The Russian Revolution Notes
1. WW I – Russia poorly equipped to fight the war against the Germans; Russians soldiers had no guns,
medical supplies etc…
2. Nicholas II – Czar of Russia; he went to the front to take personal charge of the war.
3. Alexandra – Czarina (queen) that was left in charge of domestic affairs when the Czar went to the front
during WW I; she was German and many people did not trust her.
4. Rasputin – The corrupt monk that had influence over the Czar and Czarina because he could stop
Alexis’ bleeding.
5. Alexis – Hemophiliac son of the Czar; Rasputin was the only person that could stop his bleeding.
6. Rasputin’s Death – Czar’s family (jealous of his influence) lure him to their palace; they poison and
shoot him, then throw him in the river. He died of drowning.
7. St. Petersburg – The Czar abdicated and the Duma set up a provisional government that stayed in the
war. The city was renamed Petrograd; people set up soviets which were councils of workers and
soldiers.
8. Bolsheviks – (means majority) – Russian communists.
9. Lenin – Revolutionary leader of the Bolsheviks; he was in exile in Switzerland. The Germans
transported him to Russia so he would lead a revolt against the provisional government. He became the
first dictator of the U.S.S.R.
10. November 1917 – Led by Lenin, the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government.
11. Kremlin – The fortress in Moscow that became the headquarters for the Bolsheviks.
12. Moscow – The city that became the Russian capital under communist rule.
13. Hammer & Sickle – The communist flag; it symbolized the unity between factory workers and farmers.
14. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk – The Bolsheviks surrendered to the Germans ending WW I for Russia, but
started a civil war in Russia between the Reds and the Whites.
15. Reds – The Bolsheviks led by Lenin.
16. Whites – Counter revolutionaries that supported the Czar; the allies sent soldiers to help the Whites.
17. Cheka – The Communist secret police; they used a reign of terror to squash all opposition. They also
assassinated the Czar and his family.
18. Leon Trotsky – Lenin’s assistant, he was the ruthless leader of the Red Army during the Revolution.
19. Lenin 1924 –Lenin died; his body laid on display in Moscow for 65 years.
20. NEP – Lenin’s economic policy; it allowed farmers to sell their extra crops.
21. Stalin – Outmaneuvered Trotsky to become dictator after Lenin; his name means: “Man of Steel”.
22. Five Year Plans – Stalin’s economic policy. Based on quotas, it brought all economic activity under
government control (including farms).
23. Collectives – Large state owned farms.
24. Kulaks – Wealthy Russian peasants who resisted Collectives; they were wiped out by Stalin. Angry
farmers grew just enough for themselves. The government seized their crops and millions starved.
25. Great Purge – Stalin’s Reign of Terror. He and his secret police wiped out 90% of the army officers
and old Bolsheviks he suspected of disloyalty.
26. Comintern – Means: Communist International. Lenin pledged to aid any communist revolution.