Objective: To examine the Russian Revolutions and the
impact they had on World War I.
Vladimir Lenin, 1917
Bloody Sunday
January 22, 1905
The Czar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg
Citizens seeking better working conditions, more
personal freedom, and a national legislature are met by
general and police chiefs – 500-1,000 unarmed people
are killed
The Opening of the Duma:
Possible Reforms?
1906
 After Bloody Sunday Revolution,
Czar Nicholas formed the DumaRussia’s first parliament.
 Hesitant to share power he
dissolved it 10 weeks later
Russia and World War I
The Years Before the War
• Russia a troubled nation
• Czar Nicholas II had promised
reform after 1905 revolution, but
delivered little real change
Bolshevik Plan
• Adaptation of Marxist ideas of
overthrow of communisim
• Wanted elite group to keep much
of power over Russia
• Bolsheviks sought to change life
through revolution, wanted to
overthrow czar
• As Russia’s problems grew more
serious, Bolsheviks gained more
followers
• Led by Lenin, wanted proletariat to
rule Russia as socialist country
• Czar Nicholas hoped entering WWI
on the side of the Allied Powers
would cause people to rally to his
leadership
Conditions Grow Worse
Czar Nicholas II took personal command of forces, 1915
• Move made little sense since he knew little of military matters
• Czar’s fate became linked with fate of Russian armed forces
• Bad situation grew worse under Czar’s command
Russian army seemed doomed
• Central Powers were able to stop Russian offensive
• Destroyed Russian soldiers’ faith in leadership
• Army had little strength, even less confidence
Conditions in Russia worse than on battlefield
• Food, goods scarce; peasants grew desperate
• Unpopular Czarina relied on Grigory Rasputin, viewed as corrupt, immoral
• Shaky support for Russian monarchy dipped even lower
Russian Revolutions
First Russian Revolution
February 1917 – Riots
protesting the shortage of
food forced Russia’s Czar
Nicholas II from power
Communist / Bolshevik Revolution
October 1917 – The
Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir
Lenin, seized power in
Russia and began the
communist revolution.
Russia signed the
Treaty of BrestLitovsk with
Germany and
dropped out of the
war.
Germany then sent
their troops on the
Eastern Front to the
Western Front.
Russian Czar Nicholas II, left, and his son Prince Alexei are
shown sawing wood to heat the dwelling in Siberia, where
they were held during the Russian Revolution. The entire
royal family was executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
Communism –
a theory that supports
the elimination of private
property and the equal
distribution of goods
-Government controls.
Created by the
German philosopher
Karl Marx.
Karl Marx (1818-1883).
In 1922- Russia became
known as the U.S.S.R.
For the Union of Soviet
Socialists Republics.
Capital of U.S.S.R. was
Moscow
Bolsheviks renamed
their party Communist
Party
Lenin controlled as a
dictator until his death in
Communist symbol located on the
1924
flag of the former U.S.S. R.
Last of the Czars:
Revolution
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