Interactive and engaging History lesson plans

      Mr. Harms has designed a number of PowerPoint and Keynote presentations to help students understand history. Designed by a teacher for teachers, this PowerPoint focuses on "Revolutions In Russia". This presentation is designed to give students an overview of the path to Communism taken by Lenin and other Bolshevik Leaders. Students will be shown maps, animations and descriptions of some of the major events leading to the Russian Revolution.

      The presentation is totally customizable, allowing you to add your own pictures, graphics and animations to take what we've done even farther.  It comes with presentation notes to help you discuss the subject and engage them in the events of Europe. At less than $6.00, it will save you time and lay the foundation for presentations that help students understand and remember. 
The Topics include: Russian Revolution, Czar Alexander II, Alexander III, Nicholas II, Industrialization, Marxism, Vladimir Lenin, Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, Russo-Japanese War, Revolution of 1905, Bloody Sunday, WWI, Bolshevik Revolution, Provisional Govt, Civil War, New Economic Policy, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Soviet Union.
Number of Slides: 56 $5.60

Included in The Presentation Package:
1.    Keynote Presentation
2.    Power Point Presentation
3.    Text edit file of the Outline of The Presentation and presenter's notes.


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McDougal Littel's World History: Patterns of Interaction
The World At War
Revolution and Nationalism
Chapter 30, Section 1 "Revolutions In Russia"

Revolutions In Russia PowerPoint

Revolutions In Russia Presentation

Revolutions In Russia

PowerPoint and Keynote Presenters Notes

Source: World History, Patterns of Interaction

Chapter 30, Section 1

Presenters Notes, Higher Order Questions, Concepts

Slide 1

Revolutions In Russia

    -Chapter 30 Section 1

Slide 2

A Revolution 100 Years In The Making

    -1800’s: Cruel and Oppressive Rule of the Czars

    -1825: Army Officer Revolt

    -1888: Assassination of Alexander II

    -1917: Revolution

    -Long term social unrest in Russia explodes in revolution and ushers in the first Communist Government

Slide 3

Czars Resist Change

Slide 4

Czar Alexander II

    -Alexander was known as “The Liberator”

    -He freed the serfs in 1861

    -He was a reformer, but was assassinated by radical reformers who thought he was moving too slow

Slide 5

End To Reform

    -In 1881, Alexander III becomes Czar, ends reforms

    -Institutes autocratic rule, suppressing all opposition and dissent

Alexander reacted to the assassination of his father by cracking down on the people.  He believed in autocracy, much like his grandfather Nicholas I.

Slide 6

People Labeled As Dangerous

    -Anyone who:

        -Questioned the absolute authority of the Czar

        -Worshiped outside the Russian Orthodox Church

        -Spoke a language other than Russian

Slide 7

Czars Continue Autocratic Rule

Slide 8

Concept: Patterns

Explanation: A series of actions or behaviors that are consistent

Czars: Repression-Repression-Repression

Slide 9

Wiping Out The Revolutionaries

    -Government censors written criticism; secret police monitor schools

    -Non-Russians living in Russia are treated harshly

    -Jews become targets of government Pogroms (Mob violence)

    -In 1894, Nicholas II becomes Czar, continues Autocratic Ways

Teachers had to submit reports on all their students.

Slide 10

Higher Order Question: What kind of behaviors could get you arrested in an Authoritarian state.

Answer: 1. Questioning the leader, 2. Not following customs, 3. Practicing an illegal religion, 4. Voicing an unpopular opinion

Slide 11

Russia Industrializes

Slide 12

Rapid Industrialization

    -Number of factories doubles between 1863 and 1900; Russia still lags behind

    -In late 1800’s, new plan boosts steel production

Slide 13

Raising Capital

    -A lot of capital was needed to build Heavy Industry

        -Financed it through:

            -European Investment

            -Taxes on the Russian People

Slide 14

The Trans-Siberian Railway

     -The Railway linked the Pacific Ports in the East with European Russia in the West. (Completed in 1916)

Slide 15

The Revolutionary Movement Grows

Slide 16

Rapid Industrialization Creates Problems

    -Russian People Discontent

        -Grueling Work Conditions

        -Miserably Low Wages

        -Child Labor

        -Unions Outlawed

    -With no political Power People were forced to strike to make changes    

Slide 17

Marxist Revolutionaries

    -Growing popularity of the Marxist idea that the Proletariat (workers) will rule

    -Overthrow of the Czar/Social System

Slide 18

Government Systems





Slide 19

Revolutionary Group Splits

    -1903, Marxist Revolutionaries

        -Mensheviks: Moderate, broad based appeal

        -Bolsheviks: Radical, small dedicated group

Slide 20

Vladimir Lenin

    -Bolshevik Leader

    -Excellent Organizer

    -Inspiring Speaker


    -Lenin was forced to flee Czarist Russia to the West where he kept in contact with revolutionaries.

Slide 21


    -The owner risks their own capital

    -Two aspects: Private Property, ownership of land

    -What is Capital?: Money, Land Factory

    -Free Market limited government control

In Capitalism, workers wages are determined by supply and demand of their skills.

Slide 22


    -Redistribution of Wealth

    -Two Aspects: Private Ownership, More Government Control

Slide 23



        -Marxist: Utopian (Classless/Stateless

        -Leninist: One Party System (Communist)

            -Everyone works for the good of the state

            -Huge state Government

            -Classes by party rank

Slide 24

Crisis At Home and Abroad

    -Crisis Shows Czar’s weakness

        -The Russo-Japanese War

        -Revolution of 1905

        -World War I

Slide 25

Russo-Japanese War

Slide 26

Conflict: Korea and Manchuria

    -1800’s, Russia and Japan competed for control of Manchuria

    -Signed treaties, but Russia broke them

    -Japan Retaliates inflicting heavy Russian losses

        -Leads to a revolt

Korea and Manchuria had valuable natural resources like Coal and Iron Ore.

Slide 27

The Revolution of 1905

Slide 28

Bloody Sunday

    -In 1905, 200,000 workers march on the Czars Winter Palace to demand reforms: 

        -Better Working Conditions

        -More Personal Freedom

        -Elected National Legislature

Slide 29

-Army fires into crowd: hundreds killed, a thousand wounded

-Massacre leads to widespread unrest; Nicholas forced to make reforms

Slide 30

Higher Order Question: What do you think the Czar feared would happen if he gave in to the demands of his citizens?

Answer: Example: Feared that he would look weak

Slide 31

World War I: The Final Blow

Slide 32

Russia: Unprepared For War

    -Weak generals and poorly equipped troops: No match for the German Army.

        -Thousands of Russians slaughtered

        -Over 4 million killed or captured in the first year

Slide 33

-Nicholas moves to the front to personally conduct the war

-Czarina falls under influence of Rasputin, - mysterious “holy man”

    -Nobles fear Rasputin’s influence: 1916 murder him

Rasputin was able to relieve the pain of the Czar’s son, Alexis who suffered from hemophilia.  The Czarina gave him great  power, in which he named his friends to high government offices.  

Slide 34

-By March of 1917, Russia was on the verge of collapse: 

    -Soldiers were mutinying and deserting

    -Food and fuel were in short supply on the home front

    -Inflation was destroying peoples buying power

Slide 35

The March Revolution

Slide 36

Concept: Revolution

Explanation: The Forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a different system

Slide 37


    -In March 1917, strikes expand; soldiers refuse to fire on workers

Slide 38

The Czar Steps Down

    -March Revolution: Protest becomes uprising; Nicholas abdicates the throne

    -Duma establishes Provisional Government, or temporary

    -Soviets: committees of Socialist Revolutionaries: control many cities

Slide 39

New Leader/Same Problems

    -A Charismatic New Leader: Alexander Kerensky keeps Russia in the war

        -Russia’s problems got worse

    -Soviets form: local councils of workers, peasants and soldiers

        -more powerful than the Provisional Government

Slide 40

The Bolshevik Revolution

Slide 41

Lenin Returns To Russia

    -In April 1917, Germans aid Lenin in returning from exile to Russia

        -Lenin and his followers take over the Petrograd Soviet

        -Soviets all over Russia take control of the cities

Slide 42

The Provisional Government Topples

    -In November 1917, workers take control of the government in Moscow

Slide 43

The Bolsheviks In Power

    -Bolsheviks sign treaty with Germany; Russia out of WWI (Peace)

    -Lenin gives (land) to Peasants, puts workers in control of factories.

    -Peasants with land will be motivated to produce more= More Food (bread)

The Central Powers agreed to an armistice on the Eastern Front.  With Russia embroiled in its own civil war- The Central Powers could force harsh terms on them.  The Bolsheviks sent Leon Trotsky to negotiate with the Germans in the Polish town of Brest Litovsk.  Trotsky tried to stall, hoping the Germans and other European powers would see their armies desert and plunge Europe into a class war.  When this obviously failed and the Germans resumed their attack capturing more territory in 5 days than they had in the last 5 years- Trotsky had no choice but to agree to all the Germans demands.  Settled and Signed March 3rd 1918

Slide 44

A Harsh Peace

    -Russians Give up territory:

        -Poland, Ukraine, Baltic States, Finland, Transcaucasia

    -Other losses:

        -1/3 population

        -1/3 Agricultural Land

        -3/4 Industries

Many Russians were angered by the peace settlement and the murder of the royal family.

Slide 45

Civil War Rages in Russia

    -Red Army: Socialists

    -White Army: Czars Supporters, Democratic Supporters, Socialists

    -Civil War between Bolsheviks Red Army and the loosely allied White Army

    -Red Army, Led by Leon Trotsky wins 3 year war that leaves 14 million dead

Slide 46

Comparing World Revolutions

    -American Revolution: Built on English Political Ideas using existing structures

    -French Revolution: Attempt to remake society by destroying existing political system

    -Russian Revolution: Attempt to remake society by destroying existing political system

Slide 47

Lenin Restores Order

    -The Russian Economy was destroyed by WWI and the Revolution

Slide 48

New Economic Policy

    -In March 1921, Lenin launches NEP; small scale version of Capitalism

    -NEP and peace restore economy shattered by war, revolution

    -By 1928, Russia’s farms and factories are productive again to Pre-WWI Levels

Slide 49

Higher order Question: Why do you think an ardent Communist like Lenin resorted to using Capitalism to get the farms and factories working again?

Answer: By allowing the peasants and factory owners to make profits, it motivated them to produce more.

Slide 50

Political Reforms

    -Lenin creates self-governing republics under  a national government

    -In 1922, country renamed: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; U.S.S.R.

    -Communist Party: New name taken by Bolsheviks from writings of Marx


        -Hammer: Industrial Workers

        -Sickle Peasants

        -Combined: Worker peasant alliance

Slide 51

The Republics of the Soviet Union

Slide 52

Higher Order Question: What is the difference between the government advocated by Marx and the one created by Lenin?

Answer: Marx wanted a dictatorship of the workers and peasants, Lenin’s was a dictatorship of the Communist Party

Slide 53

Stalin Becomes Dictator

Slide 54

A New Leader

    -Trotsky and Stalin compete to replace Lenin after several strokes- he dies

    -Joseph Stalin: Cold, hard Communist Party General Secretary in 1922

        -Stalin gains power from 1922-1927

Slide 55

-Lenin dies in 1924

-Stalin gains complete control in 1928; Trotsky forced into exile to Mexico where Stalin’s spies murder him.

Slide 56

The End
