The Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution signaled the end of the Czarist reign and paved the way for the communist government to take over. The czars had ruled Russia for centuries in an autocracy, but the people were getting tired of the way that the czars had ruled Russia. Many people were starving due to food shortages, but the czar decided to use force to stop the people from protesting. Also, the czar's family had become associated with Rasputin. Rasputin had a large influence on the Russian czar, but many people didn't trust Rasputin. World War 1 was the final trigger. The Russians entered the war without being well prepared. The Central Powers were slaughtering the Russian army in the war. Millions of soldiers had been killed, injured, or taken prisoner. Finally, the Russian people couldn't take it any more and they revolted. On March 13, 1917, Czar Nicolas II abdicated his throne. The Provisional government was set up after that, but it didn't do a good job of maintaining control. The Provisional Government's decision to stay in the war made them very unpopular, and it costed them dearly. By November of the same year, the the Boplshevik party, led by Vladmir Lenin, had taken over Russia. Lenin was a stronger leader who was able to maintain power when confronted. He managed to unite Russia under a communist government.

Causes of WWI

World War 1 was one of the most deadly wars the world had ever experienced. Milions of people were killed, injured, or taken prisoner. Tensions had been building between the European nations for years. Militarism played a big part in causing World War 1. The Europeans were rapidly building up their military in case of attack. They also formed complicated battle plans that would usually involve more countries than necessary. The building up of militaries caused tensions to form between the nations. Also, some nations formed secret alliances to support each other in case of war. This caused even more nations to be dragged into the war when it finally began. Nationalism also played a huge role in starting World War 1. In many countries, there were people of many different nationalities that lived there, but only people of a certain nationality could rule. Those people resented the fact that they didn't have any political freedom. Countries that shared a common heritage with these people wanted to support them in political disputes. The final blow that started World War 1 was the assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The Archduke was the next in line to rule Austria-Hungary. While visiting Sarajevo in Serbia, he was killed by Gavrilo Princep, a member of the Black Hand. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and World War 1 had begun.