Power point- to know Russian tsars- alexander ii, alexander iii, Nicholas ii Emancipation of the serfs To the people movement Russian terrorism Bolsheviks and mensheviks Russo-Japanese war Bloody Sunday Pyotr stolypin What is reform and what is revolution

Russia –rise of revolution 1861-1914

19th century Russian empire

Strengths & weaknesses Strengths- largest country in the world, largest armed forces, arable land, Powerful monarchy Weaknesses- backward economy, poorly equipped armed forces, cold climate, restrictive government

1861- alexander II emancipates serfs

The reform failed to meet the needs of the freed serfs, who either had to go into debt to buy land or continue to work as before for their landlords

Narodniki movement, 1870’s Student Political movements formed “to go to the people” to spread Marxist ideas and raise up political awareness of the freed serfs- these failed to interest them and led to many arrests

Political groups went underground…

And plotted to kill tsar alexander ii in 1881

The assassination led to a brutal crackdown against the student movements

Alexander iii (ruled 1881-1894) Offered little in the way of reform, continued arrests of terror and student movements

The okhrana The tsar formed a secret police force known as the “Okhrana” to combat dissent

Alexander iii was succeeded by his son Nicholas ii in 1894 His rule was affected by family issues- his wife came from Germany, making her unpopular, and his only son Alexei suffered from hemophilia

Meanwhile, a truer Marxist political organization was formed…

Bolsheviks (majority) Menshevik (minority)

In 1904, Russia embarked on what they felt was an easy war against japan

But it ended in disaster at tsushima straits in 1905

Bloody Sunday January 22, 1905 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gQ-s8W26Lk

A parliament (duma) was created as a result of bloody sunday - However this had very little power- the tsar could dissolve it at any time, and appoint his own ministers to run it

Pyotr Stolypin - one of the last major statesmen of Imperial Russia with clearly defined public policies and the determination to undertake major reforms-he was assassinated before his reforms could make an impact

Meanwhile the Bolsheviks waited in exile for their chance lenin trotsky stalin

http://www. russianforeveryone http://www.russianforeveryone.com/RufeA/Lessons/Introduction/Alphabet/Alphabet.htm