Chapter 14 Section 3 – The Russian Revolution
Background to Revolution
1. List three reasons why Russia was so unprepared for WWI.
2. The book says that some soldiers were sent to the front lines without a gun. How might that effect the morale of
the troops in battle?
3. How many soldiers were killed between 1914 and 1916? How many were injured?
4. Who is Grigory Rasputin? Why did he cause problems for Czar Nicholas II?
5. Why did women march in the city of Petrograd on March 8th?
6. Nicholas ordered his troops to shoot the protesters. Why did they disobey his orders and join the protesters?
7. Why did the Duma ask Czar Nicholas II to step down?
8. The provisional government decided to stay in the war. Why was that a mistake?
9. Who were the Soviets?
Lenin and the Bolsheviks
1. Where did the Bolsheviks get their start?
2. Who was the leader of the Bolsheviks?
3. Violence was the Bolsheviks answer to everything. Why?
4. Lenin came back to Russia in April 1917 after being away. Why would Germany help Lenin to get back to Russia
and gain power?
5. What were some promises that the Bolsheviks and Lenin gave when they got into power?
6. What were the three simple slogans that summed up the Bolshevik program?
The Bolsheviks Seize Power
1. The Bolsheviks had grown dramatically by October 1917. How did that help them to seize power in Russia?
2. Why did Lenin feel the need to let the public see that the provisional government was in control but behind the
scenes he was actually in control?
3. What name did the Bolsheviks rename themselves?
4. What was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
5. Why was Lenin ok with losing so much territory in this treaty?
Civil War in Russia
1. What groups were opposed to the Communists/Bolsheviks?
2. Why did the Allies send troops to Russia?
3. The Communists or Red Army was in some type of conflict from 1918 to 1921. Who was their main opponent?
4. What did the soviet do to the Czar after he abdicated the throne?
5. Why did they feel the need to do that?
Triumph of the Communists
1. How did Lenin get his army to become so disciplined?
2. How did disunity in the anti-Communist help the Communists?
3. What was war communism?
4. Who was the Cheka and what was their job?
5. What effect did the foreign troops have on the Communists?