Q: Why did apple do this to us?

1 - Apple did nothing to you - all upgrades are totally optional and you choose which ones to do and which ones not to do

2 - Photos is a new optional program  - it is a new addition and you most certainly do not have to use it - there are many alternatives available including iPhoto which still works just great (you do need the current version 9.6.1 - if you do not keep your software up to date see Can't Update iPhoto because it is not available in the App Store

3 - if you choose to use Photos iCloud is totally optional - you can use it as a totally local program with no connection of any sort to the internet

4 - in the end that's life - as time moves forward you have to learn new things for everything in your life - when I started driving you turned the key on, depressed the clutch and pressed the started button, reached down and turned the emergency break handle half a turn clockwise and released the brake and then used the steering wheel mounted gear shift to select a gear and get going -  you had to put coal in the furnace and Air Conditioning did not exist - to make a phone call you licked up the phone and an operator ask "number please" and at our country farm you pick put the phone and turned the crank (our ring was two longs and an short) - if you never want to learn anything new then you need to become a hermit in the woods because the world is constantly changing an you constantly have to learn new things

So you made the choice to upgrade and you still have the choice of what photos software to use - use that choice rather than falsely accusing outsiders of forceing you to do things - that simply is not the case

LN

If you decide to continue to use Photos the following may help you understand how it works and relates to iPhoto:

Moments in Photos are the new Events, i.e. groupings of photos sorted by date taken.

When the iPhoto Library was first migrated to Photos there is a folder created in the sidebar titled iPhoto Events and all migrated iPhoto Events (which are now Moments) are represented by an album in that folder. To open the sidebar if it's not already open use the Option+Command+S key combination.

NOTE: It's been reported by several users that if the Event albums are moved out of the iPhoto Library folder in the sidebar they may disappear.  It's not widespread but several users have reported that issue.  Therefore, if you want to assure that you keep those Event albums don't move them outside the iPhoto Events folder.

There's a way to simulate events in Photos.

When new photos are imported into the Photos library go to the Last Import smart album, select all the photos and use the File ➙ New Album menu option or use the key combination Command+N.  Name it as desired.  It will appear just above the iPhoto Events folder where you can drag it into the iPhoto Events folder

 

When you click on the iPhoto Events folder you'll get a simulated iPhoto Events window.

The downside to the simulation is that the Albums/Events can only be sorted automatically by Title. But they can also be sorted manually, either in the sidebar or in the folder's window at the right.  This will change with the release of Photos 2 with El Capitan this fall.  That will allow the sorting by date or title, ascending or descending.

Tell Apple what missing features you'd like restored or new features added in Photos via Apple-Photos Feedback.

I would encourage you to look at some of the alternatives available to you.

Lightroom, CaptureOne, Lyn, and others.  (I am using Lyn the most because of its unique ability to show keywords under the thumbnails which is required for my scientific work.)

The primary objective of the new Photos application is the easy sharing of photos across all of your devices.  Some people don't care about this feature so alternatives may be appropriate.  If you like the idea of having all of your images, on all of your devices, Photos is probably your best option.

Because I have had posts removed claiming (incorrectly) that I was, "advertising",  be advised, I am in NO WAY affiliated with the above companies, I am just a customer.

The primary objective of the new Photos application is the easy sharing of photos across all of your devices

It's a bit more than that - not just sharing but managing and processing the images across all the devices. Start to edit on your iPad, finish on your Mac and so on.

it is so discouraging to be forced to learn an entirely new dialogue (with new and unfamiliar organization) to use my photos.  Am I alone in here?

The library in iCloud has advantages, if you are working from different computers. I can import the photos while I am travelling to my Mac Book pro,start to edit and add titles and keywords,  and when I return home, I find exactly te same library on my mac at home or at work.

The update to Yosemite 10.3 or later did not uninstall iPhoto, it just replaced the icon in the Dock by the Photos icon. Have you looked into your Applications folder if iPhoto is still there?

What do you want to do?  Revert to iPhoto or continue with Photos? Photos will become more versatile with MacOS X El Capitan. The next next release on September 30 will include a new version of Photos. See Apple — OS X El Capitan