THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION! What do Big Brother, a sinister monk that cannot be killed, 15 million dead people, and a human body that has been preserved and on public display since 1924 all have in common? THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION!

Russia in 1917 Ruled by Autocracy One man, called a czar, held all of the power Citizens were watched and followed constantly No free speech, press, or religion Many Russians were frustrated by the economic inequalities of the Czarist rule Was trying to become industrialized like other European nations Problems: Poor working conditions Low wages Child labor Huge gap between rich and poor High Taxes Trans Siberian Railway

The Czar Loses Power Reason #1: Russo-Japanese War 1904, Russia and Japan go to war over the colonies of Korea & Manchuria Russia was badly beat Loss leads to mistrust of the Czar’s leadership Russia was financially devastated by this loss

The Czar Loses Power Reason #2: Bloody Sunday 1905, a crowd of Russian workers gathered outside of the Czar’s palace to demand better working conditions Soldiers fired on the crowd and killed hundreds of unarmed people Event caused strikes and more hatred of the Czar

The Czar Loses Power Reason #3: World War I 1914, Czar Nicholas II decided to enter the war Russian army was badly beaten Poor generals Not enough equipment Remember: Russia had not fully industrialized Soldiers and civilians starved Czar appeared weak and ineffective

Rasputin…Thoughts?

Rasputin: Another Problem During WWI, the Czar moved to the front to lead the war and left wife, Czarina Alexandra in charge Rasputin, a “sinister monk” with magic potions convinced Alexandra to give him some political control He gave power to his friends and the government became more corrupt In 1916, he was killed by a group of nobles who feared his power

Rasputin Newspaper Cartoon What message is this cartoon delivering to the viewer?

Rasputin’s Official Death: Drowning

A Revolution Begins The workers grew tired of being exploited (taken advantage of) by the Czar and his government. The government was eventually overthrown in favor of a new one that focused on a communist economy. COMMUNISM: A system in which everything is owned and shared by the people. Private property and social classes do not exist.

The Bolsheviks & Lenin The Bolsheviks were a group of communist workers who decided to violently overtake the government Vladimir Lenin will eventually become their leader He had been previously exiled in Germany by the Czar because of his radical views.

The March Revolution As the Bolshevik’s gathered a following, other political and economic issues continued In March of 1917, women workers started to strike in Petrograd (St. Petersburg- the capital city of Russia at the time) Other workers joined the strike Soldiers were sent to end the strike and joined it Czar Nicholas II abdicated the throne and was later executed with rest of family The Romanov family had ruled Russia for 300 years

March Revolution

The Provisional Government A temporary government called the Duma took over the power after the Czar lost his power. The Duma kept the country in WWI and workers, farmers, & soldiers were angry about this. The workers formed “Soviets” which were small unions/councils that began competing for power.

The Bolshevik Revolution In April 1917, Vladimir Lenin returned from Germany to Russia to lead Bolsheviks Lenin took control over the Petrograd Soviet and gained popularity because of his personality and ideas towards economic equality November 1917, Bolshevik soldiers stormed the government palace and arrested all members of the Duma The Bolsheviks and Lenin were taking over!

Lenin Takes Over Farmland was quickly given to peasants and factories given to workers Signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany This treaty took Russia out of WWI Germany was given huge amounts of Russian land in exchange

Russian Civil War 1918-1920 Not everyone loved Lenin right away Some Russians were angered by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and wanted to restore the monarchy They formed the “White Army” and attacked the Bolsheviks (the “Red Army”) led by General Trotsky The Bolsheviks win but pay a price: 15 million Russians die Widespread famine Economy ruined

Lenin Restores Order In 1921, Lenin started a variety of reforms in Russia New Economic Policy Capital city moved to Moscow Russia renamed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Bolsheviks became known as the Communists 1924, a constitution was created by the communists with Lenin as dictator Lenin died in 1924

Lenin’s Body in Moscow