Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

In 1855, the Tsar ruled Russia alone with total power and no parliament. A disastrous war with Britain and France had ju

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

Alexander II responded to Russia's backwardness by freeing the serfs in 1861 and modernising the army, courts, and local

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

Alexander II and Alexander III both ruled Russia as autocrats, meaning they held total personal power. They differed sha

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

Russification was the Tsarist policy of forcing non-Russian peoples to adopt Russian language, culture, and religion. Th

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

From the 1860s onwards, organised groups challenged Tsarist rule with competing political ideas. Liberals wanted gradual

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

Russia's economy and society changed significantly between 1855 and 1894. Industry grew slowly, land ownership caused de

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

Nicholas II ruled Russia as an autocrat but faced a revolution in 1905. He survived by making limited concessions, inclu

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

Between 1855 and 1914, Russia built factories, railways, and cities at speed. But farming remained backward, and most pe

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

Between 1855 and 1914, rapid industrialisation transformed how Russians lived and worked. Cities grew fast, peasants flo

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

By the early twentieth century, organised groups of Russians actively challenged Tsarist rule using competing political

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

The First World War pushed Russia's already fragile government to breaking point. By 1917, military disaster, food short

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

In October 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power from Russia's Provisional Government. They then built a new revolutionary g

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917

Russia in 1855 was ruled as an autocracy — a system in which the Tsar held absolute political power with no obligation t

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

After 1917, Lenin and then Stalin each took control of Russia and used distinct political beliefs to reshape the country

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

After seizing power in 1917, the Bolsheviks fought to keep control of Russia. Over the following decades, Stalin turned

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

Lenin and Stalin each used radical economic policies to reshape Russia. Lenin issued emergency decrees, while Stalin for

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

Lenin and Stalin deliberately reshaped Soviet society — changing the roles of women, young people, and religious believe

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

Lenin and Stalin crushed opposition inside and outside the Communist Party. They used organised violence — including mas

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

By 1941, Stalin had built a brutal dictatorship that controlled politics, the economy and everyday life. The Soviet Unio

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

The Second World War transformed Soviet politics, the economy and daily life. Stalin used the crisis to tighten his grip

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

After World War Two, Stalin tightened his grip on the Soviet Union through renewed terror and a carefully constructed im

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

After Stalin died in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev outmanoeuvred his rivals to take control of the Soviet Union. He then tried

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

After Stalin died in 1953, Khrushchev changed how Soviet industry, farming and daily life were organised. He tried to ma

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

Different groups challenged Khrushchev's rule from inside and outside the Communist Party. Their combined pressure event

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

By 1964, the Soviet Union had changed dramatically since Stalin's death. Khrushchev's reforms had loosened political ter

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964

The Soviet Union, 1917–1964

Following the revolutions of 1917, Russia was transformed into the Soviet Union — a one-party communist state — first un

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964