Tsarist and Communist Russia

Alexander II becomes Tsar

Mar 2, 1855

Russia was in the final stage of a disastrous war in the Crimea

Abolition of serfdom

Mar 3, 1861

Emancipation of the serfs was proclaimed in Alexander's Edict of 1861.
Serfs declared free
Landlords granted government bonds as compensation
Required to make 49 annual 'redemption payments'

Mikhail von Reutern becomes Minister of Finance

Jan 1, 1862

Believed the government must direct economic change
Treasury reformed
Subsidies offered to private railway and other industrial companies
Tariffs on trade lowered

Educational reforms

Jan 1, 1863

Zemstva took responsibility of education
Free primary education made available to all
Vocational schools set up at secondary level
Universities made self-governing

Local government reforms

Jan 1, 1864

Zemstva established at district and provincial levels
Given power to improve public services
Dominated by nobles; improved welfare and eductaion

Judicial reforms

Jan 1, 1864

Single system of local, provincial and national courts
All classes judged equal before law

Populists begin campaign to 'Go to the people'

Jan 1, 1874

Peter Lavrov encouraged around 2,000 young people to 'go to the people' in order to spread socialist ideas

Military Reforms

Jan 1, 1874

Conscription compulsory for all classes
Military colleges established
Modern weaponry introduced

Russo-Turkish war

Jan 1, 1877

1877-78

Famine

Jan 1, 1879

1879-80

Assassination of Alexander II

Mar 13, 1881

The People's Will succeeded in assassinating Alexander II with a bomb as he was travelling by coach to the Winter Palace

Alexander III ascended the throne

May 27, 1881

He reasserted the principle of autocracy and abandoned his father's reforms

Ivan Vyshnegradsky becomes Minister of Finance

Jan 1, 1887

Increased import tariffs by as much as 30%, to boost home production
Increased grain exports by forcing peasants to sell grain, to sell grain to state
Increased loans from abroad

widespread famine

Jan 1, 1891

Sergei Witte becomes Minister of finance

Jan 1, 1892

Sought additional loans from abroad
Increased investment in mining, oil and banking
Encouraged European experts to oversee and advise
Achieved huge expansion of railway network

Death of Alexander III

Sep 1, 1894

Died at the age of 49

Nicholas II becomes Tsar

Sep 29, 1894

Admitted he had little idea of how to rule
Determined to rule as his father had
Yet proved incapable of making firm decisions

Foundation of Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party

Jan 1, 1898

Agrarian and Industrial unrest

Jan 1, 1901

Split of SDs into Bolsheviks (Lenin) and Mensheviks (Martov)

Nov 16, 1903

Bolsheviks(majority) / Mensheviks(minority)
Bolsheviks: lead revolution on behalf of workers, refused to work with other parties, believed bourgeois and proletariat revolutions occur simultaneously
Mencheviks: open to all, willing to co-operate, Proletarian revolution only occur after bourgeois revolution

War breaks out between Russia and Japan

Jan 1, 1904

Japan attacked Russian naval base at Port ARthur
Called for 'short, swift victorious war' to distract from political unrest
Russia surrendered the naval base at Port Arthur in December 1904

Bloody Sunday

Jan 22, 1905

Outbreak of strike at Putilov works in St Petersburg, involving 150,000 workers
Father Gapon led a peaceful march of about 20,000 workers at winter palace, troops fired on marchers, killing over 100

October Manifesto

Oct 17, 1905

Tsar issued a decree promising:
Civil liberties e.g freedom of speech
State Duma, elected by universal suffrage

Stolypin starts agrarian reforms

Jan 1, 1906

Mir system abolished
Redemption payments abolished
Peasant Land Bank established
Government subsidies to encourage settlement in Siberia

Fundamental Laws

Apr 1, 1906

Tsar claimed his right to:
exercise supreme autocratic power
initiate legislation and approve laws
appoint and dismiss ministers
summon and dissolve Duma
rule by decree

First Duma (May-Jun1906)

May 1, 1906

Dominated by Kadets and radicals
Demanded radical constitutional change
Dissolved

Second Duma (Feb-Jun1907)

Feb 1, 1907

Peter Stolypin increased number of Octobrists
Bolsheviks and SRs participated - increasing radicals
Opposed most Tsarist proposals
Dissolved

Third Duma (Nov1907-Jun1912)

Nov 1, 1907

Reduced representation of peasants and workers
Octobrists and Conservatives dominated
Still some disputes - twice suspended

Lena goldfields massacre

Jan 1, 1912

Miners went on strike
500 killed when army intervened

Fourth Duma (Nov1912-1917)

Nov 1, 1912

Right and left wing deputies couldn't co-operate
Voted for war credits in 1914
Suspended after demanding more power in 1915

Germany declares war on Russia

Jul 19, 1914

As the vast Russian army was assembled, there was a surge of patriotism

Tsar assumes command of armed forces

Aug 23, 1915

Despite lack of military experience
Nicholas was held responsible for the failure of Brusilov offensive, and other mistakes

Strikes and civil unrest in Petrograd

Feb 20, 1917

20,000 workers from Putilov 22 Feb
Over 200 demonstrators 23 Feb

Troops refuse to fire on demonstrators

Feb 27, 1917

Petrograd garrison mutinied, joining protestors

Tsar abdicates

Mar 2, 1917

Encouraged by his ministers and generals, Tsar abdicates in favour of his brother, who refuses

First provisional government formed

Mar 2, 1917

After Tsar, left with provisional government and Petrograd Soviet
Prince Lvov became prime minister with a government of mainly Octobrists and Kadets
Alexander Kerensky, on executive committee of Soviet (only socialist)
Both agreed for:
civil liberties
amnesty for political prisoners
abolition of capital punishment and exile
appointment of independent judges

April Theses

Apr 6, 1917

Lenin returned from exile in Switzerland
Demanded all power be given to Soviets, end to war and land for peasants

July Days

Jul 3, 1917

Armed uprising by soldiers, sailors and factory workers in Petrograd on 3-4 July

Kornilov Affair

Aug 26, 1917

Kornilov believed he could restore strong government and prepared to bring loyal troops to Petrograd.
Kerensky asked the Petrograd soviet to help defend city

Bolshevik government announced

Oct 25, 1917

Lenin announced the seizure of power in the name of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets in the Petrograd Soviet
Decree on Peace called for immediate end to war
Decree on Land declared all land property of the people
Decree on Workers' Control gave workers control of factories
Ranks and titles were abolished
Banks nationalised
Church lands nationalised

Establishment of Cheka

Dec 6, 1917

Constituent Assembly forcibly dissolved

Jan 5, 1918

Start of Civil War

Mar 1, 1918

War Communism

May 1, 1918

To ensure army was supplied with food and weapons
Grain requisitioning
Industry in state control
Food rationing

Tsar and family killed

Jul 16, 1918

New Economic Policy

Feb 1, 1921

End to grain requisitioning
State control of railways, coal, iron, steel
Small businesses and private trade allowed

Death of Lenin

Jan 21, 1924

First Five-Year plan

Oct 1, 1928

increase production by 300%
develop heavy industry
boost electricity production by 600%
double output from light industry

Mass collectivisation

Dec 1, 1929

Second Five Year Plan

Jan 1, 1933

Continue development of heavy industry
New emphasis on light industries
Develop communications

Show trial of Zinoviev, Kamenev and others

Aug 19, 1936

1936 Constitution

Dec 5, 1936

Autonomy to regions
Elections every four years
Civil rights

Third Five Year Plan

Jan 1, 1938

Nazi invasion of Soviet Union

Jun 22, 1941

Stalin taken by surprise
After 3 weeks 1 million troops killed

Battle of Stalingrad

Aug 23, 1942

End of Second World War

May 8, 1945

Fourth Five Year Plan

Jan 1, 1946

Leningrad Affair

Jan 1, 1949

Fifth Five Year Plan

Jan 1, 1951

Doctors' Plot

Jan 1, 1952

Death of Stalin

Mar 5, 1953

Start of Khrushchev's 'Virgin Lands' scheme

Jan 1, 1954

Sixth Five Year Plan

Jan 1, 1956

Khrushchev's secret speech

Feb 24, 1956

Seventh Five Year Plan

Jan 1, 1959

Removal of Khrushchev

Oct 14, 1964

War Communism

Apr 6, 2017