The Russian Revolution saw the weakening and overthrow of the Russian monarchy. Facing war fatigue and food shortages, Czar Nicholas II abdicated his throne in early 1917. Competing revolutionary factions including the Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin vied for power amid the instability. The Bolsheviks gained control in late 1917 and a civil war ensued as the Communist Reds battled Democratic and Royalist Whites, culminating in a Communist victory and the world's first socialist state.
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