Russian Revolution Timeline

Bloody Sunday 1905-01-22

Bloody Sunday

1905

• Tsarist troops open fire on demonstrators
• Demonstrators were common workers and peasants
• Demonstrators were
• 130 People killed and more injured

Bloody Sunday was part of a series of events that sparked the flames of revolution within Russia. Bloody Sunday would aid in increasing the power of those who wished to see a change in regime of those hopeful revolutionaries, were the Bolsheviks. Although the events of 1905 failed to see any real change in government, it highlighted key flaws of Russia socially, politically, and economically

World War One 1914-1917

• Exacerbated Russia's underlying problems
• Created a food shortage
• Weakened government due to Rasputin's influence
• Would see the Tsar abdicate the throne

World War One would be the final straw for the increasingly unhappy people of Russia. The abdication the Tsar would end the Romanov's rule of Russia which had lasted for 300 years. The end of monarchy in Russia would redefine the nation socially, economically, and politically for years to come.

Provisional Government 1917-03-16 to 1917-11-07

Provisional Government 1917

• Interim government setup after the abdication of the Tsar
• Mostly made up of moderates
• Defined by political power struggles
• Failed to meet demands of the people

The Provisional Government would be an important stepping stone for the Bolshevik's rise to power. Had the Provisional Government managed the Russian situation better, support for fringe groups such as the Bolsheviks would have been undermined.

War Communism 1918

War Communism

1918

• The implementation of communism in Russia

War Communism would be the first time a government had adopted communist policies on a large scale. The associated social, political, and economical upheaval would be astronomical on the influence of future communist leaders and policies.

Russian Civil War 1918-1920

Russian Civil War

1918-1920

• Bosheviks known as the 'Reds'
• Opposition known as the 'Whites'
• Whites received support from allied nations

The civil war would see the Bolsheviks brutally eliminate any and all significant opposition groups. Although the civil war was mainly a political conflict, it was also a social conflict as it pitted the middle and upper classes of Russia against the working classes of Russia in a violent and bloody conflict. The civil war would also further damage Russia's already war-torn economy and inhibiting the Bolshevik's economic communist goals.

Stalin's Rise to Power (Lenin's Death) 1924

Stalin's Rise to Power

1924

• Lenin dies from overwork
• Begins a power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin
• Stalin ultimately prevails against Trotsky

Lenin's death would be the deciding factor of Russia's future. The ensuing power struggle would once again influence the nation socially, economically, and politically. Stalin's future policies regarding these three points would define the USSR as a nation. Stalin's brand of communism was in stark contrast to Lenin and Trotsky. Had Lenin politically stabilized the nation before his untimely death, the power struggle that led to Stalin's rise to leadership may have had forever changed the world's future forever.

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