The document summarizes the key events of the Russian Revolution, beginning with the socioeconomic causes in the late 19th century and continuing through the establishment of the USSR. It describes the 1905 revolution, World War I, the February and October revolutions of 1917 that overthrew the tsar and brought the Bolsheviks to power led by Lenin. Lenin then established communist rule and took Russia out of WWI, sparking a civil war that the Bolsheviks eventually won.

1. The Russian Revolution

2. Causes:
• Lack of Industrialization: Rural Society (Bad
living conditions)
• Few Industries: very bad working and living
conditions.
• Lack of a Representative System: Ancient
Regime. The tsar was an absolute monarch.
No Parliament (Duma)

3. Revolution of 1905
• The revolution started because Russia was
defeated by Japan in the war of 1905.
• It is the first time that the Soviets appeared.
• The revolution didn’t succeed.
• But the tsar gave to the people a Duma
(Parliament).

4. 1914
• Russia takes part in WWI, with the France and
England.
• Russia is not prepared for this war and a lot of
people is going to die in this war.
• Russia is going to lose a lot of territories
(Poland, Finland, Ukraine, Baltic Republics…)

5. 1917: February Revolution
• It is a Moderate Revolution.
• It is going to succeed thanks to the
involvement of all the social classes (working
classes, peasants, women, soldiers, soviets…)
• But it is going to be controlled by the
moderates (Liberal politicians)
• Liberal System
• They had to stop two attempts of coups d’état
• They kept Russia in the war. (Decision widely
rejected by the lower classes)

6. 1917 - continued
• Lenin came from the exile, helped by the
Germans.
• He was the leader of the Bolsheviks.
• He promised all the power for the Soviets,
land for the peasants and to abandon the war.

7. 1917: October Revolution
• With the help of Trotsky and a special and well
trained military unit the Revolution was a
success.
• Lenin kept his promise and abandoned WWI.
• He signed a peace treaty with Germany and
had to give Poland, Finland, Ukraine, and the
Baltic Republics.
• A Civil War started White Russians against
the Red Russians. Trotsky created the Red
Army, who won the civil war.

8. USSR: Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics
• They created the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republic and gave this new name to the
nation.
• They created the Communist Party that is
going to have and important influence all
around the world.
• They also created “The Communist
International”

9. Communist System
• The Communist System is established.
• It’s the opposite system to Capitalism
(exploitation of the proletariat by the factory
owners).
• All the production, industrial and agricultural
will be controlled by the Soviets and the
profits will be distributed fairly by the state.
• The state monopolized all the raw materials,
resources and factories of the country; and
was the only one who could exploit them.

10. Consequences
• All the proletariat all around the world is willing
to copy this revolution.
• All the countries want to stop the spreading of
the communist ideas, so they isolate the USSR.
• Lenin will die in 1924 and the next leader will
be Stalin. He created a cruel and repressive
system, killing many opponents and also many
civilians. (It’s estimated that 1,2 million of
people died because of this repression).

11. Communism in China
• In 1912 China is a Republic. (The emperor
abdicated).
• New political part: the Kuomintang (1912)(a
nationalist party)
• In 1921 the Communist party is created by Mao
Zedong and fights against the Kuomintang in a
civil war that starts in 1927.
• During WWII both parties united in order to fight
against the Japanese invasion, but after WWII the
disputes will start again.
• Finally the Communist party will win this civil
war.