1. 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!

2. 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

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

4. 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

6. 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 to the people.

7. Rasputin…Thoughts?

8. 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

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

10. Rasputin’s Official Death: Drowning

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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

14. March Revolution

15. The Provisional Government
A temporary government called the Duma took over 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.

16. 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!

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. Lenin’s Body in Moscow