Key Terms of the Russian Revolution

Classified in History

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Alexander Kerensky

Member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party and an active participant in the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.

April Theses

Document published by Lenin stating there should be no support for the Provisional Government and advocating withdrawal from World War I.

Bolsheviks

Marxist revolutionary group led by Lenin that sought a socialist revolution and aimed to give power to the workers.

Communism

Economic and social system created by Karl Marx, proposing that everything produced is shared instead of being kept by the one who created it.

Dual Power

Term referring to the two governing bodies in Russia after the February Revolution: the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.

Duma

National Russian parliament formed by the Tsar following the 1905 Revolution.

Dictatorship of the Proletariat

Term describing the political system after a socialist revolution, where workers hold governmental power.

Joseph Stalin

Bolshevik leader. He gained importance as Lenin paid attention to him as an ally, and after Lenin's death, he became leader of the Soviet Union.

Kadets

Constitutional Democratic Party. Their aim was to replace the Tsarist autocracy with a democratic-liberal republic or a constitutional monarchy.

Leon Trotsky

Bolshevik leader and an important figure during the October Revolution. He facilitated Russia's exit from World War I.

Mensheviks

Political group less radical than the Bolsheviks. They advocated for democracy and supported free entry for anyone wishing to join the party.

Nicholas II

Last Russian Tsar. He accepted power without being prepared and abdicated as a result of the February Revolution.

Petrograd Soviet

Revolutionary union of workers and soldiers in Petrograd, formed by people from many political parties. They declared themselves the government of Russia during the February Revolution.

Russian Revolution

It occurred during World War I and was due to the failure of the Tsarist regime. It had two main stages: the February Revolution and the October Revolution.

Vladimir Lenin

Founder of the Bolshevik Party, organizer of the October Revolution, and first leader of the Soviet Union.

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