Tsarist Russia and the Russian revolution

Tsars and expansion Ivan “the Terrible” was crowned the first Tsar (Caesar) of Russia in 1547. His reign was filled with civil war and murder of political and social opponents The Romanov Dynasty acceded to the throne in 1613, and the kingdom started to recover Using the Cossacks (cavalry united into military communities), Russia expanded its territory further into Siberia, mostly for the search for furs and ivory Under Peter the Great, Russia became an empire in 1721 and recognized as a world power

Peter the great Ruled from 1682 – 1725 Peter the Great defeated the Swedes in the Great Northern War, thereby securing Russia’s borders to give Russia access to the sea for trade He established the capital city in Saint Petersburg (yes, he named it after himself) Saint Petersburg becomes “the window to Europe” His reforms modernized St. Petersburg and much of Russia to model the Europeans’ cultures, including fashion, hair styles, and architecture He instituted a “beard tax” on Russian men who refused to shave their traditional beards He based his reforms heavily on the European Enlightenment

Catherine the great Catherine II “the Great” ruled from 1762 – 1796 The country’s longest ruling female leader She presided over the Age of Russian Enlightenment She was incredibly successful at expanding the empire even further and had several victorious wars for territory Her reign is often considered to the “The Golden Age of Russia” She ruled as an “enlightened despot” (absolute monarch with Enlightenment ideals) Unfortunately, her grip on feudalism (serfdom) tightened, and serfs were generally very unhappy during her reign

Napoleonic invasion Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia in his desire to expand his empire in 1811 He managed to make it all the way to Moscow by 1812, but it was ultimately a failure due to the Russian resistance and the horribly cold Russian winter Tsar Alexander I presided over the Russian delegation to re-divide Europe at the Congress of Vienna

Rise of socialism The 19th century saw the rise of various socialist movements in Russia Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 by revolutionaries, so his son Alexander III took over from 1881 – 1894 His son, Nicholas II, became the last tsar of Russia

Russian revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905 was triggered by: 1) The Russian loss of the Russo- Japanese War 2) The events of Bloody Sunday (unarmed protestors in St. Petersburg were shot by Russian soldiers) These events caused serious damage to the autocratic rule of the tsars, so the Russian Constitution of 1906 granted people freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, the creation of political parties, and the creation of an elected legislative body (the Duma)

Russia entered into World War I in response to Austria- Hungary’s declaration of war on Russia’s ally Serbia Russia allied with France and Great Britain to form the Triple Entente The war had extremely high casualties, high cost, and general corruption in the tsarist government This tense atmosphere culminated in the two Russian Revolutions of 1917 World war I

February revolution The February Revolution of 1917 forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate (give up) the throne He and his family were imprisoned in one of their palaces and later executed by firing squad (1918) Much of the Russian military mutinied after heavy losses in WWI A Provisional Government took over, but it was weak

October revolution A grassroots movement of urban workers called the soviet rose Two parties = the Bolsheviks (majority) and the Mensheviks (minority) Wealthy Russians who supported the tsar were called The White, and mostly urban workers and poor Russians who supported the soviets were called The Reds In October of 1917, the Reds toppled the Provisional Government and gave all power to the newly formed Soviet government The Whites fled for their lives Vladimir Lenin = head of the Bolshevik Party

Russian civil war The Whites (army officers, Cossacks, bourgeoisie, and anyone who opposed the drastic Socialist restructuring of Russia) fought against the Red Army The Whites received money and military support from the USA, Great Britain, France, and Japan, but they were ultimately defeated

Russian Revolution Russian Revolution

Brochure/canva Using web programs like Canva/Piktochart/Thinglink/etc., or hand drawing a brochure, please describe 5 key events of the Russian Revolution that you believe were the ultimate turning points or most significant events during the Revolution Begin with a description of Tsar Nicholas II’s rule, end with Vladimir Lenin’s presidential election