-Middle class and urban working class people emerged, as Russia began to industrialize. People began to protest: too much poverty and unfair laws.

- Czars made some reforms to stop the revolts.

- Czar Nicholas III

-Czar Nicholas IIIEasily influenced by those around him.Convinced of the suitability of autocracy in Russia: inflexible on political change.Accepted danger fatalistically (didn’t step to change things) Had little experience of governing.His wife had immense influence upon himNot as firm as Alexander III, his father.CONCLUSSION: HE SUCKED AS A RULER!!

The Marxists, followers of Marx’s ideas, persuaded the PROLETARIAT (factory and railroad workers, miners,…)

WORLD WAR I AFFECTED RUSSIA:- Factories couldn’t produce enough.- Transportation collapsed.- Not enough army.- Lots of casualties.

Czar Nicholas II “tried” to face the problem personally. -He left the leadership to his wife: the czarina Alexandra. - He was not competent. - His wife wasn’t either.

THE PARTICIPATION OF RASPUTIN IN RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT

He was an illiterate peasant.

-Known as the “mad monk”

- believed to be “holy”

- He got confidence of Alexandra and czar Nicholas because he “healed” miraculously their hemophilic son.

- It was said he had an affair with the czarina, too.

BIZZARRE DEATH:

-He was invited by some nobles to a palace. He ate cakes and drank wine with cyanide.

- He didn’t die, so he was shot there. When they saw him, he was just shot in the shoulder. He ran and escaped. He was shot again, he fell.

-His real death was: drowned in the river while escaping.

LENIN AND THE BOLSHEVIKS

CLASSWORK:

1. How did Lenin become a leading figure in Russia?

2. Why was he sent into exile?

3. What happened in the November Revolution?

4. How did the Bolsheviks take control of Russia?

5. What was the conflict between the “reds” and “whites”?