USSR dates

Question 1

1904

Answer 1

Russo-Japanese War 1904-05

Question 2

1905

Answer 2

Bloody Sunday:
January 22nd 1905, a peaceful protest occurred in St Petersburg led by father Gapon. Due to the Russo-Japanese War, the population was upset about the starvation, poor conditions and cold winter endured by the working class. Imperial forces opened fire on the crowd and killed hundreds. The Tsar never appeared at the protest when he was meant to, it is rumoured that he had already escaped the city

October Manifesto
Announced October 1905 by tsar Nicholas as a response to the revolutionary events of ‘bloody Sunday’, previously that year. It offered the people constitutional rights and promised the creation of the duma, with free and open elections. This was the first major decision that would limit the tsars autocratic power.

Question 3

1898

Answer 3

Tsar Nicholas comes to power, untrained and unwilling.

Question 4

1924

Answer 4

In 1924, Lenin died signifying the begging of the Power struggle between key members of the Politburo, Stalin, Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev.
Lenin’s Last Will and testament was released in 1924 exposing his concerns regarding Stalin and the instability of Russia.

Question 5

1926

Answer 5

assisted by Bukharin, Stalin expelled Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev from the Politburo

Question 6

1927

Question 7

1928

Answer 7

Beginning of the first 5 year plan of industrialisation and collectivisation

Question 8

1932

Answer 8

-First 5 year plan provided only modest industrial returns.
-Millions die in Winter famine 1932-33

Question 9

1934

Answer 9

July: 53% of peasants households joined collective farms
December: Sergei Kirov is murdered

Question 10

1936

Answer 10

• The first constitution December
  -Trial of Kamenev and Zinoviev- both executed

Question 11

1937

Answer 11

• Third five year plan
  -Marshal Tukhachevskuy executed

Question 12

1938

Answer 12

• Yezhov executed
• Prison camp population rose to 8 million
  -BREZHNEV AND KHRUSHCHEV REPLACED SOME of those who have been purged

Question 13

1941

Answer 13

June: 22nd Operation Barbarossa
July: Stalin broadcasts to the nation for the first time since German invasion
November: German armies have advanced to Rostov, Moscow and Leningrad
December: first major USSR counter offence against Germany outside Moscow halts German advances

Question 14

1943

Answer 14

• Summit between Allies at Tehran
  January: Germany surrenders to USSR at Stalingrad. Germany pushed back to Dnieper river

Question 15

1945

Answer 15

February: Summit conference at Yalta
May: Berlin falls to the USSR armies. Germany is defeated
August: Summit at Potsdam. Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima
April: Roosevelt dies, replaced by Harry S. Truman

Question 16

1911

Question 17

1914

Answer 17

July: shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
August: WW1 declared
* Initially Russians enthusiastic
Some significant battles won by the Russians (Battle of Tannenberg)

Question 18

1915

Answer 18

Lost many battles
August: Tsar Nicholas II takes over as supreme commander of the army
* He now has personal responsibility for the war
Tsarina Alexandra is left in charge of the Homefront. Rasputin is very influential within the duma

Question 19

1916

Answer 19

• More losses on the eastern front
  December: Rasputin murdered by Prince Yusupov

Question 20

February 1917

Answer 20

Caused by the 90 000 people who went on strike in Petrograd on the 22nd february, due to the shortages of fuel and food. Factory’s, trains and trams all closed due to the strikes from Thursday to Sunday. Tsar was asked to form a government acceptable to the duma but he refused and troops refused to fire into the crowds and many joined the riots. 28th February out of the Duma created provisional government and working class created Petrograd soviet. Thursday 2nd march tsar forced to abdicate for him and Alexi and Grand duke Michael refused the throne. So Duma established the Provisional Government.

Question 21

April 1917

Answer 21

In April 1917, Lenin returned to Russia from Switzerland and presented his April thesis of “peace, land. Bread”. Meaning that he wanted an end to the imperialist war, give land to the peasants and would feed the workers.

Question 22

July 1919

Answer 22

July days
· Protests against PG, as Russia was still in WW1
· ‘June offensive’ on eastern front was a disaster
· Demonstrations against June offensive sparked July days
· 2nd july, Trotsky delivered a speech attacking government & Machine gun regiment joined
20,000 sailors and thousands of workers rioted
· 3-6 july active protests, 500 000 involved but suppressed by PG
· Bolsheviks were rounded up and jailed by Trotsky and Kamenev
Lenin fled to Finland

Question 23

August 1917

Answer 23

Kornilov affair: attempted military coup

Question 24

1918

Answer 24

In 1918 the Civil War outbroke and War communism was introduced. Along with the Romanov family being executed to secure Soviet power

Question 25

October 1917

Answer 25

October 7th Lenin returns, 10th convinces Petrograd soviets to seize power from PG
 With Stalin, Trotsky and Kamenev
Got kronstadt soldiers to help as they needed force
24th red guard troops stormed winter palace
26th Council of Peoples Commissars announced
Bolshevik gained control and support,
Kerensky got Cossack troops to fire on red guard and his reputation was ruined
November 2nd Bolsheviks had claimed total power.

Question 26

1921

Answer 26

Kronstadt rebellion resulted in the introduction of the NEP

Question 27

1922

Answer 27

Stalin was appointed General Secretary allowing him access to a key position within the government

Question 28

1924

Answer 28

In 1924, Lenin died signifying the begging of the Power struggle between key members of the Politburo, Stalin, Trotsky, Kamenev and Zinoviev.
Lenin’s Last Will and Testament was released in 1924 exposing his concerns regarding Stalin and the instability of Russia.