March 12, 1917 - It is a time of great upheaval in world politics. The Russian Revolution begins when Czar Nicholas II is forced to resign, or abdicate. A new political party will be in power by autumn: the Bolsheviks, who will come to be known as Communists. They will change Russia into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In years to come, the U.S.S.R. and the United States will become enemies.