Russian Revolution

February Revolution

On Feb. 23rd 1917, working-class women gather in Petrograd to ask for “bread and peace”

Men join them and Nicholas II soon orders his troops to fire on them

The troops refuse and 80,000 of them join the protestors

February Revolution The Duma and other political parties

secretly say Nicholas II must go Nicholas II abdicates; his brother

Michael abdicates The Duma becomes the provisional

government Alexander Kerensky becomes

temporary prime minister; keeps Russia in WW I

Alexander Kerensky

Arrival of Lenin

Lenin had been living in exile in Switzerland

Germany helps him get to Petrograd by train

Arrives April 3rd, 1917 Lenin’s speeches are published, become

known as “April Theses”

V. Lenin

V. Lenin

Lenin’s Goal: place Russia under Bolshevik control (Communist) Anti-Provisional Gov’t Tries to organize massive street

demonstrations

October Revolution

Bolsheviks gain more power over the summer of 1917

However, Kerensky is calling for new elections to take place on Nov.12th

Lenin knows it will be much harder to overthrow a government that is legitimately elected

October Revolution

Lenin organizes a Bolshevik army On October 24th, revolutionaries occupy

key posts in Petrograd: telegraph offices, banks, railroad stations, bridges

By October 25th, the Winter Palace was the only gov’t building not taken

October Revolution

Kerensky flees morning of Oct. 25th His officials stay, thinking he’ll return with

troops The palace is surrounded, but

revolutionaries refuse to fire on Russians The officials are persuaded to give up and

are arrested

Aftermath Kerensky flees to Europe, then

eventually becomes a professor of history in the U.S. Stanford University in California

Lenin declares Decree of Peace (Russia will leave WW I)

Decree on Land (Land will be redistributed among peasants) Russia was still on the Julian Calendar;

November 7th everywhere else