Legacy of War and the Russian
Revolution
Agenda
1. Bell Ringer: How was Germany treated after
World War I?
2. Notes: Russian Revolution and the legacy of
World War I. (20)
3. Video Clip: Russian Revolution (5)
4. League of Nations Discussion (10)
5. Comparing Revolutions (10)
6. Propaganda Analysis: Russian Revolution (15)
Final Casualties
• Henry Gunther (10:59)
• Augustin Trebuchon
(10:45)
Issues with the League of Nations
• Ends up being a weak
organization.
• United States does not join,
the people want isolation.
• Bitterness and hatred stew
with the German people
• Some Allies didn’t receive
any support after the war,
ex: Japan and Italy.
• Mandate System =
Colonialism
The Costs
• Brought war to a global
scale.
• 8.5 million dead, 21 million
wounded.
• Countless farmlands and
lives destroyed.
• Russian Revolution would
begin as a result of lives lost
in the conflict.
• Nazism would base its
origins in Germany’s losses
during World War I
Russian Revolution of 1917
• The rumblings of
Revolution began in the
1800s.
• Assassinations and
revolts were common
by the lower class.
Alexander III
• Takes over after father is
assassinated.
• Strengthen autocracy,
orthodoxy, and nationality.
• Censorship codes on all
written records.
• Even schools were
monitored for political
dissent.
• Pogroms – organized
violence against Jews to
unify Russian Culture.
Nicholas II
• Tsar of the Romanov family
takes over in 1894.
• Refused to surrender any
power.
• Industry slow to take hold.
• Trans-Siberian railway
constructed in 1904, Russia
is a leading steel industry.
Industrialization and Revolution
• More factories = poor
working conditions, low
wages, and child labor.
• Two Revolutionaries:
– 1903, Mensheviks broad
base of popular support for
a revolution.
– Bolsheviks, small number
of committed
revolutionaries.
• Lenin would lead the
Bolsheviks, but flee when
he faced arrest in early
1900s.
International Affairs
• Russo-Japanese War
– Japan attacks Russia over
broken treaties. They manage
to take Manchuria.
• Bloody Sunday
– 200,000 show up peacefully
asking for better wages and
working conditions.
– Tsar is not at home, guards
fire on Civilians, killing 1,000.
Russia and World War I
• Weak Generals and lack of
artillery lead to the civilian
population revolting.
• Tsar Nicholas attempts to rule
near the front, to manage
military affairs.
• Wife runs government, but
follows the elusive Rasputin.
• War destroys morale, and with
food and supplies dwindling,
along with inflation, people
began a revolution.
The March Revolution
• It began with a strike in 1917
over food shortages.
• Soldiers given the task of
shooting the rioters would join
them instead.
• The Tsar would abdicate his
throne, and a provisional
government was interred.
• The provisional government
continues war and bad
policies, and a more radical
revolution follows with Lenin.
Video Clip Question
• Using evidence in the video clip, answer the
following question:
What were the causes of the Russian Revolution
in 1917? Are they similar to other Revolutions
we’ve studied since 1750? Why or why not?