Russia Under the Czars and the Revolution

Overview From the 1500’s to the 1900’s, Russia was ruled by the czars (emperors) – The czars were absolute rulers – They conquered virtually all of what is now Russia and the Republics – Russia lagged behind Western Europe socially and economically under the Czars

Government Control Guiding Question: How much power did the Russian Czars have over their people? Read Primary Source 1 and highlight or underline anything that can help you answer the guiding question Answer the question

Use the map on page 362 to determine when Russia gained access to each body of water a)The Arctic b)The Caspian Sea c)The Sea of Otkhosk d)The Black Sea Conquests

Conquests (continued) During this time period, a strong navy was thought to be the backbone of any country worth paying attention to. This is why Russia’s leaders fought so hard to gain access to lands that bordered large bodies of water. Even after they got that access, though, they still had problems. What made each of the following bodies of water a problem for the Russian navy? a.The Arctic b.The Caspian Sea c.The Sea of Otkhosk d.The Black Sea

Russian Society Guiding Question: What was life like for Russian serfs? Read Primary Source 2 and highlight or underline anything that can help you answer the guiding question Answer the question

Communism Communism is a political and economic system created by Karl Marx – Marx believed that all of history was characterized by class struggle, the conflict between wealthy owners and poor workers – Marx thought that all workers would, eventually, rise up and overthrow the owners, creating a new system: All people would be given an equal share of all wealth The government, as the representative of the people, would control industry for the betterment of all

Lenin Read the biography of Vladimir Lenin and define the following terms using the context 1.Disillusioned 2.Conspiring 3.Exile 4.Proletariat 5.Capitalist 6.Soviets 7.Provisional Answer the questions at the bottom of the source