Revolutions in Russia

1. Revolutions in Russia by Julia Ryoo & Lauren Lee

2. Overview of the revolution • 1917, The explosion broke out in Russia and lasted for a century • Causes: • anger over social inequalities • cruel treatment for peasants • the ruler’s unfair governing • Reactions: • army officers revolted (1825) • hundreds of peasants rioted • secret revolutionary groups formed and planted to overthrow the gov. • student revolutionaries were angry at the slow pace of political changes • ASSASSINATED czar, Alexander II

3. Alexander III Upholds the Autocracy • Alexander stopped all reforms in Russia • Like his grandfather, Nicholas I, he upholds autocracy • Autocracy:government in which the ruler has total power • strengthened “Autocracy, Orthodoxy, Nationality” • anyone who questioned the absolute authority were wiped out

4. Alexander’s harsh measures & Unites Russia • Strict censorship codes on published materials and written documents • Secret police watched schools and universities • Made the teachers to send detailed reports on every student • Political prisoners were exiled to Siberia • Oppressed other national groups in Russia • Made Russian the official language • Made Jews the target of persecution • Pogroms: organized violence against Jews • Police & soldiers watched Russian citizens to destroy Jews

5. Nicholas II Resists Change • 1894, the son of Alexander III, Nicholas II, also takes the tradition of autocracy

6. Nicholas II- Economic Growth • Number of factories doubled (1863~ 1900) • Russia’s industry was behind compare to the western Europe • Sergey Witte took a role to move the country forward • higher taxes • foreign investments • developed heavy industry, STEEL- one of the best steel producing country • Trans-Siberian Railway, world’s longest continuous rail line (1891)

7. Nicholas II- Revolutionary Movement Grows • grows of factories brought new problems • harsh working conditions • miserably low wages • child labor • gap between rich and poor was enormous • the revolutionaries, the working class, believed in the views of Karl Marx • “a dictatorship of the proletariat” and the workers would rule • Two different revolutionaries grew • Mensheviks- large group, broad base of popular support • Bolsheviks- small group, willing to sacrifice everything for radical change - Leninthe major leader

8. Bolsheviks Members

9. Crises at Home and Abroad • between 1904~ 1917, Russia faced a series of crises • The Russo-Japanese War • Bloody Sunday: The Revolution of 1950 • WWI • showed the czar’s weakness and led to the revolution

10. The Russo-Japanese War • during late 1800s, Russia and Japan both wanted to take over Korea & Manchuria • they both signed not to take over either of the countries, but Russia broke it • Japan attacked the Russians at Port Arthur, Manchuria, in Feb. 1904 • Japan won

11. Bloody Sunday: Revolution of 1950 • On Jan. 22, 1905, about 200,000 workers went to the czar’s palace to ask for better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature. • The generals and police chiefs ordered the soldiers to fire on the crowd. • 500~ 1000 UNARMED PEOPLE WRE KILLED = “Bloody Sunday” • Duma: Russia’s first parliament was created • They wanted Russia to become a constitutional monarchy like Britain. • Czar dissolved the Duma after 10 weeks

13. WWI & corrupted Russia • Russia was unprepared to handle the military and economic costs. • Total failure in WWI revealed the weaknesses of czarist rule and military leadership • 1915, Nicholas moved and his wife, Czarina Alexandra, ran the gov. • Fell under the influence of the mysterious Rasputin, self-described “holy man” and allowed him to make key political decisions • 1916, nobles murdered Rasputin • War was destroying Russia: soldiers ignored orders, food and fuel supplies were lacking, prices were inflated, and the ruler couldn’t handle these enormous problems.