1.
"stab in the back": Myth promoted in Germany after the war that, on the brink of victory, socialists and Jewish politicians conspired to surrender to the Allies; used by Nazis as part of their drive to power in the 1920s. (Basically German Military leaders complained that they could win the war but that the weak, citizen filled gov't surrendered without giving them a chance.)
2.
11 AM 11/11/1918: The armistice of WWI. When the guns finally fell silent. (Official "end" of WWI. But can it really be called the end since WW2 was basically an extension of WWI after none of the problems were solved.)
3.
Bolsheviks: Led by Vladimir Lenin it was the Russian communist party that took over the Russian goverment during WWI.
4.
Comintern: AKA Third International. A centralized organization dedicated to preaching communism. Founded by the Bolsheviks.
5.
Kerensky: Headed the provisional government after Czar abdicated. Supported democracy just like allies, also felt the need to keep promise to allies and continue fighting the war, which was his eventual demise. Overthrown by the Bolsheviks and Lenin.
6.
Lenin: Russian founder of the Bolsheviks and leader of the Russian Revolution (October Revolution) and first head of Communist Russia.
7.
Nicholas II: Last tsar of Russia, he went to the frontlines in WWI to try to rally the troops, but was forced to abdicate after his wife made horrible decisions under the influence of Rasputin.
8.
Provisional Government: The government established in 1917 which replaced Nicholas II when he abdicated. The main mistake of this government was not getting Russia out of the brutal World War I; it was hard to focus on setting up a new gov't and fight a war at the same time. Easily overthrown by Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
9.
Rasputin: Self-proclaimed holy man who claimed to heal the sick and have prophecy. He had much influence over Tsarina Alexandra due to his supposed "cure" for her son with hemophilia, and she often went to him for advise on political issues. He was assassinated by three members of the higher aristocracy; Tsarina Alexandra was very distraught and depressed due to his death.
10.
Reds and Whites: Groups of the Russian Civil War, which was basically fought for control of the Russian government while the Provisional Government was still going. The Reds were the Bolsheviks and the whites were everyone who opposed them. (The whites ultimately lost because their hatred for the Bolsheviks was the ONLY thing that united them- couldn't decide on anything.)
11.
soviets: A Russian council composed of representatives from the workers and soldiers. (Where the name for the USSR "Soviet Union" was taken from.)
12.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918: This treaty ended Russia's participation in the war. Russia lost substantial territory to the Germans in return for peace.
13.
Trotsky: A brilliant strategist who served as commander of the victorious Reds in the civil war and Lenin's advisor until Lenin's death. He was very persuasive and had charisma; he was very good at propaganda. He fought Stalin for the head job after Lenin's death in 1924, but lost.
14.
unrestricted sub warfare: Policy followed by Germany during WWI in which they sunk merchant and passenger without warning.(In the old days they actually used to warn ships they would be sunk...) Main cause of U.S. entry into WWI
