The Russian Revolution
Tsarist Russia
Until 1917, Russia was ruled by a tsar (also spelled czar). Nicholas (Romanov) II had become tsar in 1894. A tsar is a ruler who has absolute control over the country, an autocrat. People who spoke out against the government were sent to prison. Rioters were attacked by Cossacks (Russian soldiers).
In 1905, there had been a revolution against the rule of the Tsar. In order to keep his position, Nicholas had been forced to accept a Duma (parliament), but nothing really changed as Nicholas kept power. If members of the Duma disagreed with him, they were sent away.
In 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. The following year, Nicholas took control of the army. The Russians faced a series of defeats and Nicholas was blamed.
While Nicholas was at the front fighting the war, his wife Alexandra was left to run the country. She was heavily influenced by the holy man Rasputin. People resented the influence of Rasputin, and he was murdered.
The Romanovs were very unpopular. By 1917, there were food and fuel shortages throughout Russia. High unemployment was also a problem and meant that huge numbers of people were living in poverty and starving to death.
Communism
Karl Marx (1818-1883) had said that industrialization had made the middle-classes rich and powerful but had made the workers slaves. He said that the workers should rebel and take power away from the rich. He believed that nothing should be privately owned and that everything should be commonly owned. This theory is called communism. A group of people called the Bolsheviks believed that the royal family should be overthrown, and communism instituted in its stead.
The leader of the Bolsheviks was Vladimir Lenin, but he had been forced to leave Russia to avoid being imprisoned. Lenin continued to be leader of the Bolsheviks while in exile, publishing communist leaflets and raising money for their cause. He also spoke against the war.
The February Revolution
In February 1917, people rioted in the streets in Russia. They were joined by soldiers and members of the Duma. Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, and a new provisional government took over. Many Bolsheviks, including Joseph Stalin, believed that the Russian people would not accept a Socialist government and supported the provisional government led by Alexander Kerensky, who was named President of Russia. The workers, soldiers and peasants elected their own councils called Soviets. The Soviets became as powerful as the government.
The October Revolution
Kerensky had not ended the war as the people had hoped but had planned a new offensive against the Germans. Soldiers began deserting and returning to their homes. Many of them used their weapons to take land from the rich.
In April 1917, Vladimir Lenin returned from exile. Lenin was angry that Russia was still fighting in the war and that many Bolsheviks supported the provisional government. Joseph Stalin had to decide whether to oppose Lenin or whether to abandon his support for the provisional government.
Stalin chose to support Lenin, and on October 24th the Bolsheviks seized the Winter Palace, the headquarters of the provisional government. In December 1917, Lenin signed the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which took Russia out of the war. In 1918, the Russian royal family were murdered by the Bolsheviks.
Civil War
Many Russians did not support the Bolshevik government and tried to oppose the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks were known as “Reds” while those that opposed them were the “Whites." There was civil war between the Reds and Whites. Armies from Britain, France and America supported the Whites, but the Bolsheviks were more powerful. By 1922, the Bolsheviks were in charge of the country that would be renamed the Soviet Union.