The Russian Revolution

Flag of the Czar Flag of the Soviet Union

Ohio Performance Standards

Content Standards:15. The consequences of World War I and the worldwide depression set the stage for the Russian Revolution, the rise of totalitarianism, aggressive Axis expansion and the policy of appeasement, which in turn led to World War II.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: 1. How did the Russian Revolution contribute to instability in Europe during and after WWI?

The Land• Russia is the largest

country in the world. It is 6,200 miles from east to west. (New York to California is 3000 miles).

• The Ural Mountains run north-south mark the boundary between Europe and Asia. On the western side, the land is part of the European Plain.

• On the eastern Asian side, a large plain gives way to drier, more mountainous land.

Climate• Russia is cold! In all of Russia there is only one major ocean port that is open year round: St. Petersburg.

• Siberia, a huge area on the Asian side, is one of the coldest places on earth.

• About half of the land of Russia is too cold for people to live in. The northern coast is inside the Arctic Circle.

• St. Petersburg

Siberia

Population• Total population:

146 million. (US has 310 million.)

• Over 75% of Russians live in western, European Russia.

• Moscow and St. Petersburg are the largest cities. Asian Russia has a very small population.

The CzarsReign Name of the Monarch (Czar)1613-1645

Czar Mikhail Feodorovich, founder of the Romanov dynasty

1645-1676

Czar Alexei Mikhailovich

1676-1682

Czar Feodor Alexeevich

1682-1696

Czar Ivan V (joint ruler with Peter I, the Great)

1696-1725

Czar Peter I, the Great, Emperor of All Russia(From 1721 onwards, the Russian Czar was

proclaimed Emperor of All Russia. Czar Peter I became the first Emperor of All Russia)

1725-1727

Catherine I, Empress of All Russia

1727-1730

Peter II, Emperor of All Russia

1730-1740

Anna Ivanovna, Empress of All Russia

1740-1741

Ivan VI, Emperor of All Russia

1741-1761

Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia

1761-1762

Peter III, Emperor of All Russia

1762-1796

Catherine II, the Great, Empress of All Russia

1796-1801

Paul I, Emperor of All Russia

1801-1825

Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia

1825-1855

Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia

1855-1881

Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia

1881-1894

Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia

1894-1917

Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia

• Czar is the Russian word for King.

• From 1613 to 1917, the oldest sons of the Romanov Dynasty became czars of Russia.

• While other counties in Europe gradually changed from rule by a king (monarchy) to rule by the people (democracy), the Russian czars held on to absolute power.

Czar Nicholas II• Czar Nicholas came to power in 1884 at the age of 25. Like his father, Czar Alexander, he completely controlled--and practically owned—Russia.

• Peasants worked on farms but did not own the land; workers produced goods but did not share in the money: the Czar saw no need for change. He led Russia into World War I, and the army suffered several brutal defeats by Germany in early 1915.

• In September 1915, the Czar took control of the Russian army, but he was no match for the skilled German commanders, The army fell apart; citizens demanded peace.

Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia1894-1917

1917 February Revolution:

Strike, Mutiny, Abdication

In 1917 in St. Petersburg, the large industrial city in western Russia, everything suddenly changed: revolution!

Workers began to protest the lack of bread. Women factory workers went on strike: they refused to work and marched through the streets.

Thousands of workers joined the strike, and the Czar called in the army to fire on the crowds.

The soldiers’ refusal to follow orders was mutiny; many soldiers joined the striking workers. Advisors convinced Nicholas to abdicate, or give up the throne.

1917 October RevolutionLenin and Communism

After a temporary government was set up, Vladimir Lenin violently seized power. He led the Bolshevik group that stressed a need for revolutionary change in Russia.

He smashed the old systems and created a government to give land to peasants and power to workers.

There would be no rich or poor; all power would be held in common.

This belief in common work and common benefit was called Communism.

From Russia to Soviet Union• Lenin organized

Russia into many workers’ councils called Soviets.

• All soviets were united in the new country, the Soviet Union, to be run by workers, for workers.

• The Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR) lasted from 1917 to 1991.

Exit Ticket1. What is a Czar?2. What is the Romanov Dynasty?3. Who is Czar Nicholas II?4. Explain the 1917 February Revolution in Russia. The 1917 October Revolution.5. Explain the what is meant by the phrase “From Russia to Soviet Union”.