Causes and course of the February rev Flashcards
What brought the workers onto the streets?
- Shortage of bread
- high temperature (relative to the average winter in Petrograd)
- atmosphere of freedom and willingness so ignore threat of suppression
Why hadn’t the Tsar learnt from the 1905 revolution?
- His own sense of patriotism- the belief that civillians shouldn’t be allowed to undermine their own countrymen fighting at the homefront by engaging in self indulgent protests at home
- he was miles from the capital so he was unable to understand the extent of the crisis.
- ordered on 25 February for protests to be ended by force
Timeline: February to March
23 Feb- women take to the streets of Petrograd- Mass demonstrations
24 200,000 workers join demonstrations
26-40 Civilians killed or injured by soldiers at Znamenskii Square
Petrograd soldiers refused to open fire on civillians
27- 3 City regiments mutinied and joined the streets of Petrograd
Nicholas ordered General Ivanov to use an elite battalion of troops to restore order in Petrograd
28- Generals stopped Tsar’s train and renounced the Tsar’s Authority
Mensheviks and Central workers groups formed the Petrograd Soviet.
executive committee of the soviet called Ispolkom
1 March- Order number 1 gave the Soviets control of the armed forces.
2 March PG formed- Headed by prince Lvov
Negotiations between Ispolkom and the Provisional government produced a document establishing dual power.
Tsar abdicates under the advice of Duma commanders
What was the Ispolkom?
executive committee of the Soviet established 28 February
Issues with the Tsar’s leadership and abdication: who bears the responsibility of the fall of the Romanovs?
- The Tsar- ordering a crackdown without fully knowing the situation and being persuaded to abdicate
- The general staff and Duma leaders in pushing for abdication
- The workers of Petrograd for demonstrating and challenging authority
- The troops of the Petrograd garrisons for mutinying and joining demonstrations
- socialist leaders in politicising the protestors
What was the Tsar’s reason for stepping down?
What do some argue about the revolution? What is the problem with this argument?
To pacify the crowd and enable Russia to fight to victory
It was a soldiers rather than a workers revolution.
Yes the mutinying soldiers did play a part, but they mutinied to show solidarity with the workers
Revolutionary socialists played a somewhat minor role in the revolution
What does the expression of Dual Authority mean?
Neither body had full authority and each relied on the other to influence national policy
At a national level, who seemed to have more power and why?
The Soviets seemed to have more influence over the people on a national level
But the PG Relied on the Soviet in older to bolster their legitimacy to rule
Who was the Head of the PG and why?
Prince G.E. Lvov
involved in coordination of Zemstvo attempts to aid the war effort and domestic administration
Made him natural choice for the replacement Prime Minister of the Provisional Government following the Tsar’s abdication.
Weaknesses of Lvov
- suited to working with different parties united in national interest- not used to dealing with political opposition.
- wanted to wait for constituent assembly while the country was still in a rebellious phase
Why didn’t the Soviet want to take power?
This wouldn’t follow the traditional marxist timeline- needed to be a period of education and industrialisation
A system where the Soviet retained maximum influence with minimal responsibility would be the most beneficial to the Soviets
Why was Kerensky’s position unique?
What did Orlando Figes Argue?
What was an English nurse surprised by?
He was a Menshevik in the Petrograd Soviet and a Minister for Justice in the PG
Orland Figes argued that he was more on the side of the liberals than the socialists and that his main role was to make grand speeches.
people “kissed him, his uniform, his car, and the ground he walked.”
