The Russian Revolution

Scenario You attend a school where the teachers and administration favor only the A students and ignores the needs of the vast majority of B,C,D, and F students. The teachers and administration have done little or nothing to solve the growing problems and the B-F students are falling further and further behind. * What do the B-F students want? What should the B-F students do to initiate change? How will they do it? Will it work?

Czar Alexander III Autocratic government Censored public and private documents Teachers wrote detailed reports on every student Forbade speaking any other language, but Russia. Persecuted Jews

Nicholas II Wanted an autocracy, but society was changing and this would no longer work. Russia built up its industry and became the fourth ranking producer of steel. Built the Trans-Siberian Railroad

Revolutionary Movement Grows Industrialization led to grueling working conditions, miserably low wages, and child labor. Revolutionaries believed that the industrial class would overthrow the Czar. These views were based on Karl Marx. Marxist split into two group: Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. Mensheviks-popular support. Bolsheviks thought that you could sacrifice everything for radical change.

Lenin Leader of the Bolsheviks He escaped to western Europe to avoid arrest by the czarist government. More about him later…

Bloody Sunday January 22, 1905- 200,000 workers gathered with their families approached the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. The guards fired killing between 500-1,000 unarmed protesters

Bloody Sunday This event causes a wave of strikes all over the country. Nicholas approved the creation of the Duma, Russia’s first Parliament.

WWI Nicholas II moved his headquarters to the front lines. His wife was left in control and ran the government when he was away. While in charge, she ignores the chief advisors and falls completely under the influence of Rasputin.

Rasputin’s Influence He describes himself as a “holy man” with magical powers He was able to gain control over Nicholas II’s wife when he used his “magical powers” to help heal her son’s hemophilia. He made all political decisions spreading corruption around the court and society. The young aristocrats planned his assassination. Poisoned, shot 3 times, tied up and eventually drowned in Neva R

March Revolution In March 1917, women workers led a strike which made people really upset about shortages of bread and fuel. Nicholas steps down. He and his family are assassinated by revolutionaries a year later. Anastasia mystery

Effects of the March Revolution Leaders of the Duma establish a provisional government. The people wanted out of WWI because conditions began to get worse. Peasants began to want land. Social revolutionaries formed Soviets—local councils consisting of workers, peasants, and soldiers Lenin returns from exile—thanks to Germany

Bolshevik Revolution Bolsheviks said that all power goes to the soviets. Lenin formed the Red Army made of armed factory workers. They overturned the provisional government in a few hours.

Bolsheviks in Power Lenin ordered that all farmland be distributed among the peasants Russia and Germany signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk surrendering WWI and giving a large chunk of territory to Germany.