Revolutions in Russia Section 1 Rachel Cornish 2 nd hour

The Beginning  Many balls, parades, and other ceremonies marked the 300 th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Russians cheered for the czar and his family.  When the Revolution of1905 was over, Nicholas failed to solve Russia’s problems.  The Russians were not content and new eruptions sparked.  The first of two revolutions started in March 1917.

Revolutionary Rumblings  In 1914, the Russian empire stretched from Europe to the Pacific. The land was dominated by landowning nobles, priest, and a czar; there was also a small middle class.  When the czar was under pressure, he made a few reforms, but not enough to ease the nation’s crisis.  After the Revolution of 1905, the elected Duma was set up but had no real power.

World War I  National pride and unity of the Russians was fired as there was an outbreak of war in  World War I quickly stressed Russian resources like the Crimean and Russo- Japanese wars.  Factories could not make enough supplies, transportation system broke down, and by 1915, soldiers had no rifles, ammunition, and medical care.  Russian casualties reached two million only in 1915.

Death of the Mad Monk  Rasputin was an illiterate Siberian peasant who was not actually a monk in the Russian Orthodox Church.  He gained a reputation as a healer through his powerful personality. But no one believed in his “miraculous” powers.  By 1916, his influence over Alexandra reached a new height.  Alexandra ignored all the warnings about his evil nature and believed he was sent from God to save Russia and the Romanov dynasty.

The Hard Death of Rasputin  Members of Duma, nobles, and the czar’s relatives saw the danger in Rasputin. And to save the monarchy, five men hatched a plot to destroy him.  Prince Felix Yussoupov, Czar’s nephew, lured Rasputin to his palace on December 29,  Filled with poison, the prince fed Rasputin cakes and wines. He ate them and the two talked for hours.  Yussoupov consulted with his co-conspirators upstairs and came back down with his revolver and shot Rasputin.  While Rasputin body was being examined he jumped up and grabbed the prince.  Rasputin was shot again, then clubbed to stillness. He was then dumped in to the icy Neva River.  When his body was found, doctors discovered his death was not from bullets or the poison, but from drowning.

The March Revolution  Page