RUSSIAN REVOLUTION BACKGROUND Romanov 1613 1682 1725 1917

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

BACKGROUND � Romanov � 1613 – � 1682 – � 1725 – � 1917 – � History � Most dynasty (after Ivan the Terrible) Michael Romanov Peter the Great Catherine the Great Nicholas II of absolutism westernized Enlightenment ideals not encouraged

LONG-TERM CAUSES � Agriculturally country dependent � Peasants unhappy and poor (history of serfdom) � Capitalism bad! Socialism good! � Government � Autocracy corruption – Czars � Czar Nicholas II dissolved duma (parliament) a few times

IMMEDIATE CAUSES � Russo-Japanese � Embarrassing � 1905 War loss, led to… Revolution � Factory workers petitioned the czar for better working conditions and more respect as humans � Humble priest) and decisively anti-revolutionary (led by a � Nicholas II thought they were wild radicals, ordered his chief police to meet them with gunfire � “Bloody Sunday” (Selma, too) � Provoked outrage and massive strikes and unrest amongst lower class Russians

IMMEDIATE CAUSES � World � 10 War I was disastrous for Russia million casualties (most wounded) � Wrecked the economy � Moderates and radicals tired of bad government � Czar Nicholas II blamed for handling the war poorly

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION TWO SEPARATE REVOLUTIONS: February Revolution October Revolution

FEBRUARY REVOLUTION � Protestors, demonstrators marched on Petrograd (now known as St. Petersburg) � Petrograd � Workers’ Soviet formed councils led by radicals � Relentlessly attacked St. Petersburg, gained traction, overthrew the imperial government under Nicholas 11 � Nicholas II abdicated the throne to his brother, who denied it � This ended the long Romanov rule in Russia

FEBRUARY REVOLUTION � Intended ONLY to overthrow the czarist (imperialist) government � Like Marx – workers’ revolt against the corrupt officials in order to gain more equality for peasants

LONG SUMMER OF 1917 � After the February Revolution, a weak provisional government was established � Power was shared between the Petrograd Soviets and head of the provisional government, Alexander Kerensky � Soviets wanted complete social reform � Kerensky wanted limited reforms (no land reform though – made peasants mad) � Kornilov Affair General Kornilov attempted to overthrow provisional gov � Kerensky, in order to prevent this, freed socialist leaders from prison and supplied arms to revolutionaries �

THE RISE OF VLADIMIR LENIN � Leader of the Bolsheviks, a left-wing socialist group � “Bread, Peace, and Land” Food equally distributed to all Russians � Withdraw troops from WWI � Land redistribution according to need � � “Down With the Provisional Government – All Power to the Soviets!”

OCTOBER REVOLUTION � Bolshevik Party � Radical socialist revolutionaries � Why socialism? � October Revolution � Vladimir Lenin � Nearly bloodless � Established the first Marxist (socialist/communist) nation � Lenin in charge

VLADIMIR LENIN � Made peace with Germany – why? � Treaty of Brest-Litovsk � Officially ended Russia’s participation in WWI � Women’s rights! � Excluded religion from government (thought to oppose communist ideology) � Gave up Russian territories to the Germans � Nationalized � Everything industry is controlled by the government � Redistributed land

CIVIL WAR - 1918 Bolsheviks Anti-Bolsheviks � “reds” � “whites” � Socialists, � Wanted reforms peasants land work � Advocated for nation- states � Lenin and Trotsky � Incredible internal support � Cossacks � Defenders regime � Wanted of the old united Russia under czarist government � No main leader � Backed from G. B. , France, USA, Japan

CIVIL WAR � 1920: White Party defeated by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin � 1922: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, formally established � Lenin died 1924 � Josef Stalin rose to power (and kicked Trotsky out) � Did NOT advocate for communist revolutions around the world � Wanted to focus solely on Russia Industrialism � Advancements in agriculture � Isolationism � � Met � with wild dissent Kulaks – rich landowners

POST-REVOLUTION � In 1918, Lenin had the Romanov family murdered � Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed by Bolshevik forces � The killers hid the victims’ mutilated bodies � The remains were discovered and exhumed in the late 1970 s � The Czarina and her daughters were all found wearing lockets… with pictures of Rasputin inside

RASPUTIN! � Incredibly controversial figure in Russian history � “Holy Man” – spiritual advisor to Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra � Fun facts: Completely illiterate � Was 6’ 4 � Healing powers? � � Healed Czar’s son, who had hemophilia � Welcomed into Russian court as a result � Very liked by the ladies � “Purified” � Drunkard women of their sins

RASPUTIN! � Czar WWI � Nicholas II went to fight in Thanks to Rasputin, who asserted that Russia would lose terribly without Nicholas at the forefront of battle � Rasputin began to assert his influence over Czarina Alexandra Influenced her to appoint certain political figures � Relationship with the Czarina � Reports of him saving members of the royal family throughout his time at the palace �

RASPUTIN’S ALMOST DEATH! � Failed assassination attempt by an angry exprostitute � Stabbed him in the stomach � Surgery saved him � Nobles needed to do something – Rasputin’s power was growing too much

RASPUTIN’S DEATH! � The following account of Rasputin’s death is met with criticism and cynicism… but thanks to his autopsy, we know some of it is indeed true

RASPUTIN’S DEATH! � Poisoned him with cyanide – “enough to kill five men” � Rasputin only complained of a stomach ache � Shot once because cyanide wasn’t working � Shot twice more � Once in the head � Clubbed � Still alive! � Wrapped the river � in a rug and thrown into Still breathing! � Died not of drowning, but hypothermia

LET’S DANCE! � https: //www. youtube. com/watch ? v=Ob 4 n. V_3 jg. IY