THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Formation of the first Communist State

The Tsar believed that their family had an autocracy over Russia and there was hardly any democracy. The last Tzar was Nicholas II. His mistakes brought the empire to its fall, but no one predicted Vladimir Lenin to be the one who would cease control in chaos.

Romanov empire fall to a group of revolutionaries (Joseph Stalin). Lenin realized that it's not the popular support or the number, it's paralyzing the country by occupying the key points (telephone and railway junction). In this revolution the middle class community was more active than the rich and poor. Revolver and high explosive dynamites were invented in 19th century which was easily available to the young revolutionaries.

Mar 13, 1881, Saint Petersburg

Tsar, Alexander the II was on his way to an army roll call in his bullet proof carriage when he got attacked by Narodnaya Volya (People's Will). The assassination of Alexandar II was like the 9/11 of Russia. The perpetrators were hanged but the movement continued. What came forth even Narodnaya Volya did not anticipate. The Romanov empire continued to rule where Alexander III succeeded his father. Seeing his dying father, Alexander III came down hard on Russia. He did not spare his own son from this repression. Under Alexander III reign, Russia did not wage war on any empire, and instead focused on Industrialization and becoming self sufficient. But the political structure was still autocratic. 

Mar 13, 1887, Saint Petersburg

A growing idea (of establishing Marxism) among the few revolutionaries during the 19th century Russia was to kill Tsar Alexander III to make things fall in place. The attack was unsuccessful and the conspirators were caught and hanged. One of the conspirators to be hanged was Alexandr Ulyanov, eldest son of the Ulyanov and Brother of Vladimir Lenin. The way his family was snubbed after this incidence changed the way Lenin looked at the liberals. He created his own secret society called the Bolshevik Party. Alexander III died at the age of 49, and his son Nicholas II took charge. 

Mar 26, 1896, Moscow

On the day of his coronation, thousand of people came to see the event in a park called Khodynka. The government had arranged for a coronation mug and some goodies. The fencing was all off so when the crowds pressed to receive their goods. There was terrible crush and 1500 people died. He went to a party organized by the French embassy post this debacle which was deeply held against him. Almost a year post that, Lenin was exiled over charges of Sedition in Siberia for 3 years.

West Germany and East Japan was preparing to wage war against Russian. Starting with Japan in 1904. As the Romanovs were busy fight against the Japanese, civil unrest of the 1905 started which is considered as the dress rehearsal of the 1917 Russian Revolution. The civil unrest followed by massive killing of protestors on a Bloody Sunday ruined the reputation of the Tsar completely. A peace treaty was declared with Japan which was brokered by the American President Theodore Roosevelt. The middle class had started considering an alternate political structure seeing a European country like Russia losing against Japan.

The next few years were crucial for both Ulyanov and Romanov families. Lenin met a Georgian guy call Joseph Dzhugashvilli (Joseph Stalin). Meanwhile, the Romanovs met Rasputin who came to save their son Alexei who was suffering from hemophilia. The presence of Rasputin was scandalous. He was kept a secret for a long time. The press was forbidden to print about him until 1912, when the press restrictions were abolished in Russia. It is believed that the Tsarina had intimate relationships with Rasputin. 

June 28, 1914

Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, world war I was about to begin and Nicholas II was incapable of serving against Germany after the Japanese debacle. There was civilian corruption in the provision of military equipments. The soldiers were forced to grabs the boots and riffles from the dead bodies of the other soldiers. The Tsar decided to declare himself as the general of the army for the battle leaving behind the Tsarina and Rasputin to handle the internal affairs of the country. The Romanov extended family were against the rumors surrounding Rasputin and Tsarina. He was also believed to be a German secret agent. Rasputin was shot dead by some amateur Assassins. He died after getting shot by 3 bullets.

22 Feb, 1917 Petrograd

A revolutionary fervor started by the unsatisfied Industrial Working class and Tsar had to step down on Mar 15, 1917. This revolution is popularly known as the February revolution. With the abdication of Nicholas II there were 2 sects who were fighting to gain the power. On one side was a council of workers and soldiers knows as the Petrograd Soviet which also had Leon Trotsky as a member. On the other side was Russian Provisional Government which was quickly established consisting of ministers who served under the Tsar. They moved the Romanovs to Siberia for safe keeping but no where in Russia was safe now. The half hearted Provisional Government continued the war between the civil unrest.

When Lenin heard of the revolution he returned to Russia from Zurich in an armored train sealed by the Germans. He wanted his country to lose the war rather than letting Tsarism continue. He proposed the idea that was not really favoring democracy but was rather more specifically speaking on anyone who was on top before would be at the bottom hereafter. He initiated a revolution in July 1917 which was crushed when he was charged with treason and he fled to Finland. He came back and tried to regain power by taking over the railways and post office. The Russians began the October revolution overthrowing the Provisional Government. The Bolshevik coup d'etat started a civil war that lasted till 1922. Lenin released a murdurous feeling against the government and people went on killing ministers, landowners and cattle like barbarians. This also led to the establishment of the first Marxist State in the world which came to be known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR).

Soon the Tsar and his family were captured by the Bolshevik and sent to Ekaterinburg. On July 17, 1918 the Romanov family was awaken and called to the basement of the house where they were held captives. Lenin had the family assassinated once and for all in luei of his brother Sasha (Alexandr) Ulyanov who was hanged by the Romanovs.