You will be given a definition of a task first, then an example. Follow the example to solve a new instance of the task.
In this task, you are given a question and a context passage. You have to answer the question based on the given passage.

what is the first event mentioned?, Context: The Russian Revolution is the series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. Following the abdication of Nicholas II of Russia, the Russian Provisional Government was established. In October 1917, a red faction revolution occurred in which the Red Guard, armed groups of workers and deserting soldiers directed by the Bolshevik Party, seized control of Saint Petersburg (then known as Petrograd) and began an immediate armed takeover of cities and villages throughout the former Russian Empire.
Solution: Russian Revolution
Why? This is a good example, and the Russian Revolution is the first event mentioned.

New input: The change of Sassou occurred how?, Context: Sassou Nguesso aligned the country with the Eastern Bloc and signed a twenty-year friendship pact with the Soviet Union. Over the years, Sassou had to rely more on political repression and less on patronage to maintain his dictatorship.
Solution:
Over the years