1. THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

2. READING QUIZ 2
1. Name 1 event that happened in 1905 in Russia
2. What was 1 of the 4 reasons that some Russians
wanted a change of government in 1917?
3. Who was the leader of the Bolsheviks? (His slogan
was “All Power to the Soviets!”)
4. What treaty did Russia sign with Germany in 1918
5. In the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920 France,
Britain, Japan and the US helped the (Whites/Reds)

3. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE RUSSIAN
REVOLUTION
• Background – 1905 Revolution
1. There was a war between Russia and Japan (Russo-Japanese War). Japan won,
and Russia looked weak
2. The Russian people demanded changes and started a revolution. Czar Nicholas
satisfied the revolutionaries by creating a constitution with a parliament (DUMA)
• By 1917, there were many problems in Russia, and there would be another revolution
1. The gap between the rich and poor was enormous
2. The Czar had all power (autocracy), and ordinary people had no control over their
lives
3. In the Great War, the Russian Army was losing badly to the Central Powers
(especially Germany)
4. Because of the war food was scarce, and workers in the city did not have enough
money to live

4. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE RUSSIAN
REVOLUTION
• The Bolshevik Revolution
1. Vladimir Lenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks. They were communist
revolutionaries who took over Russia in 1917
2. Vladimir Lenin created slogans and propaganda, like “All power to the Soviets”
• Russia after the Revolution
1. Lenin established the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in Russia
2. His first decision was to end the war with Germany. Leon Trotsky was sent to sign
the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. In this treaty, Russia lost a huge territory
3. France, Britain, the US, and even Japan tried to help the “Whites” defeat Lenin in
the Russian Civil War, but the Bolshevik “Reds” won the Civil War in 1920

5. WHAT WE WANT TO LEARN TODAY ABOUT THE
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
• QUESTION 1 –
What were the Long-Term Causes of the Russian
Revolution?
• QUESTION 2 –
What 2 different groups opposed the Tsar?
• QUESTION 3 –
How did the Revolution end, and specifically who
deserves the most blame (or credit) for the Revolution?

6. LONG-TERM CAUSES, RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
I. The Role of Peasants
II. The New Working-Class
III. The Tsar’s Poor Leadership

7. LONG-TERM CAUSES, RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
I. The Role of Peasants
A. 75% of Russians were poor peasants
1. Before 1861 they were slaves called serfs
2. Since 1861 they were given land, but they
had to pay the government for it (DEBT)
B. The only rich people in Russia were a few
upper-class families and the Russian Orthodox
Church

8. LONG-TERM CAUSES, RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
I. The Role of Peasants
• The peasants made little
money from their small farms,
and had no voice in their own
government
• Students protests, peasant
revolts, and worker strikes
were common

9. LONG-TERM CAUSES, RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
II. The New Working-Class
A. Russia started building iron refineries, textile
factories, and engineering projects like
dams in the 1890s
B. By 1900, Moscow and St. Petersburg were
major cities, and 20% of Russians lived and
worked in cities

10. LONG-TERM CAUSES, RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
II. The New Working-Class
C. Most factories had at least 1000 workers,
and conditions were very unsafe.
D. When prices rose and wages stayed the
same, all the workers joined together to
protest

11. LONG-TERM CAUSES, RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
III. The Tsar’s Poor Leadership
A. Autocrat – makes all the
decisions alone
• The Russo-Japanese War -
1905
• Ignoring the Duma – after
1905
• Leading the Russian Army in
the Great War – 1915

12. QUESTIONS – “REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA”,
PG 790-91 – 15 MINUTES
1. What are 4 reasons for Russia’s failure in
WWI?
2. Why did Tsar Nicolas take control of the
Russian Army?
3. On what date did Tsar Nicolas abdicate? What
do Russians call this event?

13. LONG-TERM CAUSES, RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
III. The Tsar’s Poor Leadership
B. Why was Russia losing the
Great War to Germany?
1. Bad/Outdated equipment
2. Poor transportation
3. Low factory production
4. Ineffective military
leadership - CRONYISM
So, why did the Tsar take control of the Russian
Army when it was already doing so badly?

14. LONG-TERM CAUSES, RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
III.The Tsar’s Poor Leadership
C. The Tsar’s Control and Censorship in Russia
• Tsar Nicholas II (like his father Alexander III) oppressed
the poor and protected the rich
• Censorship – controlling what people said and read in the
newspapers about the Tsar, his family, and the Great War
• Secret police watched schools
• Protesters and complainers were sent to Siberia, +25 years
• Persecuted Jews
• Poor working conditions in the cities and factories
And the gap between the poor and the rich INCREASED from 1905 to 1914

15. OPPOSITION TO THE TSAR,
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
I. Liberal Reformers
II. Revolutionaries

16. OPPOSITION TO THE TSAR,
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
I. Liberal Reformers
A. These Russians wanted to change Russia
into a parliamentary system (like Britain,
France, USA)
B. “We want free elections, more education,
and no censorship of the press!”

17. OPPOSITION TO THE TSAR,
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
II. Revolutionaries (led by Vladimir Lenin)
A. These Russians wanted to build a brand new system
B. They followed the ideas of the German Philosopher Karl
Marx
1. History is the story of rich vs poor
2. Capitalism is going to fail because it creates winners
and losers (i.e. rich and poor)
3. One day, the poor workers around the world will
overthrow ALL THE RICH PEOPLE in the world, and
set up a fair system (Communism)

18. HOW DID THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION END?
A. Short-Term causes of the Revolution
• Rasputin’s influence over the Royal Family (especially the
Czarina) made Nicolas even more unpopular
• Food production dropped, because the peasant farmers were
fighting in the war against Germany instead of harvesting food
• Food prices increased in the cities (affecting the workers)
• Soldiers came home from war and told the Russians how badly
they were losing to Germany
• March 8, 1917 – Russian workers protested in Petrograd,
and Russian soldiers refused to shoot them or arrest them

19. HOW DID THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION END?
B. The Unsuccessful Provisional Government
• The Tsar Nicholas II abdicated on March 15 (called
“The February Revolution”)
• The Liberal Reformers (Kerensky) created a
“provisional government” and promised free elections
• Kerensky promised to continue fighting with Britain and
France against the Central Powers
• Food prices remained high

20. HOW DID THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION END?
C. Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)
• Said that the real enemy of Russians were the
rich landowners and capitalism, not Germany
• When he was 17, his older brother was
executed for treason
• Was living in Switzerland in exile, and returned
to Russia in 1917 (on a German train)
• Called for no private property, no social
classes, and Russia’s surrender to Germany
• Took control from Kerensky and the Liberal
Reformers October 25, 1917 (October
Revolution)

21. HOW DID THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION END?
D. The Russian Civil War
• Almost immediately after taking control
of Russia, the Bolsheviks had to fight the
“Whites” – a group of army leaders,
Liberal politicians, and rich Russian
families
• The US, France, Britain and even Japan
helped the Whites fight the Bolsheviks
for 3 years
• At the same time, the worst famine in
the history of Russia occurred and left
some 6 million Russians dead

22. HOW DID THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION END?
E. Founding the Soviet Union
• Lenin asked Leon Trotsky to lead the
Bolshevik “Red Army” to fight the Whites,
and the Bolsheviks won in 1920
• After the Civil War, Lenin created the New
Economic Policy (NEP), to allow farmers to
make small profits by selling extra grain
(capitalism)
• As a result of the NEP, Russia’s supply of
food increased and the economy
stabilized by 1924
• 1922 – Vladimir Lenin founded the new
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

23. TIMELINE – RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
1918
Bolsheviks control
1914 Russia 1924
“Great War” begins Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Vladimir Lenin dies
1905 1917 1918-1921
Russo-Japanese “February Revolution” Russian Civil War
War Tsar abdicates Lenin creates NEP
Creation of DUMA