4/14/2020 World War I and the Russian Revolution | Discovery Education Explore The Bolshevik Revolution How did World War I inspire the Russian Revolution? Rise of the USSR: Sequencing Chart As you read pages 7 and 8, use this Sequencing Chart to track information about the m important events of the Russian Revolution. Teacher's Guide Editable Activity As European countries competed for power and land before World War I, trouble was beginning in Russia. The Russian peasants made up most of th population. Since the beginning of the 1900s, they had been calling for changes. The gap between the wealthy elites, known as aristocrats, and th peasants was very large. The royal family of Tsar Nicholas II was member the aristocracy. About 1 percent of the population owned one-fourth of the land. The Empire of Japan declared war on Russia in 1904. Japan saw Russia as danger to Japanese growth into Korea and the Asian mainland. The Japan navy was better than Russia’s. It destroyed the Russian navy. It killed or captured thousands of Russian soldiers in several major battles. On https://google.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/units/314ce74d-6d1e-4ea6-a640-6f8c6dc081fc/concepts/599d6297-528a-4e83-bec7-d1419aba… 1/5 4/14/2020 World War I and the Russian Revolution | Discovery Education September 5, 1905, Russia and Japan signed the Treaty of Portsmouth. The treaty ended the war. This was the first major defeat of a European power an Asian power. The Revolution of 1905 While this war was going on, a series of peasant uprisings and worker stri led to a massacre in St. Petersburg. A massacre is the killing of many peop It took place on the steps of the Winter Palace on January 9, 1905. Tsar Nicholas II tried to stop the rebellion. He promised changes for the better. One change included an elected assembly of advisors. However, the strike and protests continued. They spread throughout the Russian empire. By October, Nicholas offered a manifesto, or announcement of goals. He promised a democratic government. It was to include an elected legislatur called the Duma. This change satisfied enough of the protesters that they stopped their activities and returned to work. The Russian government wa then able to put down the rest of the uprising without giving in to any mor demands. Defeat and Dissatisfaction When Germany declared war on Russia in 1914, many Russians showed strong support for the war. World War I offered a chance to gain land, wealth, and glory. The Russians set out to the front with a new sense of national pride. However, the war did not deliver the expected triumph an glory. In 1914, the Russian army tried to advance into East Prussia. It was https://google.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/units/314ce74d-6d1e-4ea6-a640-6f8c6dc081fc/concepts/599d6297-528a-4e83-bec7-d1419aba… 2/5 4/14/2020 World War I and the Russian Revolution | Discovery Education defeated and driven back. It lost more than 250,000 soldiers. By 1916, Russ had gained some victories. However, many back home still saw the war as failure. One of these critics was a radical named Vladimir Lenin. Before th war, Lenin was sent to Siberia for revolutionary actions. He believed Wor War I was an excuse for the wealthy upper class to crush the workers through imperialism. This series of military losses and the economic problems at home led to greater unhappiness with the tsar and a desire for a change of leaders. Rumors that Nicholas’s wife Alexandra and her advisor Rasputin were German spies did not help Nicholas. Some Russians believed that Rasputin purposely had hurt Russia by meddling in military affairs. In March 1917, a revolution began as the lack of food led to riots. A rebell in the capital city of Petrograd (formerly known as St. Petersburg) turned many of Nicholas’s troops against him. He was forced to give up the thron temporary government was set up in place of the aristocracy. This government tried to restore order until Russia could write a new constitut and develop a more lasting political system. Under this government, Russi remained involved in World War I. The army continued to suffer terrible losses. Lenin's Rise Meanwhile, socialist revolutionaries worked to bring more radical change Russia’s political system. In many cities such as Petrograd, they establishe councils called soviets. They were seen as reflecting the popular will. As a https://google.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/units/314ce74d-6d1e-4ea6-a640-6f8c6dc081fc/concepts/599d6297-528a-4e83-bec7-d1419aba… 3/5 4/14/2020 World War I and the Russian Revolution | Discovery Education result, the soviets often challenged the right of the Russian government to rule. Two groups tried to control the soviets. The Mensheviks were the more moderate, or less extreme, of the two. They believed that Russia should m a slow change to a socialist society. Lenin led the more radical Bolsheviks. They followed a form of Karl Marx’s communist ideas. Marx believed that history was a struggle between economic classes. Marx also wrote that a workers’ revolution would overthrow capitalism because capitalism was flawed. During the summer of 1917, the commander of the Russian army, General Lavr Kornilov, tried to take control of the government. He wanted to estab a military dictatorship. His attempt failed, but it threw the government in confusion. In the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace. They overthrew the provisional government. They then formed a n government under Lenin’s leadership. VIDEO SEGMENT The Path to Revolution How did unrest at home and on the war front lead to the Russian Revolution? IMAGE Nicholas II and His People https://google.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/units/314ce74d-6d1e-4ea6-a640-6f8c6dc081fc/concepts/599d6297-528a-4e83-bec7-d1419aba… 4/5.