A severe pogrom (Russian: “devastation” or “riot”)…

A severe pogrom (Russian: “devastation” or “riot”) ensues that devastates Jewish communities throughout the Pale of Settlement following the assassination of Alexander II,

Although the assassin is not a Jew, and only one Jew is associated with him, false rumors arouse Russian mobs in more than two hundred cities and towns to attack Jews and destroy their property.

The new Tsar, Alexander III, enacts oppressive policies against the Jews and denies police protection to those Jews who remain in the countryside.

As a result, a flood tide of impoverished Jews enters the cities where they join various movements that seek to overthrow the tsar.