From the Land of the Tsars To the Land of Lenin. Tsar: the Slavic term for Emperor derived from the Latin word Caesar Autocrat: a ruler with unlimited.

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

From the Land of the TsarsTo the Land of Lenin

Land of the Tsars

Tsar: the Slavic term for Emperor derived from the Latin word Caesar Autocrat: a ruler with unlimited authority

Ivan IV was the 1st to assume the title of Tsar in 1547

Nicholas II was the last Tsar Ruled until 1917

Ivan IV – Ivan the Terrible

Ruled from 1547-1584

Intelligent & strong ruler

Better known for his fits of rage and paranoia

One outburst of rage resulted in the death of his son & groomed heir to the throne Ivan Ivanovich

The Romanovs

THE ROMANOVSAssumed the Russian throne in 1613 under Tsar Michael I &

ruled until Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown in 1917

Peter the Great•Ruled 1682 – 1725

•Founded the Russian Empire in 1721

•Brought Russia out of the dark ages through sheer force of will

•Traveled through Western Europe studying everything about modern European culture, especially shipbuilding!

•Taught Russia’s shipbuilders the advanced techniques he learned himself!

•Led the improved Russian Navy to the expansion of Russian territory •He was 6’ 8” – a GIANT in his time!

Catherine the Great•Ruled Russia 1762 – 1796

•Known throughout Europe in her time & throughout history as a great ruler

•Russia greatly expanded its territory under her rule

•Known as an “Enlightened Monarch”

• An absolute ruler who, at the least, was open to the new ideas & philosophies of the Enlightenment

• Invited author of Encyclopedia, Denis Diderot, to her court in Moscow

The Expansion of Russia

RUSSIA UNDER IVAN THE TERRIBLE RUSSIA UNDER PETER THE GREAT

The Expansion of Russia

RUSSIA UNDER CATHERINE THE GREAT RUSSIA UNDER NICHOLAS II

Russia at the turn of the 20th century

RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR REVOLUTION OF 1905

Fought from February 1904 to September 1905

Fought over imperialist control of Manchuria (China) and Korea

The Russian Military was poorly organized & lost the war to Japan

Political & social unrest spread throughout Russia

Included worker strikers, military mutinies, & peasant unrest

Resulted in Tsar Nicholas II ceding some of his power

Russia became limited constitutional monarchy

Background to Revolution

Russia had many problems in the wake of the loss to Japan & Revolution of 1905

These problems left them unprepared for the new age of “Total” war in WWI Lacking militarily & technologically No competent military leaders Industry unable to produce enough weapons Some soldiers were sent to the front lines of WWI

without weapons!!

Tsar Nicholas & Family

Tsarina: Alexandra Children: 4 daughters

& the Tsarevich Alexi Alexi was a

hemophiliac Disease of the blood

where the blood lacks platelets (clotting agents)

This means even a bruise could be life threatening!

Rasputin – “The Mad Monk”

Siberian peasant & supposed holy man

Won the favor of the Tsar, but especially the Tsarina b/c he seemed to be the only one capable of stopping Alexi’s bleeding

The Rasputin Problem Tsar Nicholas was on the

front lines of WWI leading the Russian troops ... to defeat

This left the Tsarina, Alexandra, in St. Petersburg to make all of the decisions

She never made a decision w/o consulting her holy man, Rasputin

As military losses mounted & economic woes for Russia’s people continued, resistance to the Tsarist regime grew

The Situation Begins to Crumble

Military disasters mounted under the Tsar in WWI

Economic woes continued on the home front under the Tsarina’s decisions Anger at Rasputin’s influence over the Tsarina & her reliance on him grew

He was assassinated by a group of aristocrats who supported the Tsar in December, 1916

The March Revolution

In February, 1917 the government began to ration bread b/c the price skyrocketed

In Petrograd (St. Petersburg) women who worked 12 hour shifts in the factories now also had to wait in long lines for bread

These women staged a series of strikes in March, 1917

The March Revolution

FACTORY STRIKE IN PETROGRAD

The Tsars Response

After a general strike of 120,000 workers shut down all of the factories in Petrograd the Tsarina wrote the Tsar & called it a “hooligan movement”

Tsar Nicholas ordered troops to break up the strike by any means, even shooting

Many soldiers refused these orders & joined the demonstrators instead

STRIKE! In PetrogradTsarist troops fire on striking factory workers.

The Provisional Government

On March 12, 1917 the Duma (legislature) established a provisional (temporary) government

It urged the Tsar to step down Nicholas II did so on March 15, 1917 Ending 304 years of Romanov rule over Russia

The Provisional Government

Alexander Kerensky was chosen to lead the Provisional Gov’t

Ignored the wishes of the workers, peasants, & soldiers by keeping Russia involved in WWI

Authority faced a serious challenge from the soviets

The Soviets

Soviet: a council made up of representatives from workers & soldiers Began to form all over Russia

Factory towns Army units Rural areas

Made up mostly of socialists Socialism: a philosophy of government in which the government owns & controls the means of production

Represented the radical interests of the lower classes

Vladamir Ilyich Ulianov

Known to the world as V.I. Lenin Spent much of this time period in hiding

b/c his brother took part in the 1905 Revolution

Fiercely believed the only way for a Marxist revolution could overthrow capitalism was through violence

Shipped back to Russia by the German gov’t after the Provisional Gov’t came to power Hoped he would create chaos in Russia

Lenin & the Bolsheviks

While in hiding Lenin took control of the Bolshevik party

When he returned to Russia he saw an opportunity for his party to seize power through the Soviets

His plan was for the Bolsheviks to gain control of the Soviets & use them to overthrow the Provisional government

What the Bolsheviks Promised

END Russia’s involvement in WWI Redistribute land to the peasants Transfer ownership of factories &

industries from capitalists to councils of workers

Transfer of governmental power from the provisional gov’t to the soviets

Bolshevik Slogans

“WORKERS CONTROL OF PRODUCTION!”

“ALL POWER TO THE SOVIETS!”

“PEACE! LAND! BREAD!”

The Bolshevik Revolution

By October, 1917 the Bolsheviks had grown from 50,000 to 240,000

On November 6, 1917 Bolshevik forces in Petrograd took control of the Winter Palace, home of the Provisional Gov’t

The Provisional Gov’t quickly fell w/ little bloodshed

Lenin in Power

On the surface Lenin & the Bolsheviks passed governmental power to the Soviets

The REAL power, however, sat with the Council of People’s Commissars…controlled by Lenin

Bolsheviks renamed themselves Communists Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Signed by Lenin on March 3, 1918 Ended Russia’s involvement in WWI, as promised Gave up Poland, Finland, Ukraine, & the Baltic Provinces

Civil War in Russia

Many groups opposed Bolshevik rule in Russia Groups loyal to the Tsar Anti-Lenin socialists

Socialists who did not believe in violent revolution

Allied forces in WWI Concerned about communist takeover of Russia U.S., Great Britain, France

Communist forces: RED Army vs. Anti-Communist forces: WHITE Army

The Fate of the Romanovs

The royal family had been prisoners since the Tsar gave up power

Tsar Nicholas II and his family’s continued existence were the biggest threat to Lenin & the Communists’ rule, especially if the White Army gained the upper hand in combat

The entire family was assassinated in the middle of the night in Ekaterinberg, Russia

The Fate of the Romanovs

THE LAST ROMANOVS THE WALL BEHIND THE FINAL FAMILY PORTRAIT

Red Army vs. White Army(communists) (anti communists)

THE RED ARMY Well disciplined army

Deserters or refusal to obey = instantly shot

War Communism Gov’t control of banks, most industries, taking grain from

peasants to keep the army supplied

Red Terror The Checka, a secret police force, attacked opponents to

communist rule

Appeal to Russian Patriotism Japan, France, Great Britain, & the U.S. all had troops

stationed inside Russian territory to help the anti-communist forces

Communists called on Russians to fight off foreign attempts to control their country

Leon Trotsky

•Secret weapon of the Red Army•Commissar of War

• responsible for manning, supplying, and maintaining the army

• Insisted on rigid discipline•Insisted on a highly organized fighting force•Influential in the policies of War Communism

Red Army vs. White Army(communists) (anti communists)

THE WHITE ARMY Lacked the single

minded focus of the Red Army

Political differences among the various groups created distrust among the White forces & leaders Some wanted to restore the

Tsar to power & continue the monarchy

Others wanted to create a democratic system of government in Russia

No common goal!!

The Communists Prevail

•By 1921 the Red Army & the Communists had total control of Russia•Russia was now a centralized state under the control of a single party•Russia was also hostile to its former allies, who supplied troops & other aid to the White Army during the civil war