The Russian Revolution

And in the beginning… Czars ruled Russia for centuries. The Czar and Czarina were equivalents of Kings and Queens. The word “czar” comes from “Caesar”. Czar Alexander III succeeded his father in 1881. He continued the principles of autocracy (total power) Enforced strict societal rules: NO questioning authority of the czar NO worshipping outside the Russian Orthodox Church NO speaking a language other than Russian

Country of Fear Censorship on published and written materials; including private letters Secret police watched secondary schools and universities Teachers forced to send detailed reports on all students Political prisoners sent to Siberia Oppressed non- Russian national groups Made Russian the official language of the empire Jews became targets of persecution (Pogroms-organized violence)

“Steel”-ing the Country Factories, Investments, Steel Trans-Siberian Railway Factories more than doubled between 1863 and 1900 To finance industry buildup, gov’t sought foreign investments and raised taxes 1900: Russia was the 4th ranked country to produce steel in the world Began building in 1891, completed in 1916

Growth of a Movement Increase in industry = poor working conditions, low wages, child labor, and general discontent Government outlawed trade unions; workers organized strikes Birth of the Marxist Revolutionaries

The Marxists Marxist revolutionaries believed the independent class of workers would overthrow the czar The workers would then form a “dictatorship of the proletariat” (workers would rule the country) 2 groups formed: Mensheviks and Bolsheviks The Mensheviks were moderate and wanted a broad base of support for a revolution Bolsheviks were radical, preferring a small group that would sacrifice everything for change

V.I. Lenin Born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Adopted the name Vladimir Lenin Educated, engaging, organized, ruthless Leader of the Bolshevik party Early 1900s, fled Russia to escape arrest by the czarist regime, remained in contact with the party

Russo-Japanese War Russia and Japan compete for Korea and Manchuria Signed treaties, which Russia broke leading Japan to attack in February 1904 Russians suffer loses, morale falls, and unrest continues in cities

Bloody Sunday Amidst unrest over working conditions, 20,000 workers storm the czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on January 22, 1905 Demanded better working conditions, personal freedom and elected national legislature. Czar’s generals fired on the crowd Outcomes of “Bloody Sunday” 1,000 dead, unrest escalates Czar forced to create the Duma

The Duma October 1905 approved the first parliament Met in May 1906 with moderate leaders. Wanted constitutional monarchy Czar Nicholas II feared consolidation of powers, dissolved the Duma after 10 weeks

WWI: The Final Blow? Exposed the weaknesses of czarist rule and military leadership Within the 1st year of fighting, more than 4 million killed, wounded or taken prisoner On the home front, problems and unrest continue

The Romanovs Czar Nicholas II takes power in 1894. Nicholas and wife, Czarina Alexandria have 5 children: daughters Olga, Tatyana, Maria and Anastasia; and son Alexei In 1915, Nicholas leaves family and puts Czarina in charge of government when he moves to the war front

Rasputin Grigori Rasputin, a self described “Holy man” The Crown Prince, Alexei suffered from hemophilia and Rasputin was employed by the family because he eased the boy’s suffering Czarina’s gratefulness translated to allowing Rasputin to make political decisions in her husband’s absence In 1916, a group of nobles murder Rasputin in fear of his growing influence over the Czarina

The March Revolution and the end of the Czar March, 1917: Petrograd textile workers lead a citywide strike, riots follow in the wake. The “small” protest leads to nation-wide uprising and forces Czar Nicholas to step down. Bolsheviks move family into house-arrested exile in the Ural mountains. Leaders of the Duma establish provisional government, Alexander Kerensky placed in charge Kept Russian in WWI (loss support of both soldiers and civilians) Peasants demand land, city workers become more radical, conditions worsen

Soviets and Lenin’s Return Even under the new provisional government, the power rested heavily in the people of the cities and towns. “Soviets” were established. The Germans, sensing an opportunity to force Russia to leave WWI, send Lenin back to Russia Arrives in a sealed railway boxcar in Petrograd in April 1917 In the fall of 1917, the people rally behind Lenin and his promise of “Peace, Land and Bread” November: armed factory workers (calling themselves the Red Guard) storm the Winter Palace and arrest the leaders of the Provisional Government

Bolsheviks in Power and the End of the Romanov Dynasty All farmland be distributed to the peasants, control of factories given to the workers Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed to pull Russia from WWI Large territory surrendered causing widespread anger The Romanov family is murdered by the Red Guard in the basement of their exile house in the Urals Many object to the decision to murder family Lenin sees it as necessary to eliminate all threats to power Video

The Anastasia Myth Following the murders of the Romanov family, it was believed by many that not all members were killed- specifically the youngest daughter, Anastasia 2 years after the deaths, a woman claimed to be the young duchess In the 1990s, posthumous DNA proved the falsity of her claim

Same Problems, Different Day-Civil War Breaks Out Bolshevik opponents form the White Army Comprised of multiple beliefs, only unified in their opposition of Lenin and party Red Army led by Leon Trotsky Lasted from 1918-1920 White Army aided by Western Nations 14 million die during the struggle and the famine that follows

The New Economic Policy Lenin recognizes that the economy has been destroyed by war and revolution March 1921, sets aside plans for state-controlled economy, institutes the NEP (New Economic Policy) Peasants allowed to sell surplus crops Small factories, businesses and farms operated privately Gov’t keeps control of industries, banks, and means of communication By 1928, farms and factories produce at pre-WWI levels

The End of Lenin Lenin dies after a series of strokes in 1924 The question of whom would take power loomed Two men struggled against each other for control

Power Struggle Lenin’s right-hand man Secretary of the Communist Party Leon Trotsky Joseph Stalin Lenin’s right-hand man Secretary of the Communist Party

And in the End… Joseph Stalin takes power