WWI: Russian Revolution Standard 7-5.1

Revolution in Russia The United States entered the war at a turning point in history. Russia---the Allied Power on the war’s Eastern Front—found itself in deep trouble. World War I created a crisis for Russian monarchy. Many peasants and workers were already living on the edge of starvation when war broke out. During the fighting, Russia lost more soldiers in the war than any other nation except for Germany. The weak Russian leader, Czar Nicolas II, did little to ease the suffering of the People.

March 1917 Workers revolted in St. Petersburg. When soldiers were ordered to stop the rebellion, they refused and joined the crowd of rebels. Together, they set up a new government and forced the czar to give up the Russian throne. The rebellion did not solve Russia’s problems. It eventually led to a civil war. Many workers and peasants believed the government favored the middle class. Workers formed soviets, or committees, to represent their interests.

Russian Revolution Pictures

Rise of the Bolsheviks Many members of the soviets were socialists. Socialists believed that workers should overthrow the government so people could equally share the nation’s wealth. The most radical of the socialist groups were the Bolsheviks. They thought a small group could achieve the goal of overthrowing the government through the use of force.

Vladimir Lenin Lenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks. He rallied people with slogans like: “Peace, Land, and Bread”. In November 1917, he seized control of the Russian government.

Lenin after seizing power… He pulled Russia out of the WW1. In March 1918, Lenin signed a peace treaty with Germany. Germans demanded Russian lands in what is now Eastern Europe. As Lenin tightened his grip on Russia a civil war erupted. Supporters of the of the czar and less radical socialists fought the Bolsheviks. Fighting raged for three years. Czar Nicholas II and his family were among these killed by the Bolsheviks.

In 1921 The Bolsheviks won. They set up a huge country called the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics (USSR) or the Soviet Union.