack against Kolchak, he quickly lost ground. The Red counter-attack began in late April at the centre of the White line, aiming for Ufa. The fighting was fierce as, unlike earlier, both sides fought hard. This photo shows Kolchak and his troops in 1919. -
Poles move toward Kiev
During the Russian Civil War, the Polish armies invaded western Ukraine and into Kiev, but a successful counter-attack by the Reds drove the Poles back to Warsaw. Polish General (left) and the exiled Ukrainian Peltura (second from left) in Berdychiv after Peltura’s alliance with Poland -
Soviets attempt to take Warsaw
The Red Army was defeated right outside of Warsaw, and was driven back to Minsk. Lenin wanted a communist revolution to break out in Poland and spread throughout Europe, but was proven unsuccessful. Some Polish soldiers are showing the captured Soviet battle flags after the Poles successfully defended Warsaw -
Tambov Rebellion
The largest peasant rebellion against the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War, which was led by Social Revolutionaries (SRs) after the grain requisitioning during War Communism. Some of the rebels, with the one on the left being an amputee, showing that they aren’t that strong, but are willing to fight -
Kronstadt uprising
A naval base off Petrograd protested against the Bolsheviks and argued for the end of War Communism. The Bolsheviks attacked the sailors and 20,000 were killed or wounded. The naval base is significant as they supported the October Revolution in 1917, but were now rebelling against the Bolsheviks. Sailors at Kronstadt with a flag that reads “Death to the bourgeoisie”. -
Ending of Wartime Communism
War Communism was replaced by the New Economic Policy (NEP), which allowed for more economic freedom. This was introduced to calm people down and so that the people wouldn’t be a threat to the Bolsheviks. Two coffins are being carried to a cemetery during the famine in 1921-1922 in the Volga region -
Treaty of Rapallo
A treaty signed between Russia and Germany, where they agreed to cancel debts, develop trade relations, and Germany can secretly develop military power on Russia’s grounds. Chancellor of Germany (second from left) with several representatives from the Russian delegation. -
Ukraine brought under Soviet control
In 1922, Ukraine became one of the original constituent republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) This image shows Red troops traveling through Ukraine. -
Formation of Soviet Union
It formed soon after the end of the Russian Civil War (won by the Bolshevik Reds), with its formal title being the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Lenin proclaiming the formation of the USSR -
Lenin dies
Died due to a series of strokes. The successor of the USSR was Joseph Stalin. Stalin visited Lenin in Gorky in 1923, a year before Lenin died. At this point, Lenin was in a semi-retirement after his second stroke.