Russian

Civil War Timeline Event 1905 revolution What Happened -Failed spontaneous revolution but Trotsky eventually took the leadep43.2,1` Significance Failed because: - opponents not united - No central leadership - was easily mitigated by Nicolas by issuing the October Manifosto - Most of the army remained loyal -in response to the 1905 revolution Succeeded in part because: - Established the Dumas that would play an important role in - Govt was able to recover rapidly with most powers intact politics - Peasants encouraged to buy own land. - improvement in industrial working conditions - more factories came under the control of inspectors. - cancellation of redemption payments these were annual - revolutionary parties lost heart since they were short of payments to the gov,t for their freedom and some land money and torn by disagreements. - more freedom for the press Failed because: - The Dumas were a fail cause despite just being a figurehead, they still kept on getting abolished because of liberal thoughts. 4 were established. - Failure of land reforms population growing too rapidly for Stolypins land reforms - Industrial unrest wave of industrial strikes set off by the shooting of 270 striking goldminers - Govt repressions no freedom of press, etc . - Riots broke out in Petrograd and soon, a lot more joined. - the provisional government failed because it took the The troops mutinied. unpopular decision of continuing the war. - Nicolas refused to establish a constitutional govt as per The government had to share power with the petrgrograd

October Manifesto

February 23, 1917 (Gregorian calendar) -

February Revolution

request by the Duma so the Duma decided that he would have to go. - The Tzar abdicated on March 2 to his brother but the brother refused the throne so without a Tzar, the monarchy came to an end. - a provisional government was established

April Thesis

1917 October revolution

soviet, an elected committee of soldiers and workers representatives, which tried to govern the city. - the government lost support because of delayed elections which were promised. - The also did not give land reform - A new political amnesty allowed lenin to return from exile. There was increasing economic chaos due to prolonging the war. -The govt lost popularity because of the July days (july 3) where there was a huge demonstration of soldiers and sailors and demanded that the soviets should take power. The govt response was to bring down loyalist troops on them and accused the Bolsheviks of trying to launch an uprising. - Lenin fled again. - Lenin came back from exile in the sealed train that - The sealed train sort of reflected how the Germans wanted Germany provided. Russia to stop fighting in WW1 so they supported Lenin to - Made his peace, Land, and Bread speech aka. The April promote his revolution in Russia thesis -Lenin was able to gather support from the people for his Bolshevik party. He promoted the things the people really wanted - In mid- October, urged by Lenin, the Petrograd soviet - The first communist state was finally established. decided to overthrow the provisional govt. - The people preferred the social revolutionaries (SR) who - It was almost a bloodless coup as on the night of October 25, favored agrarian reforms so it was harder to deal with the the Bolshevik Red-Guards occupied all key points and later peasants. arrested the provisional government ministers. - Lenin was now faced with the problem of keeping his power This allowed Lenin to establish a new soviet government and at the same time allow free elections since most of the with himself in charge. people, being peasants preffered the SRs - One of lenins first moves was to nationalize all land - He had the elections where the SRs won a majority of 370 - Eventually, Lenin had to start suppressing the people to stay seats out fo 700 so Lenin on the first meeting abolished the

first meeting and his reason was that the Bolsheviks knew what is best for the people March 1918: - Lenin signed it in order to stop the war in Europe - Russia was plunged into more economic depression and food Treaty of Brest- - Russia lost 2/3 of its coal mines, 1/3 of its farm lands, 1/3 of shortages. Litovsk its population and 1/2 of its heavy machinery - Lenin had to force the better off peasants to share and declared that if stocks are controlled and any breach of any breach of the rules is followed by the harshest punishment. There will be no famine in Russia - The SR tried to use this to set off a spark against the Bolsheviks by assassinating the German ambassador. 1918 1919: The - Lots of uprisings and executions, The Cheka (secret police) - Lenin said that Wedo not use the sort of terror as was used Red Terror mainly targeted the kulaks (wealthy peasants) and accused by the French revolutionaries who guillotines unarmed people, and executed them for keeping surpluses and I hope that we shall not have to use it. However, - circumstances became increasingly difficult. - The events lead to the conclusion that it was the desperate situation rather than any ideological move that led to the Bolsheviks retaliating in violence. In order to restore and maintain power, they had to resort to violence sine government decrees fell on deaf ears. 1919: The civil war Whites vs Reds - Lenin was able to present the war as a nationalist govt - People started resenting the Bolsheviks and oppose them fighting foreigners which strengthend and took the heat off the - the whites were a mixed-bag of people who did not like the Bolshevik government Bolsheviks, including ex tsarist officers and SRs - By winning, he was also able to keep his power and let the - The tzars family was executed because the Bolsheviks did communist Russia live on, stronger and more united than it not want them to be the figurheads of the whites. was before like Mao and his troops after the long march. - the whites failed to take over because despite having a lot of - The economy of the Communis regime was stronger because support, they: it was more centralized. - Were not centrally organized - Politically, the regime became more militarized and - Were outnumbered by the reds 10-1 since Lenin beefed up brutalized.

in power. This was called the Red Terror

his army as soon as he gained control. There were about 3 million troops led by Trotsky and he had supplies since they controlled most for the modern industry. -Lenin took decisive measures known as war communism to control the economic resources. He nationalized all factories of size and forced the peasants to give whatever surplus to the factory workers and troops.

- Because the Peasants were forced to give up their excesses, they started to produce just for themselves which started causing famine again, this prompted lenin to start his New Economic Policy (NEP)