Name: ____________________________

The Russian Revolution Webquest and

Video Analysis
Directions: Complete the following questions using resources from the links listed below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N8hsXQapjY (Ted-Ed Video)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/eastern_front_01.shtml (BBC History)

To begin this assignment, watch the Ted-Ed video: History vs. Vladimir Lenin and then answer
the following questions.
1. When was serfdom- a form of slavery where farmers are bound to their land- abolished
in Russia?

2. Why did few Russians see an improvement in their quality of life after serfdom was
abolished?

3. What reforms did the Tsar introduce in 1905 following an attempted revolution? Were
these reforms effective?

4. Why was Lenin determined to remove the Tsar from power?

5. What uprising forced the Tsar to abdicate?

6. Who assumed power in Russia following the abdication of the Tsar?

7. How did Lenin return to Russia from exile in Switzerland?

8. When did Lenin assume power in Russia?

9. Why did the Bolsheviks murder the Tsar and the entire Romanov family?

10. Who did Lenin not want to assume power following his death? Was his warning listened
to?

11. What kind of regime in Russia is Lenin responsible for establishing?

12. How did Lenin and his Bolsheviks have a positive impact on the history of Russia?

For the next section of the assignment, proceed to the BBC History website listed on the front
page, read the article, and then answer the following questions.
13. In 1913, how large and diverse was the Russian Empire, which the Romanov family
ruled?

14. What events in 1905 had shaken the Russian Empire?

15. How did the early battles of World War I destroy any hope of national unity?

16. By 1915, how much Russian territory had fallen to the Central Powers?

17. How did the military situation improve in 1916?

A map of Europe during World War I which shows the location of the Eastern Front
18. Why did this success on the battlefield not translate to success on the home front?

19. What events led to Nicholas II abdicating in February 1917?

20. Who held the real power in Russia following the abdication of the Tsar?

21. How did the Soviets want to approach the war now that the Tsar was gone?

22. How much money did Germany spend trying to foment disorder in Russia, including
transporting Lenin home?

23. Why was the Russian offensive of 1917 a disaster?

24. What caused the downfall of the provisional government in October 1917?

25. What promise did Lenin and the Bolsheviks make upon seizing power?

26. What did Lenin hope would happen if the other belligerents didnt listen to his request
for all nations to stop fighting?

27. When the Central Powers did agree to a peace treaty, causing Lenins plan to backfire,
who did the Bolsheviks send to negotiate?

28. Why was Russia forced to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, instead of waiting for the
communist revolution to spread?

29. What did Russia lose in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

30. Due to outrage over the treaty, what internal conflict broke out in Russia? What was the
name for the two sides in this conflict?

31. Why were the Reds able to push back the White forces which surrounded them?

32. Why were the Whites not an effective fighting force?

33. Why did the Allied nations intervene in the Russian Civil War on the side of the Whites?

34. How many people were killed in the Russian Civil War?

35. What legacy did the Russian Civil War and the Bolshevik victory leave behind?