Russian Revolution Miss Fisk

Czarist Controlled Russia Czar Alexander III: Came to power in 1881 Autocratic rule- the government had total control To maintain autocratic rule: Cracked down on political critics. Censorship on published material Wanted to maintain a uniform Russian culture: Made Russian the official language- Made Jews the target of persecution: They could not buy land Could not live among other Russians Universities set quotas against Jews Pogroms- organized violence against Jews. Czar Nicholas II and Czarina Alexandra Came to power in 1894 after the death of his father Alexander III Upheld Autocratic rule

Economic Growth Sergey Witte- the Czar’s Minister Launched a program to get the economy going Number of factories doubled from 1863-1900 Enforced higher taxes Foreign investments Boosted the steel industry Trans-Siberian Railway- World’s longest continuous rail line. Built from 1891-1904

Revolutionary Movement Grows Reasons for the growth: The growth of factories Grueling working conditions Low wages Child labor Trade unions are outlawed Philosophy of Karl Marx Workers should rule Two groups of Russian Marxists Mensheviks- broad base of support for revolution Bolsheviks- small number of committed revolutionaries willing to commit to radical change

Revolutionary Movement Grows Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) Engaging personality Great organizer Extremely ruthless Fled to western Europe to avoid arrest by the Czar

Crisis at Home and Abroad Russo-Japanese War: Both countries are Imperialist Wanted control of Korea and Manchuria They signed a series of agreements over the territories but Russia broke them. Japan attacks Port Arthur, Manchuria February 1904 Japan defeats Russia

Crisis at Home and Abroad Bloody Sunday- January 22, 1905 Workers and families approached the Czar’s Winter Palace The Czar wasn’t there but his generals and police chiefs were. They fired on the crowd killing between 500 and 1000 unarmed people. Czar Nicholas II promised one freedom The creation of Duma- Russia’s first parliament First meeting in May 1905 Constitutional monarchy-like Britain Not wanting to share power, the Czar dissolved Duma after only 10 weeks.

Crisis at Home and Abroad World War I: 1914 Czar Nicholas dragged Russia into the war Russia was not ready for the economic or military costs of the war After one year- 4 million Russians were killed, wounded or taken prisoner 1915 Nicholas II moved his headquarters to the front He left his wife, Alexandra, to run the government while he was away

Rasputin Self-described “holy man” The Czar’s son, Alexis, suffered from hemophilia He seemed to ease Alexis’ symptoms Rasputin was allowed to make key political decisions He opposed reform measures Gained positions for his friends Spread corruption in the court 1916 he was murdered by a group of nobles. They thought he was getting to powerful in government affairs

March Revolution March 1917 Women textile workers led a strike in Petrograd Riots flared up because of shortages in bread and fuel 200,000 workers swarmed the streets Soldiers obeyed orders to shoot the rioters, but then joined in, firing on their superiors Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate his throne One year later, Nicholas and his family-wife, 3 daughters, one son, were murdered by Bolsheviks Revolutionaries Rule of the Romanovs, which spanned over 3 centuries, was over.

March Revolution Czar removed from power Set up a provisional government- or a temporary government. Led by Alexander Kerensky Kept Russia in war Social revolutionaries, competing for power, formed soviets- local councils consisting of worker, peasants, and soldiers.

November Revolution Bolshevik Revolution Germany arranges for Lenin to return to Russia. Took control of Petrograd November 1917, Lenin storms the Winter Palace in Petrograd. Provisional government leaders were arrested and the government falls to the Bolsheviks

Russia under Lenin Distributes farmland to peasants Gave control of factories to the workers Signed a truce with Germany, starting peace talks March 1918, Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed giving Germany a large portion of land. The loss of land sparked anger toward the Lenin and Bolsheviks

Civil War rages in Russia Opponents to the Bolsheviks- White Army-Mensheviks Leon Trotsky- led the Bolshevik Red Army 1918-1920- Civil War raged in Russia U.S. and others sent aid to Russia to help the White Army. 15 million people died during the 3 year Civil War Red Army Triumphs- shows it can seize power and maintain it.

Lenin Restores Order New Economic Policy- March 1921 Put aside desires for a state-controlled economy and resorted to a small scale version of capitalism Peasants allowed to sell surplus crops Could buy and sell goods for profit Government still controlled major industries, banks, and communication Small factories, businesses and farms were under private ownership Encouraged foreign investment

Lenin Restores Order Political reforms Many different nationalities in Russia posed an obstacle to national unity Communist’s saw nationalism as a threat to unity and party loyalty Lenin organized Russia into several self-governing republics under the central government 1922- Russia is renamed, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), honoring the councils that helped launch the revolution The Bolsheviks renamed their party the Communist Party 1928 the USSR was finally producing what it had been before the war

Lenin Dies 1924 After suffering from several strokes A new struggle begins for control of the party and the country His body was embalmed preserving it to this day- continued treatment of the body is required to keep it looking fresh He was placed in a bulletproof, glass walled coffin A pyramid-Mausoleum was built to place the coffin in

Causes and Effects of the Russian Revolution Russian Revolution of 1917 Effects Widespread discontent of all the classes Agitation from revolutionaries Weak leadership of Czar Nicholas II Defeat of Russo-Japanese War Bloody Sunday Losses of WWI Strikes and riots Abdication of the Czar Failure of provisional government Lenin’s return to Russia Bolshevik takeover Under Lenin Civil War-1918-1920 Czar and his family killed Peace with Germany under Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Bolshevik Control of Government Russian Economy in ruins