Russia

High proportion of workers in agricultural jobs, 93.7 million compared to 12.3 million in industry

1900

Tsar Nicholas II came to power

1894

The October Manifesto granted freedom of conscience, speech, meeting and association. There could no longer be imprisonment without trial and no law could become operative without the approval of the State Duma.

1905

The creation of the Constitutional Democrats (Kadets)

1905

Russo-Japanese War

1904-1905

After a long siege, Port Arthur fell to the Japanese in January. In February the Japanese then took the key town, Mukden.

1905

The Russian Baltic Fleet took 8 months to arrive only to be blown out of the water immediately on arrival by the Japanese fleet at Tsushima in May.

1905

Father Georgi Gapon formed the Assembly of Russian Workers. Within a year it had over 9000 members.

1903

4 members were dismissed at the Putilov Ironworks, who were machine manufacturers. Gapon called for industrial action and 110,000 workers went on strike over the next few days.

1905

Father Gapon drew up a petition to present to the Tsar. Conditions included an 8-hour work day, freedom to organise trade unions, improved working conditions, free medical aid, higher wages for female workers, freedom of speech, elections to be held for a constituent assembly by universal, equal and secret suffrage and an end to the war with Japan.

1905

Bloody Sunday occurred when peaceful protestors were shot down by the Imperial Guard, on the 22nd of January.

1905

The State Duma was established

1906

The Fundamental Laws were introduced, which gave the Tsar the final say rather than the State Duma

1906

Military disaster in East Prussia. Troops were underfed, ill-equipped and had no ammunition.

1915

118 strikes in June in St Petersburg

1914

Russia's general headquarters reported that 100,000 new rifles were needed each month but Russian factories only produced 42,000

1914

Battle of Tannenberg - Russian officers sent out battle plans uncoded over the radio, the Russian army suffered 30,000 casualties and 100,000 soldiers were taken prisoner

August 26-30 1914

Inflation had reached almost 400%

Late 1916

An estimated 30% of Russia's railway stock was unusable

Mid 1916

The Tsar took control of the army

1915

The army had a 25% desertion rate

1917

Moscow's 2200 wagonloads of grain per month before WW1 fell to 700 a month

1917

Petrograd residents received 1/4 of the bread they used to receive before the war

1917

Full strike by Putilov Ironworks members (Joined by others up to the 23rd)

18th February 1917

International Women's Day - Thousands of women came unto the streets

23rd February 1917

Only a few of the 150,000 Petrograd garrison troops remained. Martial law was declared but the proclamation couldn't even be printed at this point due to the protests.

26th February 1917

Rodzianko on behalf of the Duma informed the Tsar that to preserve imperial power he had to give way to major concessions. The Duma was then dissolved by the Tsar. 12 members disobeyed however and formed the Provisional Committee.

27th February 1917

Alexander Kerensky (an SR) called for the Tsar to stand down.

27th February 1917

Tsar Nicholas II wanted to return and incorrectly believed his presence would calm the crowds. Mutinous troops stopped his train 180 miles from Petrograd and Generals advised abdication.

28th February 1917

The Tsar signed the Decree of Abdication for him and his son.

2nd March 1917

End of the 300 year old Romanov Dynasty.

3rd March 1917

The declaration of the Provisional Government

2nd March 1917

The Petrograd Soviet had 1300 members by 3rd March and 3000 a week later

1917

Soldiers went to the Soviet and demanded representation on 1st March

1917

237 land seizures by peasants in July

1917

586 factories in Petrograd closed and 100,000 jobs were lost between February and July.

1917

Petrograd needed 1000 wagonloads of grain and received 300 monthly

1917

Petrograd was paralysed by city-wide strikes, begun at Putilov Ironworks. Factories were occupied and authorities were hampered by sympathy for the protestors. The Tsar ordered General Khabalov to restore order. He cabled the Tsar detailing how large numbers of police, militia and garrison troops were disobeying orders and joining protestors.

25th February 1917

The Kadets (Constitutional Democratic Party) were the dominant liberal force in the Provisional Government but they were not united. Many like their leader, Milyukov had moved further to the right but left-leaning Kadets wanted much greater social reforms.

March 1917

The Kadets main policies:

War - Continue the war on the side of Britain and France and after they wanted Western help for their fledging democracy and Milyukov wanted territorial gains.

Land issue - Wanted the problem of land redistribution to be sorted out by the elected Constituent Assembly.

National minorities - Didn't want the old empire broken up, wanted to maintain the integrity of the state

Elections to Constituent Assembly - Delay it, they didn't believe they would have enough votes

March 1917

The main socialist parties' policies:

War - Fight a defensive war

Land issue - Leave it for the Constituent Assembly but the SRs wanted this done as soon as possible

National minorities - Wanted to accede to the national aspirations of non-Russian people, offering more self-government and local control. They wanted self-government granted to Ukraine.

However the Mensheviks and SRs were split over war.

SRs - Chernov and moderate SRs favoured the continuation of a defensive war, while left - wing SRs opposed war.

Mensheviks - Tsereteli and moderate Mensheviks supported the continuation of the war but Menshevik-internationalists led by Martov opposed it.

March 1917

Order No. 1

1 March 1917

What did soldiers demand from the Soviet in Order No. 1?

Representation

What was each regiment required to do according to Order No. 1?

Elect committees to send representatives to the Soviet

What was the new name for the Soviet after Order No. 1?

Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies

Order No.1 removed the addressing of officers with titles such as 'Your Excellency' and replaced it by 'Mr General', etc. The orders of the State Duma was only to be carried out when they didn't contradict the orders and decisions of the the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. The committees were given control of all weapons.

1 March 1917

Why did the Soviet not just take power?

Avoid a civil war and counter revolution and not the right time for workers to form the government.

How the provisional government dealt with the issue of land re-distribution:

They did nothing and wanted it to be resolved by the Constituent Assembly.

This was unsuccessful and lead to peasants committing land seizures and 237 of these cases were reported by

July 1917

How the Provisional Government dealt with the issue of National minority demands:

The regions that wanted more autonomy had some concessions made to them, like Ukraine where people wanted self-government. Liberals were outraged as they saw this as the first step towards the break-up of Russia

The Ukrainian National Congress was held in Kiev, where political groups called for a greater degree of self-rule.

April 1917

How the Provisional Government dealt with the deteriorating economic situation:

They increased the price they paid for grain by 100%, however this wasn't successful so they sent punishment brigades to requisition grain. Peasants thus became more hostile.

586 factories in Petrograd closed and 100,000 jobs were lost between

February to July 1917

How the Provisional Government dealt with the issue of war:

They launched the Summer Offensive in 1917 hoping that nationalism and patriotism alongside successful operations would lead to officers getting back in control of the armed forces and a better bargaining position in the peace negotiations.

There was unwillingness to fight and fraternisation with the enemy.

This was led by the new Minister for War,

Alexander Kerensky

Lenin's plan to deal with the issues faced by the Provisional Government:

Confiscation of all landed estates. Nationalisation of all lands.

Let the national minorities leave, Right of Nations' self-determination

Centralise food production with state-owned farms and have a union of all banks under control of the Soviet of Workers' Deputies. He also wanted balanced salaries.

He wanted the abolition of the army and peace.

1917

July Days

July 1917

The Bolshevik party grew from 10,000 to 75,000

February to July 1917

Trotsky switched from the Menshevik party to the Bolshevik party

August 1917

The Bolsheviks' programme of ending the war, controlling employers, social reform for workers and prioritising food supplies was appealing.

Early 1917

Causes of the July Days:

Failure of the Summer Offensive against Germany

Workers' anger at the economic plight

Petrograd's garrison's fear that its regiments were about to be sent to the Front

July 1917

20,000 armed sailors from the Kronstadt naval base arrived in Petrograd. They marched to the Tauride Palace where they demanded that the Soviet take power.

Chernov the SR leader was sent out to calm them down but was seized and bundled into a car. He was then rescued by Trotsky who barely escaped with his own life.

4th July 1917

Cost of pork increased by 770%

August 1914-1917

Cost of Charcoal increased by 1523%

August 1914 to August 1917

Lenin's April Theses:

No support for the Provisional Government

All power to the Soviets

Opposition to the war - immediate withdrawal from WW1

Land redistribution to the peasants

Establishment of a socialist economy - nationalising the banks

End to the war and imperialism

No cooperation with the Bourgeoisie

Complete democratisation of society

End to the police state

April 4 1917

The Russian Provisional Government was the internationally recognised government of Russia

February to October 1917

Tsar Nicholas II ordered the military governor to fire on the demonstrators. Street fighting took place

February 26th 1917

The Provisional Government was led by Prince Georgy Lvov and was mainly composed of leaders of the Kadet and Octobrist parties.

2 March 1917

The foreign minister, a convinced patriot, believed that the war was just and it was being fought to liberate the peoples oppressed by Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans.

Pavel Milyukov - 1917

Pavel Milyukov believed Russia should be rewarded for its efforts by acquiring Constantinople, the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, as well as Ottoman Armenia.

Socialists believed the war should be ended "without annexations and without indemnities".

1917

Russia's all-female "Battalion of Death" performed well during the June Offensive but morale in the armed forces was collapsing around it.

1917

Maria Bochkareva, leader of the "Battalion of Death" was executed by the Bolsheviks as a counter revolutionary

1920

Alexander Kerensky became the head of the Provisional Government after Lvov stepped down.

7th July 1917

Kerensky Offensive - He attempted to bolster soldier morale with speeches during visits to the front. His efforts were undermined by Bolshevik propaganda.

The Kerensky Offensive opened in Galacia but after small initial successes, it came to a standstill. Many units simply refused to fight.

18 June 1917

A mass demonstration was held by the moderate leaders of the Petrograd Soviet as a sign of the unity of the "revolutionary democracy" and the Bolsheviks turned out in force with banners calling for an end to the war and a cessation of offensive movements on the front.

18 June 1917

Huge demonstrations in the capital evolved into a full-fledged insurrection against the government. This included workers, soldiers and sailors from Kronstadt.

3-4 July 1917

The Provisional Government promised to extend Finland's autonomy and virtually all political authority in Finland was claimed by the Finnish parliament

July 1917

The First All-Russian Muslim Congress was helix in Moscow. They wanted to be directly represented in the Russian government.

1 May 1917

Moscow State Conference - To reinforce his authority with some sort of representative body Kerensky convened a State Conference in Moscow. Nearly 2500 people attended however the sharp division over war was highlighted.

Left - Peace without annexations however defend until this is achieved

Right - National defence was the most urgent task. Russia had to be defended

12-15 August 1917

Kerensky appointed Kornilov as commander in chief (Supreme Commander)

19 July 1917

The Germans occupied Riga and Petrograd appeared to be in danger. Kornilov became convinced he had to assume control of the civil government as well as the army.

21 August 1917

Kerensky and Kornilov agreed for Kornilov to bring trustworthy troops into Petrograd.

Kornilov saw this as an opportunity to crush radical socialists and restore law and order in Petrograd.

Kornilov sent his troops marching towards Petrograd in an attempt to seize power.

Soldiers in Petrograd were alarmed they would lose the power they had gained and be forced to fight at the front. Civilians feared a return of the old order and bloodshed.

27 August 1917

Kerensky denounced Kornilov as a traitor and relieved him of his command. Kornilov then sent a cavalry corps against the capital. Kerensky appealed to the soviets and the workers to defend the revolution.

Kornilov's troops were reluctant to fight their own countrymen, railway workers halted their trains, and when they reached the outskirts of Petrograd and were meant with delegates of the soviets they surrendered.

The Bolshevik Red Guard was the army that appeared defending the streets.

27 August 1917

Kerensky proclaimed Russia a republic

1 September 1917

The Bolsheviks had a majority in the soviets of both Petrograd and Moscow.

Mid-September 1917

Trotsky was elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet and set up a "military revolutionary committee" of the Soviet, which planned insurrection.

16 October 1917

The Bolsheviks were met with very little resistance during the revolution and the capital was in their hands. Units of the Red Guard, sailors and garrison soldiers were sent out to key points in the city- bridges, railway stations, telegraph exchange etc.

Power was passed from the Provisional Government to the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets which had convened on October 25.

24-25 October 1917

Alexander Kerensky becomes Prime Minister. He saw himself as the saviour of Russia and was keen to maintain a coalition government (of Kadets and Socialists)

7 July 1917

10,000 armed workers from the Bolshevik Red Guard in Petrograd

July 1917

40 newspapers spreading Lenin's views across Russia

June 1917

The Bolshevik Central Committee agreed in principle on an uprising. Kamenev and Zinoviev voiced strong objections and published it in a newspaper, alerting Kerensky

10 October 1917

Kerensky tried to remove the Bolshevik threat- he closed down the Bolshevik papers and attempted to round up leasing Bolsheviks. This forced the Bolsheviks into action, the revolution ordered by Lenin

23 October 1917

Membership of the Bolshevik Party:

February - 24,000

July - 75,000

October - 340,000 (60,000 in Petrograd)

1917

The Sovnarkom was set up - Council of the People's Commissars. It ruled by decree without going to the Soviet for approval.

October 1917

Sovnarkom:

Lenin was chairman

Trotsky was Commissar for Foreign Affairs (until Feb 1918 then Chicherin)

Trotsky was Commissar for War from Feb 1918

Rykov, later Dzerzhinsky was Commissar for Internal Affairs

Stalin was Commissar for Nationalities

Alexandra Kollantai was Commissar for Social Welfare

Lunacharsky was Commissar for Popular Enlightenment

October 1917

The State Bank refused to hand over money to the Bolsheviks and it took 10 days for armed forces to make them open up the vaults

October 1917

Sovnarkom decrees:

Maximum 8 hour day for workers

Social insurance

Decree on Peace - "no annexations, no indemnities"

Decree on Land - peasants' right to take over the estates of gentry without compensation. Land could no longer be bought, sold or rented. It belonged to the "entire people"

October 1917

Sovnarkom decrees:

Right of self-determination (the Bolsheviks didn't have control of most of these areas)

Abolition of titles and class distinctions

Workers to control factories

Abolition of justice system

Women declared equal to men and able to own property.

November 1917

Sovnarkom decrees:

Cheka set up

Banks nationalised

Democratisation of the army - officers to be elected and army to be controlled by army Soviets and soldiers' committees, abolition of tanks, saluting and decorations

Marriage and divorce became civil matters, not church matters

Church land nationalised

December 1917

Sovnarkom decrees:

Workers' control of railways

Creation of Red Army

Church and State separated

January 1918

Sovnarkom decrees:

Nationalisation of industry

Socialisation of land

February 1918

The Constituent Assembly was allowed to meet for one day then the doors were closed and the deputies told to go home. A crowd which demonstrated in favour of the Assembly was fired on by soldiers loyal to the Sovnarkom

5 January 1918

Under pressure from Lenin representatives of the Bolsheviks reluctantly signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This was after Trotsky had withdrawn from the negotiations saying there would be"neither war nor peace"

3 March 1918

As a result of WW1 4,000,000 Russians died, 27% of farm land, 26% of railway lines and 74% of iron ore and coal reserves were lost

1914-1918