THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

AUTOCRATIC ALEXANDER III Autocracy: absolutist government where ruler

has all power Anyone who questions authority of czar,

worships outside Roman Catholic church, or speaks language other than Russian is labeled dangerous

Alexander III (Sasha) Censors documents Secret police Spying on schools, teachers, students Political prisoners sent to Siberia Pogroms (organized violence against Jews)

INDUSTRIALIZATION OF RUSSIA Number of factories double in 40 years Foreign investors make Russia 4th largest producer of

steel (behind US, Germany, Britain) Trans-Siberian Railway (1891-1916) is longest

worldwide Industrialization brings discontent

Poor work conditions, low wages, child labor Marxist followers believe industrial class will overthrow

czar “Dictatorship of the proletariat (workers)”

Two Marxist organizations Mensheviks want broad base of popular support Bolsheviks support few revolutionaries to sacrifice all

Led by Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin)

SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY Jan. 22, 1905: Bloody Sunday

200,000 workers approach czar’s palace Petitioning better working conditions, more

freedom, elected national legislature Nicholas II’s army fires on crowd, killing many

and wounding 1000 Leads to strikes and violence across Russia Followed by creation of the Duma

(parliament) wanting Russia to become constitutional monarchy Czar dissolves Duma

HOW WORLD WAR I ENDED THE CZAR Nicholas II brings Russia into WWI

Russians slaughtered by Germans due to lack of modernization and industrialization

WWI kills/wounds 4 million Russians Nicholas moves his rule to front lines

Rasputin (healing holy man) takes control of political decisions, opposes reform, gets powerful positions for friends

Russia continues to decline, can’t be fixed by Nicholas

THE MARCH REVOLUTION Women textile workers revolt in March, 1917

Riots over bread and fuel shortages Soldiers shoot rioters, later side with them

Riots force Nicholas to abdicate his throne Nicholas is executed in 1918

Socialist Revolutionaries form local councils consisted of workers, peasants, and soldiers called Soviets

Lenin takes control of Russia by controlling the Soviets

BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION Bolsheviks storm czarist palace, arrest

leaders of Russian government (Red Guard) Lenin orders all farmland distributed equally,

gives power of factories to workers Bolsheviks give land to Germany, angering

peasants Civil war erupts between Bolshevik Red Army

(led by Trotsky) and peasants (White Army) Kills 14 million Russians

LENIN RESTORES ORDER New Economic Policy instated (NEP)

Peasants sell surplus crops Government control of major industries, banks,

communications Allows for recovery of economy

Russia reorganized into small republics under central government to prevent nationalism Named Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

(USSR) Bolsheviks rename party Communist Party

Party holds all power Goes on assumption that workers would hold

power

MAN OF STEEL Lenin has a stroke, needs to be replaced

Leon Trotsky or Joseph Vissarionovich? Vissarionovich gains power, renames himself

Stalin “Man of Steel”

Lenin is hesitant of Stalin taking over, fears he will abuse his power

Trotsky is exiled, Stalin takes over Communist Party