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Year 9

Tsarist Russia

I can explain why tsarist rule in Russia came to an end in February 1917.

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New
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Year 9

Tsarist Russia

I can explain why tsarist rule in Russia came to an end in February 1917.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Russia in the early 20th century was governed by an absolutist tsar.
  2. Russian society was largely rural with 85% of Russians living in the countryside.
  3. Russian society was unequal. The aristocracy and middle classes had far greater wealth than peasants and workers.
  4. Fighting was going badly on the Eastern Front, causing high levels of poverty in Russia.
  5. Strikes and riots broke out in early 1917, forcing the Tsar to abdicate and go into exile.

Keywords

  • Tsar - tsar is the Russian word for emperor

  • Duma - the Duma was a Russian parliament set up in 1906

  • Absolute power - a ruler has absolute power if they can act as they wish without any restrictions

  • Abdicate - to abdicate means to give up the throne

Common misconception

Revolutions always involve the execution of the previous leaders of government.

Although there was violence during the February Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II agreed to abdicate.


To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: Tsarist Russia, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Based on the fact Russia had the largest army in the world, ask students to predict how people may have felt about the war at its very beginning. Then ask why it might be a problem for the Tsar if high expectations weren't met.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which statement is most accurate?
Only people from Western Europe fought in WWI
Only people from European countries and their empires fought in WWI
Only people from outside Europe fought in WWI
Correct answer: People from all over the world fought in WWI
Q2.
Write the missing word. In a feudal society, make up the majority of the population but have very little power.
Correct Answer: peasants, Peasants
Q3.
In which country did the Industrial Revolution begin?
Correct answer: Britain
France
Germany
Russia
Q4.
Match-up the keywords with their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:aristocracy,upper classes
tick

upper classes

Correct Answer:bourgeoisie,middle classes
tick

middle classes

Correct Answer:proletariat,working classes
tick

working classes

Q5.
Write the missing word. According to Marx, in a society, most of the work was done by the proletariat but the bourgeoisie held most of the power and wealth.
Correct Answer: capitalist, Capitalist
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following stages into order according to theories of Karl Marx.
1 - bourgeoisie take power from the aristocracy
2 - bourgeoisie exploit workers
3 - proletarian revolution
4 - socialist state created
5 - communism achieved

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. Russian emperors were known as ...
Correct Answer: tsars, Tsars, tsar, Tsar
Q2.
Which group made up the majority of Tsarist Russia's population?
aristocracy
middle classes
industrial workers
Correct answer: peasants
Q3.
How many Russian soldiers died fighting between 1914 and 1917?
over 9000
over 90 000
Correct answer: over 900 000
Q4.
Write the missing word. During the February Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to ...
Correct Answer: abdicate, Abdicate
Q5.
Starting with the earliest, sort the events of the February Revolution into chronological order.
1 - strikers and female protestors demand an end to their hunger
2 - protests in Petrograd grow larger and demand that Tsar Nicholas II abdicate
3 - soldiers sent to break-up the protests begin to join the protestors
4 - politicians and the army encourage Nicholas II to abdicate
5 - Tsar Nicholas II abdicates
Q6.
Which example best demonstrates that Tsar Nicholas II had absolute power in the years before 1917?
Nicholas abdicated in 1917
Nicholas took over personal command of the army
Correct answer: Nicholas maintained a secret police force

Additional material

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