Czar Resist Change

1
Czar Resist Change

• Alexander II was assassinated by revolutionaries
  who were angry of slow pace of reform in Russia
• Alexander III halted all reforms used autocracy
  (Govt. has all power)
• Strict censorship
• Secret police
• Russian official language
• Persecution of Jews (pogroms- organized violence
  of Jews)

2
Russia Changes

• Nicholas II becomes Czar 1894 continues
  autocracy
• Russia now begins to industrialize
• 1863-1900 Russian factories doubled (still behind
  Europe)
• Russia builds the Trans-Siberian Railway
  1891-1916.
• Connects western Russia to ports of the Pacific
  Ocean in the east

3
Russia Revolts

• Problems occur as Russia industrializes
• Poor working conditions, child labor, low wages
  and unions outlawed
• Workers revolt through strikes
• People begin to follow the ideas of Karl Marx
• Proletariat would rise up overthrow the govt.
  establish dictatorship of the proletariat

4
2 Groups of Revolutionaries Form

• Mensheviks- moderate group of people who wanted a
  broad base of revolutionary support
• Bolsheviks- Radicals who would sacrifice
  everything for change
• Led by Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin)
• Engaging Personality Excellent Organizer
• Lenin fled to western Europe to avoid arrest
• Lenin would maintain contact until safe to return
  to Russia

5
Crises in Russia 1904-1917

• Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)
• Both competed for Korea Manchuria
• Japan attacks Russia after Russia broke treaties
  that they signed
• Bloody Sunday The Revolution of 1905
• 200,000 workers petition Czar for better working
  conditions, personal freedom and new legislature
• Soldiers open fire on the crowd

6
Crisis in Russia

• Strikes and riots continued until Nicholas
  promised more freedoms a new legislature
• World War I
• Nicholas decision to go into the war with no
  money, poorly equipped troops not good!
• Nicholas moves his HQ to the war front while his
  wife Czarina Alexandra ran the government
• She ignored the chief advisers and relied on
  Rasputin

7
Rasputin

• Self described holy man
• Nicholas son, Alexis suffered from hemophilia
• Rasputin eased the symptoms
• Alexandra allowed Rasputin to make political
  decisions
• Opposed reform in Russia
• 1916 Rasputin murdered by a group of nobles