The Russian Revolution VCE Year 12 Course Notes
Unit 3: Russia 1905 to 1924
Area of study 1: Revolutionary ideas, leaders, movements and events: 1905 to
October 1917
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Weeks 1 to 2
Introduction and outline assessment tasks, introduction to Russia,
basic geography key cities, characteristics of population.
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Brief outline of social structure, government structure, role of the
Church and army.
 Industrialisation and peasants economy, causes of tension, Bloody
Sunday and outcomes of 1905.
 Effects of the Russo-Japanese war.
 Success or failure of attempted reforms.
 October Manifesto and the Fundamental Laws 1906.
 The Dumas. Stolypin and his attempts at reform.
 Tsar Nicholas, Alexandra, Rasputin.
Weeks 3-5
 World War I and how it reflected tension and crisis.
 Key personalities and parties.
 Key aspects of ideologies such as Marxism.
 Role of leadership of Lenin and the Bolsheviksand ideas in February
1917,
 abdication of Nicholas II,
 establishment of the Provisionalgovernment.
 Establishment of the Petrograd Soviet,
 Order No. 1, dual government and its weakness.
 April Theses, role of Lenin and others,
 July days, Kornilov.
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Weeks 6-7
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Bolshevik takeover.
The Second Congress of Soviets.
The Storming of the Winter Palace.
Factors which allowed the Bolsheviks to take control.
Role of Lenin, Trotsky.
Weeks 8-10
 Problems facing the new government such as how to end
involvement in World War I.
 The treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the land question, the Constituent
Assembly.
 Initial reforms.
 Key individuals such as Trotsky and Lenin and parties such as the
SRs.
Weeks 11-14
 The Civil War, War Communism, the Cheka.
 The role of Trotsky and the Red Army.
 Increasing centralization and control.
 ‘On Party Unity’, the 10th Party Congress.
 The Kronstadt Rebellion.
Week 15
 The NEP, impact and results.
 The death of Lenin and ensuing leadership style.