Russian Revolution 

In 1917, two revolutions swept through Russia, ending centuries of imperial rule and setting in motion political and social changes that would lead to the formation of the Soviet Union. In March, growing civil unrest, coupled with chronic food shortages, erupted into open revolt, forcing the abdication of Nicholas II (1868-1918), the last Russian czar. Just months later, the newly installed provisional government was itself overthrown by the more radical Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924).

By 1917, most Russians had lost faith in the leadership ability of Czar Nicholas II. Government corruption was rampant, the Russian economy remained backward, and Nicholas repeatedly dissolved the Duma, the Russian parliament established after the 1905 revolution, when it opposed his will. However, the immediate cause of the February Revolution–the first phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917–was Russia’s disastrous involvement in World War I (1914-18). Militarily, imperial Russia was no match for industrialized Germany, and Russian casualties were greater than those sustained by any nation in any previous war. Meanwhile, the economy was hopelessly disrupted by the costly war effort, and moderates joined Russian radical elements in calling for the overthrow of the czar.

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Timeline- Russia Revolution

Date	Event
1894	Czar Nicholas is crowned  After his father, Czar Alexander III, died, Nicholas II became Czar over all of Russia.
1895	Vladmir Lenin is exiled  Lenin's brother had been killed a few years before for trying to kill Czar Nicholas' father. Lenin wanted to take over power from Nicholas, and he was arrested and exiled from Russia.
1903	The Russian Social-Democrat Labor Party meets  At the meeting the people were split into two groups. Some supported Lenin, and others supported a different leader.
1905	A revolution breaks out  A revolution broke out in St. Petersburg, but Czar Nicholas quickly put an end to it. The day was called Bloody Sunday.
1908	Rasputin is introduced into the aristocracy  Rasputin called himself a holy man and a healer, and he helped heal Czar Nicholas' sick son. Still, Rasputin wasn't a good man, and many in Russia hated him, putting the people at odds with the Czar.
1914	WWI begins  World War I began and the following year, Czar Nicholas took command of the Russian Army.
1916	Rasputin is killed  The plan to kill Rasputin seemed simple, but it took a lot of work to finally kill him.
February 1917	Another revolution begins  The people were unhappy with Czar Nicholas' rule of the country. They began protests and strikes, refusing to do their work.
March 1917	Czar Nicholas tries to step down  Nicholas tried to give up his throne and let his brother take over, but his brother refused. Other Russian aristocrats tried to make a temporary government.
July 1917	Vladmir Lenin tries to take over  Lenin came out of exile and tried to take over the temporary government, but he was chased back into hiding.
October 1917	Lenin succeeds in taking over  Lenin still led the split political party of the Russian Social-Democrat Labor Party, and his party soon moved in and took control of Russia.
1918	Russia backs out of WWI  Lenin signed a treaty, taking Russia out of WWI. Later that year he had Czar Nicholas and his family killed.
March 1918	The Communist Party is developed  Lenin changed the name of his political party to the Communist Party.
1922	The USSR is established  Lenin helped establish the United Soviet Socialists Republic, a communist country. He worked with Joseph Stalin.
1924	Vladmir Lenin dies  After Lenin died, Joseph Stalin took over his rule. He would rule for many years to come. The Russian revolution changed Russia and all of history, introducing communism into the modern world. However, communism didn't catch on as Lenin and Stalin had hoped. Instead, demo

Russian- Civil War

The Russian Civil War (November 1917 – October 1922) was a multi-party war in the former Russian Empire fought between the Bolshevik Red Army and the White Army, the loosely allied anti-Bolshevik forces. Many foreign armies warred against the Red Army, notably the Allied Forcesand the pro-German armies.[4] The Red Army defeated the White Armed Forces of South Russia in Ukraine and the army led by Aleksandr Kolchak in Siberia in 1919. The remains of the White forces commanded by Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel were beaten in the Crimea and were evacuated in the autumn of 1920.

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk had shown to many how weak the Bolsheviks actually were. Lenin had called for peace at any price and the Germans had exacted very severe terms – something that was held against them at Versailles in 1919.

At the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks only effectively controlled Petrograd, Moscow and the territory between both cities. With the fall of Nicholas II, many parts of the Russian empire took the opportunity to declare their independence. Finland did so in March 1918 – and collapsed into a civil war itself. The Whites, led by Mannerheim, were helped by the Germans – Luderndorff even contemplated putting a German prince in power in Finland once the Whites had won. With German help, the Finnish Whites pushed back the Finnish-Russo border and Petrograd was almost within artillery range.