THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
RESOURCES :
Part one: Russian Revolution
https://youtu.be/3_kaUpME9BQ?si=XpYdlSVusx1s2coq
Part two:Russian Revolution
https://youtu.be/b1reY72ktEc?si=bhs1eBn1l4PNm7Fn
THE SCENARIO
PICTURE THIS:
You’re a 16–17-year-old factory worker living and working in Thamesmead, London 2026.
You live in a cramped, tiny bedsit room with your entire family – think mouldy walls, no heating or hot water, sharing one stinky toilet bathroom with the 35+ people who live in other rooms in the house. You, and your father are the sole breadwinners for the entire family. In total there are niner family members.
You and your other family members, sleep on a few mattress on the floor. There is no Wi-Fi, o0r television, no computers or play station, and no stereo. . The kitchen is a cupboard and a kettle in the corner. In winter, it’s freezing; in summer, boiling. Bugs, damp smells, zero privacy, from your Mum, Dad, and six siblings. There are constant arguments over noise and bathroom usage with the other people who live in the building. Sometimes the disputes have ended violently because everybody is stressed.
Everyday, you drag yourself out of bed and walk four miles to a dilapidated building known as the “glue factory”. You work 17-hour shifts with no real breaks, usually 6–7 days a week because you desperately need the money). The boss is a psychopath, your colleagues are hostile, and you endure heavy lifting and standing all day. At the end of the day your feet are blistered and bleeding.
As you are only 16, your pay is a pathetic £2 an hour after tax (well below minimum wage ) – that’s £34 per day for a 17 hour day and £204 for a full brutal 6 day week. This does not cover your contribution for food, bus fare, heating and electricity, never mind luxuries like mobile phones or clothes . You have no savings, no fun, you are always stressed about the next bill.
YOUR FAMILY’S OUTGOING COSTS
Room Rent £600
Electricity and gas £300
Council tax £200
Food £150 ( you cant afford proper food and live off bread and potatoes, rice and milk).
Meanwhile, your boss, the super-rich owner/CEO of the chain of glue factories, chills in a massive luxury mansion: infinity pool, home cinema with massive TV, speedboat docked outside, private gym, helicopter pad, endless parties with influencers, designer everything, He never worries about money or the cold. Him and his family post yacht selfies while you’re exhausted on the night bus home.
QUESTIONS
1) What would YOU do in this situation right now? Circle one (or write your own):
A) Take it quietly – keep grinding, hope for a better job one day. (Scared of losing what little you have.)
B) Go on strike – stop working with your co-workers to demand fair pay (£15+ min wage), shorter shifts, and breaks. (Risky – could get sacked, but might force change.)
C) Join a peaceful protest/march to the company HQ or government – hold signs, post on TikTok, ask nicely for help. (Like Father Gapon’s march.)
D) Revolt fully – try to change the whole system, maybe push for big reforms or even overthrow unfair bosses/rich elites. (Super dangerous, but ends the inequality?)
E) Something else?
2) Write about the answer you chose and why. (6 marks)
3) How does your answer compare to the events of the Russian revolution
Main Characters: in short Meet the Key Players (Amusing but True!)
Tsar Nicholas II – The “big boss” of Russia from 1894.
He was chosen by God (he believed), but wasn’t great at the job. Timid, loved family time more than ruling, and kept making bad decisions.
Think: A king who prefers playing with kids than fixing problems. Weak ruler, but stubborn about keeping ALL power. 👑😔Quick question: Why might a “timid” leader be bad for a huge, unhappy country?
Father Gapon – Handsome Orthodox priest who organised a peaceful march.
Not a wild revolutionary – just wanted better lives for workers. Led thousands to ask the Tsar nicely… it didn’t end well. 🙏😢
Quick question: Do you think peaceful protests usually work? Why/why not?Vladimir Lenin – Super angry, super smart guy in exile (kicked out of Russia).
Read Karl Marx’s ideas about workers rising up against bosses. Wanted full communism (no rich people, everyone equal, workers control factories/land).
Called people rude names if they disagreed with him. Future big player, but watching from abroad in 1905. 🔥🧠
Quick question: What does “proletariat” mean again? (workers) Why did Lenin love them?Grigori Rasputin (sneak peek for later) – Wild, smelly mystic/healer who got close to the royal family because he could (maybe) stop the Tsar’s son bleeding.
Partied hard, scared everyone. Made the Tsar look even worse. 🧙♂️🐐
Quick question: How could a random peasant guy influence the Tsar? Weird or dangerous?
MAIN CHARACTERS IN DETAIL
FATHER GEORGY GAPON (1870 to 1906)
Position: Russian Orthodox priest
Father Gapon organised a peaceful march of workers to the Winter Palace in January 1905. The workers wanted better wages, shorter working hours, and political reform.
They carried religious icons and portraits of the Tsar because they believed he would help them.
Soldiers fired on the crowd. Hundreds were killed or injured. This event became known as Bloody Sunday.
Why he matters:
Bloody Sunday destroyed many people’s trust in the Tsar and triggered the 1905 Revolution.
GRIGORI RASPUTIN (1869 to 1916)
Position: Religious mystic
Rasputin was a Siberian peasant who became close to the royal family. He appeared able to ease the symptoms of haemophilia suffered by the Tsar’s son, Alexei.
Because of this, Tsarina Alexandra trusted him deeply. Rasputin influenced ministerial appointments during the First World War.
He was widely disliked by nobles and politicians. In 1916, aristocrats murdered him.
Why he matters:
His influence made the monarchy look corrupt and weakened public confidence in the government.
VLADIMIR LENIN (1870 to 1924)
Full name: Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
Position: Leader of the Bolsheviks
Lenin was a revolutionary who followed the ideas of Karl Marx. He believed workers should overthrow the existing system and create a socialist state.
He spent many years in exile. He returned to Russia in April 1917.
He promised “Peace, Bread, Land.”
Peace meant leaving the war.
Bread meant solving food shortages.
Land meant giving peasants land from wealthy landowners.
In October 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd.
Why he matters:
He led the October Revolution and became the first leader of the Soviet state.
LEON TROTSKY (1879 to 1940)
Position: Revolutionary leader and military organiser
Trotsky joined the Bolsheviks in 1917. He helped organise the October takeover.
During the Russian Civil War, he created and led the Red Army. He introduced strict discipline and used experienced officers to train soldiers.
Why he matters:
Without Trotsky’s military leadership, the Bolsheviks might have lost the Civil War.
ALEXANDER KERENSKY (1881 to 1970)
Position: Leader in the Provisional Government
Kerensky became a leading figure after the Tsar abdicated in February 1917.
He supported democracy and civil rights. However, he continued Russia’s involvement in the First World War and delayed land reform.
His government struggled with strikes, food shortages, and competition from workers’ councils called soviets.
Why he matters:
His weak position made it easier for the Bolsheviks to take power in October 1917.
JOSEPH STALIN (1878 to 1953)
Full name: Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin
Position: Bolshevik leader, later ruler of the Soviet Union
Stalin was a Bolshevik organiser during the revolution. He was not the main public speaker, but he worked behind the scenes.
After Lenin died in 1924, Stalin gradually removed rivals and became leader of the Soviet Union.
Why he matters:
He transformed the Soviet Union into a powerful and highly controlled state.
KARL MARX (1818 to 1883)
Position: Political thinker and writer
Marx was not Russian. He lived in the nineteenth century.
He argued that history is shaped by conflict between the bourgeoisie, who own wealth and industry, and the proletariat, who work for wages.
His ideas influenced Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
Why he matters:
His theory provided the ideological foundation for the revolution.
Timeline of Trouble: 1894–1906 (Fill in the Blanks & Draw Reactions!)
• 1894: Nicholas II becomes Tsar.
He’s not ready and says: “I know nothing of ruling.”
Question: What problems might an unprepared leader cause? ___________________________
• Late 1890s–1900s: Sergei Witte builds factories (industrialisation).
Workers get jobs but terrible conditions: long hours, low pay, dangerous machines.
Emoji reaction: 😩
Question: Why did more factories make people angrier, not happier? ___________________________
• 1904–1905: Russia fights Japan in war.
Everyone expects easy win… Russia loses badly. Humiliation!
Emoji reaction: 😳
Question: How did losing to Japan make the Tsar look weak? ___________________________
• January 1905 – Bloody Sunday:
Father Gapon leads peaceful march to Winter Palace with petition (better pay, end war, parliament).
Soldiers open fire → ~200 dead, hundreds wounded.
Emoji reaction: 😡💥
Question: Why was this called “Bloody Sunday”? How did it change people’s view of the Tsar?
• 1905 (throughout): Revolution spreads!
Massive strikes, peasants grab land, sailors mutiny on battleships, workers set up Soviets (councils).
Emoji reaction: 🔥🚩
Question: Name two groups who joined the unrest (e.g., workers, peasants). Why? ___________________________
• October 1905: October Manifesto!
Tsar promises Duma (elected parliament) and some freedoms to calm liberals.
But he later takes most power back with new laws.
Emoji reaction: 🤔
Question: Did the Tsar really share power? Explain. ___________________________
• 1906: Revolution crushed.
Army loyal, leaders arrested, things quiet… for now.
Emoji reaction: 😴
Question: Why do you think the 1905 Revolution failed? What might happen next time?
One thing that surprised you about 1905:
MORE QUESTIONS
What similarities exist between the opening scenario and life for Russian workers in 1905?
Why might workers begin to blame the government rather than just their employers?
Which event most damaged trust in Tsar Nicholas II? Explain your answer.
Why did industrialisation create anger even though it created jobs?
How did the war with Japan weaken the Tsar’s authority?
Why did Bloody Sunday change how people viewed the Tsar permanently?
Which groups became involved in revolutionary unrest and what did they want?
Why did the October Manifesto calm some people but not others?
Give one reason the 1905 Revolution failed.
Based on everything above, do you think revolution in Russia was becoming unavoidable by 1906? Explain.
