1. The Russian Revolution World History / Honors Libertyville High School

2. 19 th Century Czarist Russia Government – Czar was an autocrat (absolute monarch) – Allowed very little / no reform of government Society – Medieval – Very backward in its thinking Economy – Based on agriculture – Industrialization came late to Russia (1840s)

3. Problems facing Czarist Russia Industrialization brought problems – Working conditions – Low wages Czar outlawed unions – When workers went on strike, police arrested them! Marxist parties emerged Russian workers in a factory, c. 1890

4. Problems facing Czarist Russia Revolutionary movements emerge – Inspired by Karl Marx – Author of “Communist Manifesto” Believed that industrial workers would rise up to overthrow czar Workers would form a “Dictatorship of the Proletariat” to rule Russia Karl Marx

5. Problems facing Czarist Russia Russian Marxists split – Mensheviks (“minority”) the majority of Russian Marxists Believed in gradual change, broad base of popular support - Bolsheviks (“majority”) The minority of Russian Marxists Believed in immediate change to Russian gov’t, led by professional revolutionaries

6. Problems: Radicalism Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin Ruthless, brilliant speaker and organizer Fled Russia to avoid imprisonment in early 1900s, to West Europe (Switzerland)

7. Problems Russo-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War, 1904-05 – Russia, Japan competitors for colonies in Asia – Russia LOST!! - Caused unrest, revolt throughout Russia

8. Problems: Internal Dissent “Bloody Sunday”: 1/22/05 – 200k workers & their families bring petition to Czar in St. Petersburg, asking for better work conditions – Troops fire on crowd, killing several hundred – Strikes, violence throughout nation – Reform: Creation of Duma (Parliament), but Czar dissolved it after 10 weeks

9. Problems: WW 1 World War I – Czar Nicholas decided to attack Austro-Hungary to protect Serbia – Russia incapable of fighting long war By mid 1915, over 4 million Russian soldiers dead / wounded Russians surrender at Tanenberg, 1914

10. Problems: WW 1 Rasputin’s rise to power – Monk rumored to have mystic powers – He eased the son of the Czar’s pain from hemophilia – Czarina gave him political influence – 1916 – assassinated by nobles

11. Problems: WW 1 1915 – Czar took personal control over military to increase morale – army continued to lose, die, etc Blame fell on Czar, not his generals Czar Nicholas II in Marshal uniform

12. March (Not Feb!) 1917 Revolution March 1917 Revolution – Strikes broke out – soldiers joined the strikers – Czar forced to abdicate (give up) throne – Government established by Duma – “Provisional government” – Led by Alexander Kerensky, a Menshevik appointed war minister Kerensky decided to stay in WWI – cost him support of soldiers, civilians

13. 1917 Russia, Post March Revolution War continued to go badly for Russia – Peasants demanded land – Workers struck – Soldiers mutinied Soviets formed – committees of peasants, workers, soldiers

14. The October Revolution (Bolsheviks) April, 1917 – Lenin returned to Russia by GERMANS Transported across Germany in a sealed boxcar (don’t infect us!)

15. October Revolution Lenin rallied Bolsheviks – Motto – “Peace, Land & Bread” – Other important Bolsheviks Leon Trotsky Josef Stalin

16. Bolshevik Revolution Bolshevik Revolution, October 1917 (November in book – using Western Calendar) – Armed soviets attack Provisional Government forces across Russia – Arrest leaders of Prov. Gov’t, including Kerensky Storming of the Winter Palace

17. October Revolution Lenin assumed power – Ordered all land given to peasants – Ordered all factories given to workers – Signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germans and pulled out of WW I Gave away Finland, large areas of Poland, Estonia, Latvia to Germany Russians angered by this Ordered death of Royal family (L-R: Olga, Marie, Tsar Nicholas II, Alexandra, Anastasia, Alexei, Tatiana)

18. Russian Civil War, 1919-1921 Communists (“Red Army”) versus everyone opposed to their rule (“White Army”) Who were the White Army? – Royalists (supporters of czar) – Communists opposed to Lenin’s leadership – Supporters of democratic form of government – Nationalists of Ukraine, other areas of Russia seeking independence

19. Russian Civil War, 1919-1921 Problem: White Army factions hated each other as much as Reds!!!

20. Russian Civil War, 1919-1922 Foreign involvement – After WWI ended, allies sent troops, supplies to Whites to try to overthrow Russian Bolshevik government - USA sent troops, weapons to East of Russia, seized major port Vladivostok - British, French troops fought against Bolsheviks in South of Russia US troops in Vladivostok

21. Russian Civil War, 1919-1922 Sites of foreign involvement in Russia, 1919 Canadians in Siberia, 1919

22. Reds crushed White Army factions; foreigners retreated – 14 million Russians died in Civil War – BUT Bolsheviks showed they could hold onto power