russian revolution

• In what year did the Soviet Union collapse?

  1991
• What event in 1917 sent shockwaves around the world?

  The Russian Revolution
• Why is the Russian Revolution considered a pivotal event in the 20th century?

  It influenced major events like World War II and the Cold War
• How long had the Romanov Dynasty ruled Russia before the revolution?

  Almost 300 years
• What were the living conditions like for the majority of Russians at the turn of the 20th century?

  Barefoot peasants surrounded by mud and squalor
• What percentage of the Russian Empire’s children died before age five in 1900?

  50%
• Why was there no mechanism for most Russians to change the system from within?

  There was no legal rights or rule of law
• What event on January 9, 1905, became known as Bloody Sunday?

  Troops fired on peaceful demonstrators, killing 40
• Why was Bloody Sunday a crucial moment in Russian history?

  It shattered the idea of the benevolent Tsar
• What were the worker and peasant strike committees called?

  Soviets
• What was the significance of the Soviets formed in 1905?

  They were a grassroots democratic movement
• What did Tsar Nicholas II offer as a half-hearted reform in 1905?

  A parliament of noblemen called the Duma
• Why did the Tsar’s forces face a force they could not beat in 1914?

  World War I
• What event on February 23, 1917, sparked the Russian Revolution?

  Women factory workers marched demanding bread
• Why did the soldiers refuse to fire on the demonstrators in 1917?

  They saw the demonstrators as their own mothers
• What happened on March 2, 1917?

  Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne
• Why did the revolution in 1917 spread so quickly?

  There were thousands of local revolutions
• What did the Provisional Government end after the Tsar’s abdication?

  Censorship and the death penalty
• Why were the Soviets significant in the 1917 revolution?

  They represented grassroots democracy
• What did Order #1 call for in the Russian army?

  Setting up soldier committees to make decisions alongside officers
• Why was Order #1 significant?

  It marked the transfer of soldier loyalty to the Soviet
• What did the Provisional Government and the Soviet share?

  The Tauride Palace
• Why did the Provisional Government and the Soviet agree to share power?

  They believed they could not succeed alone
• What was the goal of the Constituent Assembly?

  To create a new constitution and political order
• Why were political parties illegal under the Tsar?

  To maintain absolute control and prevent dissent
• What were the three socialist parties in Russia by early 1917?

  Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, and Bolsheviks
• Why did Lenin’s ideas shock everyone, including his own Bolsheviks?

  He advocated for immediate Soviet power
• What did Lenin demand upon his return to Petrograd in April 1917?

  Bread, peace, and land for the people
• Why did Lenin’s message appeal to many soldiers and workers?

  They were suffering from the horrors of World War I
• What was the outcome of the coalition government formed in May 1917?

  It lost popularity due to its association with the war
• Why did workers and peasants begin to blame the socialist leaders for the government’s failings?

  They were part of the coalition government
• What event on July 3, 1917, saw tens of thousands of armed demonstrators in Petrograd?

  They demanded “All Power to the Soviets!”
• Why did the demonstrators go to Bolshevik headquarters on July 3, 1917?

  The Bolsheviks had been calling for “All Power to the Soviets”
• Where was Lenin during the July 3, 1917, demonstrations?

  Vacationing in Finland
• Why did Lenin not want to get involved with the July 3, 1917, movement?

  It wasn’t close to his ideas and under his control
• What were the key promises of the Russian Revolution?

  • Equality
  • Dignity
  • Social justice
• What were the main causes of discontent in Russia at the turn of the 20th century?

  • Repressive system with no legal rights
  • Censorship and lack of free expression
  • Wealth concentrated at the top
  • High child mortality rate
  • Starvation for political freedom among the middle class
• What were the key events leading to the Russian Revolution?

  • Bloody Sunday (1905)
  • Formation of Soviets (1905)
  • World War I (1914)
  • February Revolution (1917)
  • Tsar Nicholas II’s abdication (1917)
• What were the main goals of the Provisional Government and the Soviet?

  • Create a revolutionary new society
  • End censorship and the death penalty
  • Grant women the right to vote
  • Establish a new constitution and political order
• What were Lenin’s key ideas upon his return to Petrograd in 1917?

  • Give power to the Soviets
  • End the war
  • Provide bread, peace, and land to the people
  • Create a dictatorship of the proletariat