Legacy of War and the Russian Revolution

The final ones…

• Canadian soldier George Price died at 10:58…– Went to tell people soup would be served at 11:30

• American Soldier Henry Gunther killed at 10:59…

• Fighting continued right up until 11:00 to destroy as much artillery as possible.

Agenda

1. Bell Ringer: How was Germany treated after World War I?2. Notes: Russian Revolution and the legacy of World War I. (20)3. Video Clip: Russian Revolution (15)4. League of Nations Discussion (10)5. Comparing Revolutions (10)6. Propaganda Analysis: Russian Revolution (15)

Issues with the League of Nations• Ends up being a weak

organization.• United States does not join,

the people want isolation.• Bitterness and hatred stew

with the German people• Some Allies didn’t receive

any support after the war, ex: Japan and Italy.

• Mandate System = Colonialism

The Costs• Brought war to a global

scale.• 8.5 million dead, 21 million

wounded. • Countless farmlands and

lives destroyed. • Russian Revolution would

begin as a result of lives lost in the conflict.

• Nazism would base its origins in Germany’s losses during World War I

Russian Revolution of 1917

• The rumblings of Revolution began in the 1800s.

• Assassinations and revolts were common by the lower class.

Alexander III• Takes over after father is

assassinated. • Strengthen autocracy,

orthodoxy, and nationality. • Censorship codes on all

written records.• Even schools were

monitored for political dissent.

• Pogroms – organized violence against Jews to unify Russian Culture.

Nicholas II

• Tsar of the Romanov family takes over in 1894.

• Refused to surrender any power.

• Industry slow to take hold. • Trans-Siberian railway

constructed in 1904, Russia is a leading steel industry.

Industrialization and Revolution• More factories = poor

working conditions, low wages, and child labor.

• Two Revolutionaries:– 1903, Mensheviks broad

base of popular support for a revolution.

– Bolsheviks, small number of committed revolutionaries.

• Lenin would lead the Bolsheviks, but flee when he faced arrest in early 1900s.

International Affairs

• Russo-Japanese War– Japan attacks Russia over

broken treaties. They manage to take Manchuria.

• Bloody Sunday– 200,000 show up peacefully

asking for better wages and working conditions.

– Tsar is not at home, guards fire on Civilians, killing 1,000.

Russia and World War I• Weak Generals and lack of

artillery lead to the civilian population revolting.

• Tsar Nicholas attempts to rule near the front, to manage military affairs.

• Wife runs government, but follows the elusive Rasputin.

• War destroys morale, and with food and supplies dwindling, along with inflation, people began a revolution.

The March Revolution• It began with a strike in 1917

over food shortages.• Soldiers given the task of

shooting the rioters would join them instead.

• The Tsar would abdicate his throne, and a provisional government was interred.

• The provisional government continues war and bad policies, and a more radical revolution follows with Lenin.

Video Clip Question

• Using evidence in the video clip, answer the following question:

What were the causes of the Russian Revolution in 1917? Are they similar to other Revolutions we’ve studied since 1750? Why or why not?