Russia - Thematic, Wars and Revolutions

1853 - 1856.

Alexander II

450,000 Russians died, in comparison to a combined total of 120,000.

Six times more men than their opposition - and still lost.

That russia was backwards and under developed.

Russia lost Wallachia and Moldana, Russia to renounce their claim to protect orthodox Christians and had to demilitarize the black sea.

It showed just how weak and backwards Russia was, and how bad the system was compared to other countries in Europe and Asia.

1877 - 1878.

Alexander II.

30,000 - 100,000.

They saw itself as the defender of these Slavic people - Russia joined the war in 1877.

Alexander III.

Russia won.

The Treaty of San Stefano, in 1878, and they received land and war payments from turkey.

Not much, although the Russians were happy and patriotic, and Russia received land and money from this.

1904 - 1905.

Russia wanted a warm water port, and wanted an easy war to win to gain support for NII. (Which they thought they could do since Japan was small - obviously, they were wrong).

Port Arthur, which Japan drove Russia out of in March and lay siege on it, and Port Arthur surrendered.

90,000 of 350,000.

Japan.

This defeat sparked the 1905 Revolution.

The Russo-Japanese War brought the 1905 revolution and a vessel for the hatred of NII to be brought to life.

Jan - Oct 1905.

500,000, led by a priest, asking for mild reforms. They were so respectful they sang religious hymns and help photos of the Tsar.

around 200 died.

St. Petersberg was paralyzed by a strike, illegal trade unions were set up, sailors mutinied.

He published the October manifesto, which announced the state duma, giving the people some form of democracy (even though this doesn't really happen all that well) and halved redemption payments.

In December, the St. Petersberg soviets were arrested, crushed and 5,000 were killed.

The 1905 revolution sparked the beginning of a long issue of opposing NII, which would eventually lead to the fall of the Romanov dynasty.

1914 - 1918.

Nicholas II, then Provisional Government, then Lenin.

To support Serbia.

Nicholas II did, which undermined him and created an even bigger path for hatred of him as he was now responsible for any war failures also.

No, men were sent to war without rifles.

1.5 million.

The war was costing 5x the regular yearly costs, inflation hit 400% and alcohol sale was banned, which was 30% of govt. revenue.

In March 1916, this offensive failed and killed 100,000 men.

WW1, while at the beginning people were patriotic and optimistic, then brought the morale down, causing famine and a lack of resources as all resources were going to the war.

February 1917.

As in ww1, 1.7 million men die, morale had collapsed, and inflation was at 400%

On the 23rd of February, people broke into shops desperate for food, and protests begun. the army couldn't respond because any shots fired just caused riots within the crowd.

The army mutinied so NII had no protection, 60,000 soldiers mutinied, and with no troops or support, NII had to abdicate.

NII's brother did not want to take the throne unless the people asked him to, and his son was too young and ill to rule.

This was the end of autocracy in Russia, and for the first time a revolution in Russia had been successful.

October 1917 (last stupid question).

The people weren't happy with the PG, they hadn't ended the war and further tried to push the summer offensive and failed miserably, and the soviets/workers became outraged, and turned to the bolsheviks for help.

The red guard seized printing houses and therefore communication. Kerensky in the PG had previously needed help from the Bolsheviks so released them from prison and armed them, a choice that now doomed the PG, and the Bolsheviks, with the support of the army and workers stormed the winter palace with little to no resistance.

Any remaining PG members were imprisoned by the Bolsheviks.

Russia was now under 'communist' rule, which is a drastic difference from the (almost) full autocracy they had been under just 9 months prior.

1917 - 1922.

The civil war started due to rising opposition to the Bolshevik rule that had recently took over - there was an attempted assassination on Lenin, when he then started the red terror and beginning of the red army.

5 million soldiers, whereas the white army only had 500,000. the red army was well managed and disciplined by trotsky.

Kerensky marched on Petrograd trying to seize power, the Cossacks seized the Kremlin in Moscow.

The Red Army won due to propaganda, red terror, size of army and war skills.

5 million in ukraine died of starvation and famine, some resorted to cannabalism.

Lenin introduced war communism, and hung 100 kulaks who didn't adhere to it.

Lenin/Bolsheviks/Red Army.

This war consolidated Lenin and the Bolsheviks power. by the end, communists had a hold on the whole country.

1939-1945.

The Red Army and the air force was unprepared and undermanned after Stalin’s purges.

3500 new factories, all industry in the south was evacuated.

• The Battle of Stalingrad, ended with German surrender after 2 months of civilians being trapped.

• The Battle of Kursk, the largest set piece battle in historu, Russia had 4x as many tanks as Germany.

• Operation Bagration: in 63 days, the German army was pushed out of the USSR.