The Russian Revolutions

By 1890, the Russian economy was still based on agriculture In 1861, the czar freed Russia’s serfs so they could move to cities and work in factories.

Factory workers lived and worked under horrific conditions.

First Russian Revolution (“February Revolution”) Russian Revolutions First Russian Revolution (“February Revolution”) February 1917 – Riots protesting the shortage of food forced Russia’s Czar Nicholas II from power

The Russian military suffered in WWI because of a lack of guns and supplies. Fighting in Galacia Wounded Russian Solders

The Russian Revolution began in March 1917. Women began a protest shouting “Peace and Bread.” The Russian Revolution began in March 1917.

“Cost of Revolution” – February 1, 1917

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.

A provisional government called for Czar Nicholas II to resign A provisional government called for Czar Nicholas II to resign. The entire royal family was executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

In 1917 the Russian legislature, the Duma, created a Republic. Soviets were councils made up of workers, peasants, and soldiers.

Lenin was influenced by the writings of Karl Marx (German philosopher). Vladimir Lenin influenced the Soviets and was the leader of the Bolshevik Party.

Vladimir Lenin, 1917

Communist / Bolshevik Revolution (“October Revolution”) October 1917 – The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power in Russia and began the communist revolution. The Bolsheviks promised to take Russia out of World War I due to food shortages and deaths on battlefields.

· 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. Eastern Front- Battle line between Germany & Russia Western Front- Battle line between Germany and France

1. In November, 1917, Lenin and the Bolsheviks took over the temporary (provisional) government. 2.The Bolsheviks changed their name to the Communist Party. Bolshevik Propaganda 

Not all Russians wanted to become Communist so a civil war broke out in 1918.  The Bolsheviks, or communists, controlled the Red Army. The Allies, European countries, supported the White Army, which was defeated by the Communists

Under Lenin, the government took over banks, mines, factories, railroads and the food supply. After Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin took over, and Russia was renamed The Soviet Union.

Communism – a theory that supports the elimination of private property and the equal distribution of goods Facts: · Created by the German philosopher Karl Marx. Karl Marx (1818-1883).

Communism – a theory that supports the elimination of private property and the equal distribution of goods Facts: · Supports the violent revolution of the working class against the “bourgeois” ruling class. This 1920 Soviet poster depicts a bourgeois hanging onto a globe by his fingertips as a dogged Red Army soldier tries to stab him with a bayonet.

· Led by a single, authoritarian political party. Communism – a theory that supports the elimination of private property and the equal distribution of goods Facts: · Led by a single, authoritarian political party. Communist symbol located on the flag of the former U.S.S. R.

A mourning poster conveys the message that Lenin’s death has united workers and peasants.

Communism: Development and Duration