| A | B |
|---|
| Autocracy | a kind of gov't in which the ruler's power is unlimited |
| Tsarism | unlimited power, strong central gov't, own means of production, large army to protect borders |
| Peter the Great | first Russian czar who attempted to modernize Russia |
| village commune | a group of peasant households joined together to farm the land and owned the land in common |
| nobility | made up only 1% of the Russian population; people who held titles such as duke, earl or lord |
| revolutionary | someone who wants to change the existing system, often through violence |
| narodoniks | revolutionary group inspired by the theories of Karl Marx and they believed the czar would never change Russia |
| Alexander III | followed the policy of "one language, one church, one czar" |
| proletariat | the working class; they do not own factories or businesses |
| bourgeoisie | a person who owns factories or businesses and employs workers to work in them; also known as a capitalist |
| Karl Marx | some of his ideas were used to establish the "dictatorship of the proletariat" |
| socialism | a political system in which the workers and peasants own and control the means of production |
| Russian orthodox | the main religion in Russia prior to the revolution |
| communism | a classless society; all are equal and there is no need for government |
| Lenin | believed in Marx's ideas about socialism; however, he believed that these ideas had to be changed to suit the Russian situation |
| Czar Nicholas II | continued the policies of his father; the last czar of Russia |
| revolutionary parties | political parties led by people who wanted to use violence to overthrow the czar; terrorism, violence and assassination |
| non-revolutionary | people who believed that change could be brought about through peaceful means; elections and reforms of the system |
| Social Democratic Party | originally formed to spread Marx's ideas; in 1903 split into the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks |
| Russo-Japanese War | Russia was defeated; opposition to the czar grew due to food shortages and casualties |
| Bloody Sunday | it caused a break between Czar and his people, and convinced many in Russia that the only way their situation would improve would be through violent action |
| soviets | councils; special self-formed groups which represented workers, peasants and/or soldiers and were key in organizing revolutionary actions |
| Duma | a national parliament designed to make Russian citizens feel that they had a voice; had very little power; the czar kept control |
| Feb/March Revolution | began with a spontaneous uprising by the workers mainly sparked due to bread shortages; general strikes across the country |
| Provisional Government | Duma disobeys Czar and establishes a temporary government |
| abdicate | On March 15, 1917 Czar Nicholas II gives up his position as czar of Russia; the Romanov line in Russia came to an end |
| Alexander Kerensky | became PM of Russia - leader of the provisional government |
| Bolsheviks | a small group of trained revolutionaries who wanted to overthrow the czar and establish socialism in Russia; led by Lenin |
| Bolshevik Revolution | Oct/Nov - Lenin arrives in Russia, Bolsheviks seize important buildings and overthrow the gov't; Provisional Gov't members arrested |
| Treaty of Brest-Litovsk | signed to take Russia out of WWI; Russia lost over one quarter of its farmland, one third of its population, almost all coal mines and more than half of all industries |
| Russian Civil War | Bolsheviks experienced resistance to their rule; troops were sent in from W. Europe to defeat the Bolsheviks; fight to establish communism |
| Communist Party | in 1919 the Bolsheviks changed their name |
| U.S.S.R. | Bolsheviks re-named Russia in 1918 |
| Civil War | Bolsheviks were fighting against the Whites, Non-Russian nationalities, the Allied Troops |
| Whites | wanted to return to the old ways, prior to the 1917 Revolution |
| Trosky | increased the size of the Red Army by conscripting thousand of workers and peasants to fight in the civil war. |
| Lenin | the first leader of the Soviet Union |
