RUssian REv

Alexander III

• Czar of Russia

• believed in autocracy

• wanted to wipe out revolutionaries

• applied russification

• labeled those that questioned his power as Czar, worshipped outside of the Russian orthodox church, or spoke a language other than Russian as dangerous

• applied strict censorship codes

• had street police watch secondary schools and universities

• sent political prisoners to Siberia 

Autocracy

Form of government in which Czar had total power

Bloody Sunday

When workers stormed Czar’s winter palace in St.Petersburg, petitioning for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature

Bolsheviks

• Russian Marxist group

• wanted communism- a dictatorship of the communist party

• group only supported a small # of committed revolutionaries that were willing to sacrifice everything for a change

Civil war

A “white army” rose up rivaling the Bolsheviks

White army included: 

• those who supported Czar’s rule

• socialists that opposed Lenin’s style of running things

• people who wanted a democratic government

White army only united by desire to defeat Bolsheviks

• Bolsheviks referred to as “Red army”

• 14 million died thanks to war and famine that followed

• Red army won

• Balsheviks showed they can take and maintain power

Czarina Alexandra

Wife of Nicholas II

• While Nicholas was away dealing with the entering of Russia into WWII, Czarina in charge

• Let Rasputin be in power - ignored Czar’s advisors

• Rasputin helped to ease effects of Czarina’s son→ she let him have power in gov/trusted him

Duma

• Name of Russia’s first Parliament

• formed as a result of Bloody Sunday

• leaders=moderates, wanted Russia’s gov to be alike to Englands

• Czar didn’t want to share power and dissolved it after ten weeks

Karl Marx

• Influenced the creation of communist party and spread of communism in Russia

• believed in dictatorship of the proletariat

Lenin

• Major Leader of Bolsheviks

• Had to flee Russia to escape Russian Czar

• Germany brought him back into russia hoping it would cause the Russian government instability

• once back in russia took control of petrograd Russian Gov

March Revolution 1917

• Women textile workers led a strike over bread shortages

• soldier at first shot the workers but then sided with them

• led to general uprising-more strikes/protests broke out

• forced Czar Nicholas II to abdicate the throne

• ended Romanov rule and led to provisional government

Mensheviks

• more moderate Marxist group

• opposed Bolsheviks

• wanted a broad base of popular support for revolution

New Economic Policy

• put into place by Lenin

• small-scale capitalism

• allowed peasants to sell their surplus of crops(didn’t have to turn it over to the government)

• Gov had control of major industries

Nicholas II

• Czar of Russia after Alexander

• continued Russia autocracy

• when he stepped down it ended Romanov rule

November Rev 1917

• armed factory works stormed Winter Palace in Petrograd

• took out gov officers

• arrested leaders of provisional gov

• taking over of bolshevik party

Pogrom

• organised violence against Jews

• broke out in parts of Russia

• happened under Alexander III

• Russian citizens looted and destroyed Russian homes, stores, and synagogues.

Provisional government

• temporary government established by leaders of Duma

Rasputin

• self described “holy man”

• Alexandra thought he had magical healing powers when he made symptoms of her son's disease lighter

• got power in gov, gave power to his friends

• citizens hated him

Romanov Dynasty

• The three-century Czarist rule

Russo-Japanese war

• Russia and Japan competing for Manchuria

• Russia and Japan had an agreement over territories- broken by Russia→ Japan retaliated by attacking Port Arthur→ Russians lost

Soviets

• local councils consisting of workers, peasants, soldiers

• had more influence than provisional government

Stalin

• cold, hard, impersonal

• got in total command of communist party after Lenin

• controlled government, economy, many aspects of citizens private lives

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

• ended war between germany and russia

• russia signed over lots of territory to germany —> people unhappy

• under bolsheviks

• caused people to dislike bolsheviks

Trotsky

• commanded Bolsheviks during civil war

USSR

union of soviet socialist republics

1.  Why did revolutionary groups develop? (Consider autocracy and industrialization)

• industrialization: Russia was a big producer of steel, led to bad working conditions, low wages, child labor

• rev group: Marxist- believed industrial workers would overthrow Czar

2.  Why did people support a Bolshevik Revolution? (consider what goals were not met in the March Revolution – what did the Provisional government fail to accomplish? What did the Bolsheviks promise?)

• people wanted bread and fuel

• when Czar was forced to step down and Provisional gov took over-dragged russia into WWI- people still needed food, people wanted land, wanted out of war

• Bolsheviks promised to give people land, gave control of factories to workers, and signed a truce with Germnay - war stopped

3.  What were some challenges that the Bolsheviks faced as the new leaders of Russia?  How did they address them?

Stamping out enemies at home. Their opponents were the White Army. In the end the Red Army ended up winning and the Bolsheviks were able to seize power and maintain it