The Russian Revolution

Russia, 1914

• Russia’s government = autocracy– Autocracy: Rule by a

self-appointed ruler– Tsar Nicholas II

• Never interested in politics

• Terrible leader• Bloody Sunday (1905):

His soldiers killed 92 Russians

• Dissent

Russia, 1914

• Serbia asked Russia to help fight Austria-Hungary

• Nicholas II did not want war, but refused to abandon Serbia

• Russian army = “The Russian Steamroller”– Successful against Austria-Hungary and

Ottoman Empire, but continuously failed against Germany

Russian Steamroller

• Didn’t meet expectations– Untrained– Poorly equipped

• First confrontation with Germany:– German casualties:

20,000– Russian casualties:

120,000

War of Attrition

• War of Attrition: A war that gradually wears down each opponent until there is one victor

• With Nicholas II helping with the war, Russia began to fall to pieces– Economic collapse

The result of a stalemate

Russia, 1917

• Chaos– Food prices soared– Supplies were depleted– Riots began

• February Revolution of 1917– Nicholas II was forced to “abdicate”/give up the

throne• Nicholas II tried to give the throne to his brother, but

he refused

– A temporary government formed

Russia, 1917

• The Romanov (Nicholas II) family was placed under house arrest

• The Bolsheviks overthrew the temporary government– Bolsheviks: A political party led by Vladimir

Lenin

The Romanov Family

The Romanov Family

• July 17, 1918– A counterrevolution by supporters of Nicholas

II began– The Romanov family was awoken at 2:30 in

the morning and led into the basement of a Bolshevik stronghold

– Nicholas, his wife, his children, and three servants were shot and killed

The Legend of Anastasia

Over the years, several women have claimed to be Anastasia, but in 2007, DNA results proved she died in 1918 with her family.

Russia, 1918

• Civil War within Russia– Russia withdrew from World War I

• In 1922, the Bolsheviks maintained control and formed the Soviet Union– The earliest form of Communism was born

Communism: A social organization where everyone is equal and shares everything; nobody receives more than another

World War I

• Without Russia, Germany only had to fight a one front war: the Western Front