Russian Revolution

1. Why did Czar Alexander abolish serfdom?

Czar Alexander the II decided to abolish serfdom because he thought the serfs would eventually revolt and “free” themselves.

2. Why did most farmers mover to the city after they were freed from serfdom?

Because they were given small plots of land but had to pay heavy taxes and too little land to farm successfully.  As a result some gave up their land and moved to the cities to find jobs in factories

3. Explain what happened on “Bloody Sunday”.

On January 22^nd, 1905 there were strikes and revolts because conditions were bad for the workers.  The workers stormed the streets shutting the city down with strikes.  The crowd marched to the Winter Palace and was fired upon by the czar’s soldiers and many citizens were killed

4. Why was the Duma created?

The revolt in 1905 forced Czar Nicholas to allow a parliament called the Duma to be elected

5. How did World War I affect the Russian citizens?

The army suffered defeat with more than a million Russian troops dying.  The Russian factories could not produce enough for the war demands.  There was a lack of goods and material so many citizens had to go without work and food

6.  What caused the Russian people to revolt against the Czar in March 1917?

In March of 1917 ice and snow prevented farmers from bringing crops to the city for the citizens.  The poor lined up for hours in the cold to buy what little bread was available.  A demonstration erupted to protest the conditions and the war.  The demonstrations turned into riots.  The riots became a Revolution in which the Czar was forced to give up this throne.

7.  Why did Lenin have the Romanov family executed?

8.  .Who were the Bolsheviks?

A political group formed by Lenin that seized power in 1917 with ideology based on Karl Marx’s philosophy

9. What was the soviet?

A council of workers and soldiers formed during the Russian Revolution

10. What are some of the examples of changes made in Russia when the communist government was put in place?

Land and industry was controlled by the government and ownership of private property was outlawed, churches were closed, religion was outlawed, citizens were expected to have absolute loyalty to the state, crops had to be given to the government, a command economy was put in place and collective farms were created.