The Russian revolution was the transition between sovereign Russia and soviet Russia. In 1861 Russia was ruled by the tsar Alexander II. The majority of Russians were serfs who worked on the land. Even when serfdom ended, the average Russian remained poor. The people wanted more but change was not easy. Revolutionaries tried to use assassinations to provoke change in the political system. Some revolutionaries tried to use random and rampant assassinations as they believed it would create enough terror to destroy the government. The tsar himself was targeted, killing the tsar would bring the end of the monarchy. Major crop failures had created massive famines, and humiliating defeats overseas all contributed to the start of the revolution. When WW1 was in its third winter, the people of Petrograd (now known as St.Peters-burgh) were hungry. Stocks of bread were being rationed. People worked all night for only a part of a loaf. Rumors that bread was being hoarded caused many workers to begin to protest in the streets. The anger was not only about the lack of bread but also called for the removal of the tsar. They wanted a society run by the people instead of being mostly maintained by a single man. Almost 100,000 workers went on strike and began to rally in the streets. The authorities brought in soldiers to try to remove demonstrators from the Petrograd streets. When the soldiers were not enough, the Cossacks were called in. The Cossacks were a feared and ruthless fighting force known for being loyal to the crown. When the Cossacks arrived in Petrograd, it sparked one of the most famous events of the Russian revolution. A young girl, walked from the line of protestors and offered the Cossack commander a flower. He accepted the flower and the crowds renamed them "Comrade Cossacks", like themselves but in uniform. The Cossacks did not fight the protestors and in turn, the Russian authorities still needed help with the angry crowds still growing in Petrograd. They called on the tzar for help. The tzar was the supreme ruler of Russia but was currently away at the German front fighting the Germans. When he responded, he told them to use violence against the riots.
The soldiers did not respond well to the orders to kill the protestors. one soldier, Sergei Kapichnikoff, stated "Our fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and our brides are begging for bread. Are we going to kill them?". This anger in the soldiers led them to mutiny. They began to fight against their commanders and many actually joined the protests. This mutiny in the soldiers was the first sign of their loss of respect for the tsar and his family, as their loyalty was becoming more towards their personal interests and less in the royal family.
Czar Nicholas II was arriving back from Germany to deal with the protests in his streets. The train was stopped by protestors and he and his generals could not pass. This was seen by many to be pathetic that the Czar, the supreme ruler of Russia could not even control his own train. All but one of Nicholas II's advisers recommended that he abdicate authority of Russia. The czar was arrested and his family was placed under armed guard. Almost overnight, the tzars government collapsed. The Russian revolution is known to some as the "Bloodless revolution." Although some died, the speed and efficiency of the revolt resulted in a low death toll. The people wanted knowledge and to be free citizens of free Russia. The Soviets began a new council and their voice was soon heard all over Russia. The Soviet Union became the new government of Russia.
The Romanov family was held under house arrest as the new Russian government was being established. The Romanovs were then forcibly transported under armed guard to an outpost in Siberia. The tsarina and her daughters sewed jewels into their clothing, to try to bring their wealth with them if they were to escape. In the April of 1918, the Romanovs were still being held in the guarded, remote house. On July 6th 1918, the Romanov family were led into the basement and forced into a lineup. The words were read " In the view of the fact that your relatives continue their attack on soviet Russia, the overall executive committee has decided to execute you" - Yurovsky. 12 gunmen fired. The jewels deflected some of the bullets, and in their confusion and haste, the soldiers stabbed and continuously shot at the family. It was reported that some of the girls were not dead when being carried from the basement and that one sat up and screamed before being batoned in the head by a guard. The bodies were burned and thrown into a shallow grave in the Russian woods. This marked the end of the Romanov line and the beginning of a new political system for Russia. The graves of the Romanvs were discovered in two separate graves and all of the bodies were eventually accounted for.