Special Sub-Topic: Russia Early 20th Century Click Here To Play: Russia Early 20th Century

In 1905, Nicholas, Czar of Russia finally granted the Russian people basic civil rights. This is known as:

October Manifesto. In January 1905 Large crowds petitioned the Czar outside the palace for their rights. This triggered revolutions. A new group springs up from this (the Soviets) and they set up a primitive democracy. They persuade the Czar to grant basic civil rights. This was called the October Manifesto even though it occured in November. During the time of the Czars, the Russian calendar was two weeks behind.

The man who murdered Rasputin was:

Prince Yusupov. Prince Yusupov invited Rasputin over for tea and cakes. He laced the cakes with arsenic and Rasputin, being such a large man, wasn't killed from this. Getting impatient, Prince Yusupov, shoots Rasputin and dumps him in a frozen river. Rasputin eventually dies in the river from drowning.

In 1917-18 the Russians finally wanted out of World War I. In March 1918 they signed an armistice with Germany. This treaty is known as:

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in a town by the same name on the Polish-Russian Border. The treaty was punitive.

The first secret police of communist (bolshevik) Russia was known as:

Cheka. Cheka was the first secret police force in communist Russia. They were known for their cruelty and were led by Felix Dzerzhinsky.

In March 1921, there was an uprising against the Bolshevik regime, that was started by 15,000 sailors. This was known as:

Kronstadt Rebellion. The rebellion was named after Kronstadt the small port town it was started in. Lenin sent 300 commisars and the Cheka to put down the rebellion. They did, bloodily.

During the Russian Civil War (1918-1920), the man in charge of military strategy was:

Leon Trotsky. Leon Trotsky was in charge of military strategy. Although Lenin was a great politian, he was a military dunce.

Within the Social Democratic party, in the early 1900s, there were two groups, the Bolsheviks and the:

Mensheviks. The Mensheviks looked toward the German Marxist party as a model. The Bolsheviks were more flexible. They were opportunists and wanted power any way possible.

The rich peasants, in control of agricultural prices, in the early 20s were known as:

Kulaks. The kulaks kept control of the farms until Stalin implemented his plan of collectivization.

In the early years of the Bolshevik regime, until 1929, there was still relative cultural freedom. One famous Russian artist and film maker, who made films about the early 20th century revolutions, was:

Sergei Eisenstein. Sergei Eisenstein was a celebrated film maker before Stalin clamped down on cultural freedom.

November 1917 saw last free election in Russia until 1991. The group that was elected in until the Bolshevik takeover lasted one day. They were known as the:

Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly met for one day to set up a constitution and democratic government. They were not strong enough to stop Lenin.