1. Objective: To examine the Russian Revolutions and the impact they had on World War I.
Vladimir Lenin, 1917

2. The Czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
Bloody Sunday January 22, 1905
The Czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
Citizens seeking better working conditions, more personal freedom, and a national legislature are met by general and police chiefs – 500-1,000 unarmed people are killed

3. The Opening of the Duma: Possible Reforms?
1906
After Bloody Sunday Revolution, Czar Nicholas formed the Duma- Russia’s first parliament.
Hesitant to share power he dissolved it 10 weeks later

4. The Years Before the War
Russia and World War I
Russia a troubled nation
Czar Nicholas II had promised reform after 1905 revolution, but delivered little real change
Bolsheviks sought to change life through revolution, wanted to overthrow czar
Led by Lenin, wanted proletariat to rule Russia as socialist country
The Years Before the War
Adaptation of Marxist ideas of overthrow of communisim
Wanted elite group to keep much of power over Russia
As Russia’s problems grew more serious, Bolsheviks gained more followers
Czar Nicholas hoped entering WWI on the side of the Allied Powers would cause people to rally to his leadership
Bolshevik Plan

5. Conditions Grow Worse
Czar Nicholas II took personal command of forces, 1915
Move made little sense since he knew little of military matters
Czar’s fate became linked with fate of Russian armed forces
Bad situation grew worse under Czar’s command
Russian army seemed doomed
Central Powers were able to stop Russian offensive
Destroyed Russian soldiers’ faith in leadership
Army had little strength, even less confidence
Conditions in Russia worse than on battlefield
Food, goods scarce; peasants grew desperate
Unpopular Czarina relied on Grigory Rasputin, viewed as corrupt, immoral
Shaky support for Russian monarchy dipped even lower

6. First Russian Revolution
Russian Revolutions
First Russian Revolution
February 1917 – Riots protesting the shortage of food forced Russia’s Czar Nicholas II from power

7. Communist / Bolshevik Revolution
October 1917 – The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in Russia and began the communist revolution.

8. Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany and dropped out of the war.
Germany then sent their troops on the Eastern Front to the Western Front.

9. Russian Czar Nicholas II, left, and his son Prince Alexei are shown sawing wood to heat the dwelling in Siberia, where they were held during the Russian Revolution. The entire royal family was executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

10. Communism –
a theory that supports the elimination of private property and the equal distribution of goods
-Government controls.
Created by the German philosopher Karl Marx.
Karl Marx ( ).

11. In 1922- Russia became known as the U.S.S.R.
For the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics.
Capital of U.S.S.R. was Moscow
Bolsheviks renamed their party Communist Party
Lenin controlled as a dictator until his death in 1924
Communist symbol located on the flag of the former U.S.S. R.

12. Last of the Czars: Revolution
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