BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION
Feb 17, 2016
BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION
BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION
¨ Nicholas II and Alexandra Romanov– Doomed from the day of their wedding– 1300 people died on that day– The couple went ahead and attended a ball
given by the French embassy.– Already the people began to loathe the
seemingly callous couple
In the Beginning
¨ The Tsar was cursed from birth– Did not want to be tsar– Tortured psychologically by his father
¨ His priorities were his family not his country.
¨ Would rather go on a cruise with his family than deal with the problems brewing in his country.
THE IMPERIAL FAMILY
LONG TERM REASONS¨ People were angry with the government.
– Russia was an autocracy.– Peasants wanted more land– Bread lines were long, – Working conditions (factory workers) were
poor.
BLOODY SUNDAY
¨ January 22, 1905 ¨ Proletarians (factory workers) protested at
the Tsar’sWinter Palace– Working conditions were bad
¨ The guards began to fire into the crowd.¨ Many were killed¨ Tsar was nicknamed“Bloody Nicholas”.
BLOODY SUNDAY
STRIKES AND REVOLTS
¨ Bloody Sunday caused many revolts and strikes.
¨ Tsar did not care about the people¨ Gap between upper and lower class
widened.¨ Ideas of revolution began to stir.
BAD DECISIONS
¨ Russian-Japanese war 1904-1905¨ 15,000,000 soldiers who were cold, had no
shoes, or sufficient supplies¨ Navy destroyed at Battle of Tsushima
straights¨ Infantry destroyed at Yula River.¨ Portsmouth treaty ended war in 1905¨ People wanted Freedom of speech as well
as political freedom.
DUMA¨ Imperial Manifesto made promises to the
people for civil rights¨ The Duma-elected government body
– Seemed Nicholas was making an effort.¨ Tsar would not keep his bargain.
THE GREAT WAR
¨ Russia a united front¨ Transportation was inadequate ¨ food shortage around the country¨ Soldiers were only allowed 3 bullets a day¨ Morale started to nosedive with the Russian
people¨ Protest and strikes started up again¨ Nicholas commanded his army to put an end to all
disorderly conduct in the streets of the capital
LENIN
¨ In the background was a man named Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov or Lenin.
¨ Exiled to Siberia in 1895 for joining a communist ring
¨ He returned in 1900 and begin to fuel the fire of revolution.
¨ Leader of the Bolshevik party which believed in a five year socialist state in a conversion to communism.
¨ War cry was “Peace, Land, and Bread.”
Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov “Lenin”
MARCH REVOLUTION
¨ Lenin created a new Bolshevik– the red army
¨ The Menshevik Party – the white army.
¨ The red army beat the white army¨ Ended in the abdication (giving up power)
of Nicholas and his son.
END OF THE ROMANOVS
¨ As a result of March Revolution, the family exiled to Siberia.
¨ Bolsheviks took control¨ The family was assassinated on July 16-17,
1918¨ In 1918 a peace treaty was signed to end
WWI.¨ And so began the communist state of Russia
which would last 74 years.
END OF AN ERA¨ 1918 peace treaty signed to end WWI.¨ The white army was defeated by the Reds
in 1920.¨ Communist state of Russia would last 74
years.
Summary & Reflection
¨ Why would authors during the time Russia was ruled by a Tsar, Nicholas II, need to be very careful with their literature?
¨ How could they produce and publish social commentaries without getting caught?