Russian Revolution

What caused the Russian Revolution? Essential Question: What caused the Russian Revolution?

Alexander II Tsar of Russia, 1855-1881 Freed the Serfs [90% of Russians, bound to the land] Provided them with land Began trials by jury Relaxed censorship Created local elected assemblies Began Industrial Revolution in Russia Assassinated in 1881 by anarchist

Alexander III Tsar of Russia, 1881-1894 Harsh crackdown on political activity Increased censorship and secret police Pogroms against Jews and discrimination against ethnic minorities Famine of 1891-92 ½ million peasants died while government exported grain Peasants fled to cities to live in poverty while working in factories

Nicholas II Tsar of Russia, 1894-1917 Weak, foolish, autocrat tried to rule with iron fist like father using repression. Lost Russo-Japanese War Responsible for Bloody Sunday Involved Russia in World War I Abdication ended Romanov Dynasty Entire family executed by Bolsheviks during Civil War

Tsarina Alexandra German Princess from Hesse, Granddaughter of Queen Victoria Passed hemophilia down to her son Loved her husband, but made him more of an autocrat Under the influence of Rasputin Not liked by Russian people, who believed she was a German spy during WWI

Rasputin Siberian Peasant Self-proclaimed holy man Claimed to be able to heal Prince Alexis when he bled Fooled the Empress and used her to gain power Corrupt and immoral Killed by members of Royal Family in Dec. 1916

Lenin Born Vladimir Ulyanov, 1870 Leader of Bolsheviks & 1st Communist dictator of Russia Lived in exile till April 1917 Planned Bolshevik Coup d’etat—Red October. Believed in absolute control by Communist Party Suffered several strokes & died in 1924.

Leon Trotsky Born Lev Bronstein, 1879 Exiled to Siberia as Radical Joined Bolsheviks as editor of Pravda, Communist Newspaper Led the Red October Coup & Red Army during Civil War Expelled from Central Committee by Stalin and fled Russia Assassinated in Mexico by order of Stalin in 1940

Stalin [man of Steel] Born Josef Djugashvili, 1878 Communist Dictator of U.S.S.R. from 1924-1953 Won power struggle against Trotsky after Lenin’s death Used propaganda and terror to stay in power Collectivized farming Guilty of mass murder of 20-30 million Russians

Events Leading to

Bloody Sunday, 1905 Protest in St. Petersburg led by Father Gapon marched to Winter Palace to present petition to Tsar Unarmed peaceful protesters—men, women, children—shot by Imperial Guard 1,000 killed or wounded 500,000 workers went on strike to protest the killings

Revolution of 1905 Caused by Bloody Sunday Loss of Russo-Japanese War Problems with poverty for factory workers & peasants Suppression of Rights Discrimination of Minorities Misrule by Nicholas II

Results Revolution of 1905 October Manifesto Failed Pledged basic civil liberties— free speech, press, religion Election of State Duma [legislature] Universal Male Suffrage Failed Nicholas ordered Marital Law

World War I War revealed ineptitude and arrogance of aristocratic elite Corrupt military leadership had contempt for ordinary Russian people Troops not given proper weapons, ammunition, clothing, food Mass desertions 2 million casualties in 1st year

The Collapse of the Imperial Government Nicholas left for Front—September, 1915 Alexandra and Rasputin throw government into chaos Alexandra and other officials accused of treason Refugees flee to cities Inflation & starvation—food shortages

February 1917 Women of St. Petersburg riot for bread Troops refuse to fire on them Troops & crowd storm Winter Palace Duma declared itself Provisional Government Tsar ordered soldiers to intervene; instead they joined the rebellion…the Tsar thus abdicated on March 17 Alexander Kerensky headed Provisional Government. saw the war effort as #1 priority

Kornilov Affair General Kornilov attempted to overthrow Provisional Government To prevent takeover, Kerensky freed many Bolshevik leaders from prison and supplied arms to many revolutionaries

The Petrograd Soviet leftists in St. Petersburg formed Petrograd Soviet Germany allowed Lenin to travel in locked railway car from Switzerland to Russia, so he could foment Revolution Lenin returned in April 1917

Lenin Seizes Power A tremendously charismatic personality “Peace, Land, Bread” “All Power to the Soviets” He preached that the war was a capitalist/imperialist war that offered no rewards for the peasants/workers Bolshevik party membership exploded

Red October Lenin and Trotsky stage Coup d’etat Lenin got Russia out of World War I Treaty of Brest-Litovsk negotiated with the Germans, giving them much Russian territory, population, and resources

Civil War 1917-1920 Civil War followed, 1917-1920 “Reds” versus “Whites” Whites: aristocrats, anti-Communists, foreign armies [including U.S.} Complete breakdown of Russian economy and society Lenin ordered execution of Tsar & family Trotsky defeated White Armies

Lenin v. Stalin Lenin died 1924, Stalin takes over Lenin=World Revolution Stalin=Socialism in One Country Stalin’s paranoia caused murder of 20- 30 million Russians, including Other political parties Bolshevik party leaders Kulags—Ukrainian peasants who didn’t want to give up their farms Murder Famine Red Army officers

Effects of Communist Revolution No Private Property All land, businesses, transportation, housing owned and controlled by the government for the people No free speech or civil rights Police state> Checka Gulags—forced labor camps Religion outlawed Totalitarianism