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The Russian people were facing severe privations from World War I in 1917. Much of the blame fell on Tsar Nicholas II, the uncompromising autocratic ruler of Russia. Many violent revolts/protests began to break out around the spring of 1917, with protestors being harmed and killed by soldiers. This came to a head with removal of Tsar Nicholas II and the installation of a new provisional government led by Vladimir Lenin and the  Bolsheviks. At first the Russian people enjoyed some freedoms of a Tsar-less Russia, but as the communist party grew even more powerful people began to suffer the same oppression they had before the Revolution. The formation of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (USSR) was a direct result of the Russian Revolution and throughout the 19th century its citizens suffered harsh rule by decree and enforced by terror, not unlike the French Revolution. To this day, many formers nations of the USSR are still stunted economically, politically, and culturally. The Russian Revolution ultimately created more oppression for Eastern Europeans, and repressed their rights.

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1. The People Revolt -                                                     March 8, 1917

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1. The People Revolt -                                                     March 8, 1917

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Russian peasants and workers protest privations from WWI in Petrograd. Since the war began they faced food, material, and fuel shortages, and the economy was suffering as well with a large currency inflation. Hundreds of protesters are killed by police and government troops.¹

¹Adam Augustyn, "Russian Revolution Timeline," in Encyclopedia Britannica.

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Artifact 1. Vandalism of the Revolutionaries

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Artifact 1. Vandalism of the Revolutionaries

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Ivan Alekseevich Vladimirov painted, "Vandalism of the Revolutionaries" in December, 2018.¹ It shows a scene of Revolutionaries storming the Winter Palace and destroying portraits of the Russian Tsardom. This shows the hate and disrespect the Russian people had for their former rulers.

¹Ivan Alekseevich Vladimirov, Vandalism of the Revolutionaries.

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2. Tsar Nicholas II Abdicates the Throne -      March 15, 1917

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2. Tsar Nicholas II Abdicates the Throne -      March 15, 1917

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Tsar Nicholas II is forced to abdicate the throne after the Petrograd garrison joins the revolt and his brother Grand Duke Michael refuses the throne. This marks the end of Romanov Dynasty. A provisional government is set up to take over.¹

¹Adam Augustyn, "Russian Revolution Timeline," in Encyclopedia Britannica.

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3. The Return of Vladimir Lenin -                               April 16, 1917 

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3. The Return of Vladimir Lenin -                               April 16, 1917 

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Vladimir Lenin returns from a 10 year exile and begins to regain power and popularity as the leader of the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks soon become a very popular political faction in Russia. Lenin supported some pro-human right ideas, and he would later implement some beneficial legislation for the Soviet people, like standardized education, redistribution of Russian land, and increased labor rights.¹

¹Adam Augustyn, "Russian Revolution Timeline," in Encyclopedia Britannica.

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Several armed demonstrations by workers and soldiers revolt in Petrograd, ultimately resulting in the installation of Aleksandr Kerensky as the head of the provisional government. Kerensky was the leading political figure in the first months after the February Revolution and became the Russian Revolution’s first cult of personality. He was known for his stirring and emotional oratory, his commitment to coalition government, and to Russia’s continued engagement in WWI. Up to this point, his speeches were a message "for the people," but after the July Uprisings, he became increasingly authoritarian. 1 Vladimir Lenin is exiled again after being accused of treason by Kerensky. The Bolsheviks lose public favor as the public turns against them, and many Bolsheviks are jailed.²

¹"Alexander Kerensky," The British Library.
²Adam Augustyn, "Russian Revolution Timeline," in Encyclopedia Britannica.

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Aleksandr Kerensky was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary that was appointed Minister of Justice, Minister of War, and the government's second Minister-Chairman during the Russian Revolution.¹

¹"Alexander Kerensky," The British Library.

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Russian Revolution: propaganda poster for the Russian Provisional Government 'Subscribe to the freedom loan. The old system is defeated. Build a free Russia.'1

1 Russian Revolution: propaganda poster for the Russian Provisional Government 'Subscribe to the freedom loan. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.

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5. October Revolutions - November 6-7, 1917

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5. October Revolutions - November 6-7, 1917

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The Bolsheviks and other pro-revolution soldiers seize power and remove the provisional government set up after the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. Kerensky flees Petrograd. The Bolsheviks declare that the state power now belongs to the soviets (Communist party).¹

¹David L. Hoffmann, "The October Revolution in Russia," Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective.

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6. Treaty of Brent-Litovsk - March 3, 1918

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6. Treaty of Brent-Litovsk - March 3, 1918

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The soviets declare the withdrawal of Russia from WWI by terminating its Triple Entente military alliance with France and Great Britain. Russia is forced to forfeit Imperial Russian territory, ceding lots of land to other soviet nations like Ukraine. In a sense, this gave a little freedom back to non-Russian soviet nations, but ultimately led to a bloody civil war. The treaty gave total power to the Bolsheviks, provoking the White Army.

¹Miami University Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, "Timeline of the 1917 Russian Revolution."

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American newspaper discusses Russian losses in World War I and states that feelings of unhappiness in Russia are a breeding ground for Revolution.¹

¹"Talks of Russia's Losses in the War," in Exploring the Bolshevik Revolution with Historic Newspapers, by Danna Bell, previously published in Evening Star, December 29, 1918.

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Civil war breaks out in Russia between the Red Army, led by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and the White Army, consisting of militias of anti-revolutionaries somewhat supported by Western European powers. The war was bloody and long, resulting in millions of deaths. Conflict between the newly formed Bolshevik government and its Red army against the anti-Bolshevik forces in Russia. The unfavourable Treaty of Brest-Litovsk concluded with German socialists opposed to Lenin to break with the Bolsheviks and join the right-wing Whites and their volunteer army under Anton Denikin. In an attempt to create another front in World War I, the Allies gave limited support to the Whites. The Moscow government responded to the growing anti-Bolshevik movement by expelling Menshevik and Social Revolutionary deputies from the government, and it began a campaign of “Red terror” where secret police arrested citizens for anti-communist beliefs. The Bolsheviks maintained control over the heart of the country, but the anti-Bolsheviks gained power in Ukraine and Omsk, where Aleksandr Kolchak and other groups joined together to fight the Red Army. Confused by the struggles between communists, Russian Whites, and Ukrainian nationalists, the Allies withdrew their support by 1919. After early military successes against the Red Army, the White forces under Kolchak were defeated by early 1920. Other White troops under Nikolay Yudenich failed to take Petrograd. The last White stronghold in the Crimea under Pyotr Wrangel, Denikin’s successor, was defeated in November 1920, ending the Russian Civil War. This was the White Army's last true stand, but fighting continued into 1922 until the USSR was formed.1 Between 7-12 million people died in this war, mostly civillian casualties, and millions were forced to fight against their will, taking away their rights.

¹David R. Stone, "Russian Civil War (1917-1920)," in The Encyclopedia of War.

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RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, 1922. - 'Long Live the Fifth Anniversary of the Great Proletarian Revolution!' Russian Soviet lithograph poster, 1922, by Ivan Simakov.

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8. The Rise of Joseph Stalin and the USSR - 1924

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8. The Rise of Joseph Stalin and the USSR - 1924

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After the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, Joseph Stalin, general-secretary of the Communist party since 1922, quickly rose to power. He ruled the citizens of the USSR with terror, reminiscent of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, killing millions of Soviet citizens with brutal policies. In the 30 years before his death, he transformed Russia from an agricultural peasant society into a militarized industrial superpower, at the expense of the rights of the Soviet people.¹

¹A&E Television Networks, "Russian Revolution," HISTORY.

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The Russian Revolution gave way for Communism to become a popular belief in not only the Eastern Block, but the whole world. Although communism in its definition is a government formed for the people, this is never really the case, as history has showed throughout the 20th century. The Russian Revolution also directly led to the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly known as the Soviet Union or USSR. The USSR oppressed its people from its formation until its dissolution in 1991. Ultimately, the Russian Revolution did more harm than good and did not further but supressed the Russian people's rights.

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A&E Television Networks. "Russian Revolution." HISTORY. Last modified February 28, 2020. Accessed February 10, 2022. https://www.history.com/topics/russia/russian-revolution.

Alekseevich Vladimirov, Ivan. Vandalism of the Revolutionaries. December 1918. Illustration. https://news.stanford.edu/2017/11/15/new-exhibition-marks-centenary-1917-russian-revolution/.

Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky 1881-1970. Photograph. https://quest.eb.com/search/Alexander-Kerensky/1/300_353409/Alexander-Fyodorovich-Kerensky-1881-1970.

"Alexander Kerensky." The British Library. https://www.bl.uk/people/alexander-kerensky.

Augustyn, Adam. "Russian Revolution Timeline." In Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed February 10, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/list/russian-revolution-timeline.

Hoffmann, David L. "The October Revolution in Russia." Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective. Last modified November 2017. https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/november-2017-october-revolution-russia?language_content_entity=en.

Miami University Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies. "Timeline of the 1917 Russian Revolution." https://www.miamioh.edu/cas/academics/centers/havighurst/additional-resources/havighurst-special-programing/1917-centennial/timeline-1917/index.html.

Stone, David R. "Russian Civil War (1917-1920)." In The Encyclopedia of War, compiled by Gordon Martel. N.p.: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, n.d.

"Talks of Russia's Losses in the War." In Exploring the Bolshevik Revolution with Historic Newspapers, by Danna Bell. Previously published in Evening Star, December 29, 1918. https://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2017/06/exploring-the-bolshevik-revolution-with-historic-newspapers/.