- In February 1917, widespread dissatisfaction with the Tsar's autocratic rule and the hardships caused by World War I led to riots and strikes in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg).
- The military was unwilling to suppress the protests, and Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, ending the Romanov dynasty's 300-year rule.
- A provisional government, dominated by moderate socialists and liberals, was established to lead Russia until new elections could be organized.
October Revolution (1917):
- In November 1917 (October by the old Russian calendar), the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power from the provisional government in the October Revolution.
- The Bolsheviks had gained popularity by promising "Peace, Land, and Bread" to the masses, promising an end to Russia's involvement in World War I, redistribution of land to the peasants, and workers' control of factories.
- The Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government and established a Soviet government, with Lenin as its leader.
Civil War (1918-1921):
- Following the October Revolution, Russia descended into a civil war between the Bolshevik Red Army and various counter-revolutionary forces, including the White Army, supported by foreign powers.
- The civil war was extremely bloody and destructive, with millions of casualties.
- Eventually, the Red Army, led by Leon Trotsky, emerged victorious, and the Bolsheviks consolidated their control over Russia.
Establishment of the Soviet Union:
- In December 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was officially formed, uniting Soviet Russia and several other Soviet republics.
- The USSR was a one-party state ruled by the Communist Party, with Lenin serving as its first leader until his death in 1924.
- The communist control over Russia, established through two revolutions and a civil war, marked the beginning of the Soviet era, which lasted until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.