Timeline: Contemporary era

Jan 22, 1905

Bloody Sunday massacre in St. Petersburg fuels 1905 Revolution unrest.

Peaceful protesters in St. Petersburg were shot by imperial troops.
The massacre intensified unrest during the 1905 Revolution.

Jun 27, 1905

Mutiny on Battleship Potemkin during 1905 Revolution.

Sailors rebelled against harsh conditions and brutal discipline.
The mutiny became a powerful symbol of revolutionary resistance.

Oct 30, 1905

October Manifesto creates Duma, concessions after 1905 strikes.

Tsar Nicholas II promised civil liberties and a legislative Duma.
These concessions temporarily calmed revolutionary unrest.

Jun 28, 1914

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, was the immediate trigger that set off a chain reaction of alliances and declarations of war, leading directly to the outbreak of World War I a month later as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and other European powers joined in.

Jul 28, 1914

Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, escalating into global conflict.

On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, triggering the cascade of alliances that plunged Europe into World War I, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Aug 1, 1914

Germany declares war on Russia, drawing the empire into WWI.

Germany declared war on Russia after Russia mobilized to support Serbia.
This expanded the war into a major international conflict.

Feb 23, 1917

Petrograd strikes and mutinies lead to February Revolution.

Strikes and bread riots erupted in Petrograd.
Military mutinies soon followed, undermining tsarist authority.

Mar 2, 1917

Tsar Nicholas II abdicates, ending Romanov dynasty.

Nicholas II abdicated the throne under pressure from revolutionaries.
This ended over 300 years of Romanov rule.

Apr 3, 1917

Lenin returns from exile, pushes "Peace, Land, Bread."

Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia with German assistance.
He promoted the slogan “Peace, Land, Bread” to gain popular support.

Oct 25, 1917

Bolsheviks seize Winter Palace in October Revolution.

Bolshevik forces overthrew the Provisional Government in Petrograd.
This marked the beginning of Bolshevik rule.

Oct 26, 1917

Congress of Soviets endorses Bolshevik power .

The Congress approved the Bolshevik takeover.
A new Soviet government was formally established.

Period: Nov 7, 1917 to Jun 16, 1923

Red Army vs. Whites, Greens, nationalists in multi-front Civil War

The Red Army (Bolsheviks) fought the Russian Civil War (1918–1922) against the Whites, Greens, and nationalist movements, as well as foreign intervention, and succeeded due to better organization, centralized control, and a unifying ideology, despite internal resistance and peasant revolts.

Dec 15, 1917

Armistice with Central Powers post-Bolshevik takeover.

The Bolshevik government agreed to a ceasefire with Germany.
Russia began negotiations to exit World War I.

May 14, 1918

Czech Legion uprising ignites Russian Civil War.

Czech Legion troops rebelled along the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Their uprising helped ignite the Russian Civil War.

Jul 17, 1918

Execution of Romanov family in Yekaterinburg.

The Romanov family, including Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra, and their five children (Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, Alexei), along with four loyal servants, were executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries on the night of July 16-17, 1918, in the cellar of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia.