Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution was a political movement in Russia that climaxed in 1917 with the overthrow of the Russian Tsar system and led to the establishment of the Soviet Union, which lasted until 1992. This movement was led by Vladimir Lenin based upon the ideas of Karl Marx and marked the beginning of the spread of communism in the twentieth century.

Brief Chronology leading to Revolution of 1917

Dates are correct for the Julian calendar, which was used in Russia until 1918. It was twelve days behind the Gregorian calendar during the 19th Century and a day further behind during the 20th century.

• 1855 - Start of reign of Tsar Alexander II
• 1861 - Emancipation of the serfs
• 1866-74 - The White Terror[?]
• 1881 - Alexander II assassinated. Alexander III (missing text here)
• 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 (missing text)
• 1904-5 - Russo-Japanese War
• 1905 - Russian Revolution/Rebellion.

January - Bloody Sunday in St Petersburg.

June - Potemkin[?] uprising at Odessa on the Black Sea

October - 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, February - 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 but still brief chronology of Revolution of 1917

January

Strikes and unrest in Petrograd

February

The February Revolution

26th -- 50 demonstrators killed in Znamenskaya 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 Government 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

August

26th -- Second coalition government ends

27th -- General Lavr Kornilov failed coup. Kornilov arrested and imprisoned

September

1st -- Russia declared a republic

4th -- Trotsky and others freed. Trotsky becomes head of Petrograd Soviet

25th -- Third coalition government formed

October

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

See also: Russian Civil War