The Russian Revolution
- Perhaps the most significant event of the 20th century.
Quick Chronology to 1917
- 1855 Start of reign of Russian Tsar Alexander II
- 1861 Emancipation of the serfs
- 1866-74 [The White Terror]?
- 1881 Alexander II assassinated. Alexander III
- 1883 First Russian marxist group formed
- 1894 Start of reign of [Nicholas II]?
- 1898 First Congress of Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP)
- 1900 Foundation of [Socialist Revolutionary Party]? (SR)
- 1903 Second Congress of Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. Split
- 1904-5 [Russo-Japanese War]?
- 1905 Revolution.
- Jan - Bloody Sunday in St Petersburg.
- June - Potemkin?
- Oct - general strike, St Petersburg Soviet formed
- imperial agreement on elections to the State Duma? - October Manifesto
- 1906 First State Duma. Prime Minister - [Petr Stolypin]?. Agrarian reforms begin
- 1907 Second State Duma, Feb - June
- 1907 Third State Duma, until 1912
- 1911 Stolypin assassinated
- 1912 Fourth State Duma, until 1917. Bolshevik? - Menshevik? split final
- 1914 Germany declares war on Russia
- 1915 Serious defeats, Nicholas II declares himself CinC?. [Progressive Bloc]? formed
- 1916 Gregory Rasputin killed
More detailed quick chronology of 1917
Jan
- Strikes and unrest in Petrograd
Feb
- The February Revolution
- 26th 50 demonstrators killed in Znamenskaia Square
- 27th Troops refuse to fire on demonstrators, desertions. Prison, court and
- Okhrana? buidings set on fire. Garrison joins revolutionaries.
- Petrograd Soviet formed.
March
- 1st Order No.1 of the Petrograd Soviet
- 2nd Nicholas II abdicates. Provisional Goverment formed, Prince Lvov PM
April
- 3rd Return of Lenin to Russia. April Theses
- 20th Miliukov's note published. Provisional Government falls
May
- 5th New Provisional Government formed. Kerensky minister of war and navy
June
- 3rd First All-Russian Congress of Soviets in Petrograd. Closed on 24th
- 16th Kerensky orders offensive against Austro-Hungarian forces. Initial success
July
- 2nd Russian offensive ends. Trotsky? joins Bolsheviks
- 4th Anti-government demonstrations in Petrograd
- 6th German and Austro-Hungarian counter-attack. Russians retreat in panic, sacking
- the town of Tarnopol. Arrest of Bolshevik leaders ordered
- 7th Lvov resigns. Kerensky is new PM
- 22nd Trotsky and Lunacharskii arrested
Aug.
- 26th Second coalition government ends
- 27th General Lavr Kornilov failed coup. Kornilov arrested and imprisoned
Sept.
- 1st Russia declared a republic
- 4th Trotsky and others freed. Trotsky becomes head of Petrograd Soviet
- 25th Third coalition government formed
Oct.
- 10th Bolshevik Central Committee meeting approves armed uprising
- 11th Congress of Soviets of the Northern Region, until 13th
- 20th First meeting of the Military Revolutionary Committee of Petrograd
- 25th MRC directs armed workers and soldiers to capture key buidings in Petrograd.
- Winter Palace attacked at 9.40pm. Kerensky flees Petrograd
- 26th Second Congress of Soviets. Mensheviks and right SR delegates walk-out in
- protest at coup. Decrees on peace and land reform. Soviet government declared -
- the Council of People's Commissars; Bolshevik dominated with Lenin as chairman
/Talk