The year is 1914

World War 1 had

begun and Russia was at war with Germany.

The working class and the peasants make

up the Russian Army. However, they are not

well equipped or trained for the battles

to come. The year is now 1917, millions of

Russians had been either killed or

wounded. The Russian people were angry at

Tsar Nicholas the Second for getting

Russia into war and several other

reasons including, the Tsar taking

personal command of the Army, Rasputin's

power over the royal family, food

shortages and growing political

opposition. The first revolution came

about in February 1917 on the Julian

calendar in Petrograd, which was the

capital of Imperial Russia. Demonstrators

protested about the lack of bread due to

rationing and were some joined by

striking workers. The Army was called

upon to suppress the uprising. Several

protesters were shot and killed by the

soldiers, however, many refused to open

fire. The Army to it seemed at mutiny

against the Tsar, the Petrograd Soviet

was the city council for workers and

soldiers. Now, more and more workers and

soldiers elected people to it in order

to represent their demands. The Tsar

abdicated bringing an end to the Tsarist

autocracy and a new government took over.

This government was run by two political

parties, the Petrograd Soviet and the

Provisional Government.

The Bolshevik Revolution.

The Provisional Government

was also unpopular. It made the decision

to remain in the war and failed to give

land to the peasants. Vladimir Lenin and

the Bolsheviks were a faction of the

Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party

and eventually became the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

He had a simple slogan which would appeal

to the people and the Petrograd Soviet,

Peace, bread and land.

Peace --- the end of

Russia's involvement in World War One.

Bread --- solving food shortages and

Land --- which would go to the peasants .

He also stated all power to the Soviets, meaning

that he would seize power in the name of

the Soviet. On November 6th and 7th, 1917,

or October 24th and 25th

on the Julian calendar, the Bolsheviks

led by Lenin launched a coup d'etat

against the provisional government. They

stormed the Winter Palace and arrested

the provisional government, putting

themselves in charge of Russia's

government. After the Revolution, the

Bolshevik government exited the war by

signing a peace treaty with Germany

called "The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk" .

A civil war would erupt in 1918 by those

who are against the new Bolshevik

government. The White Army and the

Bolsheviks themselves, the Red Army.

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