The Revolution began with a series of violent riots in February that resulted in the removal of Tsar Nicholas II from power. Members of the Duma formed a provisional government, but they failed to bring an end to World War I. This led to the October Revolution, organised by the Bolsheviks, a faction of the Social Democratic Labour Party, who quickly seized power and placed Lenin as leader. But there was continued mass unrest in the population due to lack of jobs and food, forcing the country into a civil war between the Bolshevik supporters and their opposition. During all this, Tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered in an effort to finally quell the monarchists, and Lenin became an all-powerful dictator.
To find out more about the Bolsheviks in Russia and the reign of Stalin, pick up issue 16 of All About History.