The noted historian Jacques Barzun calls the 1917 Russian Revolution one of only four truly momentous revolutions in the history of the modern era. The events of 1917 were the consequence of long-running disputes between peasants and industrial workers who increasingly had resorted to violent uprisings against an autocratic Romanov dynastic tradition. Nonetheless, when imperialist Russia entered World War I, it did so with the support of not only Czar Nicholas II but also the Duma (council assemblies), conservatives and liberals alike. Support for the war and the country’s leadership disappeared however, in the wake of Russia’s inability to mobilize for the war effort, weak leadership, and the actions of Czarina Alexandra. The hardships of war revived the long-standing differences between king and country, and in 1917 the people of Russia revolted, leading to the abdication of the czar in March 1917. Armed with his vision of Marxist doctrines, Vladimir Lenin returned from exile to lead the Russian people in a violent revolution to destroy capitalistic sentiments.