1. Roots of the Revolution Geography of Russia: –Huge-hard to control all –Population/Ethnic groups –Climate-affects economy Food shortages: –Suffered back to back bad harvests

2. Affects of WWI Russia is soundly being defeated by Germany –Soldiers are deserting –Not enough guns Czar Nicholas II takes personal command –No improvement War depletes food supply & other resources By 1917 there were 8 million casualties Russians lose faith in Czar

3. The Czarina & Rasputin With Nicholas II in the war, his wife the Czarina took over the government Let Rasputin influence the government officials –Cured their son’s hemophilia –Was corrupt Public & others distrusted him Faith in the government deteriorated

4. February Revolution Women marched in Petrograd (capital) –Demonstrating against no food available & high food prices Thousands were marching by the end of the day Troops joined the women Czar forced to give up throne Provisional government set up-led by Kerensky

5. Lenin Returns Lenin returns from exile in Switzerland with German help in a sealed car. Leader of the revolutionaries Great speaker-spoke about Marx’s ideas-communism Called for “Peace, Land, Bread!” –Peace from the war –Land for the peasants –Bread for the people

6. Kerensky vs. Lenin Kerensky-leader of Mensheviks –Wanted to reform government through a elected parliament –Continued war with Germany Lenin-leader of Bolsheviks –Only elite revolutionaries should lead- –Believed that the masses wanted a strong leader –Wanted to end war –Give power to the Soviets (workers, councils of men, the proletariat)

7. October Revolution Leon Trotsky-Lenin’s right hand man- –Led the Red Army (Bolshevik military) –Stormed government offices in Petrograd –Provisional government was arrested Lenin & the Bolsheviks controlled Russia by force –Renamed themselves the Communist Party –Took control of all communication routes (trains, telegraphs) Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is created-USSR

8. Lenin’s First Actions Lenin took Russia out of war-said it served the capitalists –Brest-Litovsk Treaty –Huge loses for Russia –1/3 of pop., 1/3 of agriculture lost- Why agree? –Had to---couldn’t fight Germany & the civil war at same time Created Congress of Soviets-legislative body –All members were Communists Created collective farms –Vast farms where people shared the work

9. Lenin’s Men Leon Trotsky- –Worked together on Communist ideas –Controlled the Red Army Joseph Stalin –Was a member of the Communist Party Politburo –Had connections to all important party members –Became General Secretary Lenin tried to warn all of Stalin

10. Lenin’s Death & Stalin’s Rise to Power 1924-Lenin died Power struggle btwn Trotsky & Stalin –Stalin had too many friends in the government –Trotsky away when Lenin died Stalin becomes head of Russia-1925 –Exiles Trotsky –Has him killed later

11. Creates KGB-secret police Purges all enemies- –Kills –Sends to Siberia Eliminates Eastern Orthodox Church –Confiscates church land –Destroys some churches Created the Pravda –Propaganda Machine –Rewrote history –Claimed he was Lenin’s right hand man Communism in action –Forced people to work farms & factories together Stalin’s Russia