Chapter 2 - The Feb/March Revolution Flashcards
What triggered the revolution?
Bread shortages (more specifically the announcement that bread would be rationed from March 1st)
What was the revolution rooted in?
Long years of suffering and frustration under an autocracy that was unable to adapt to change but absolutely unwilling to give up power
What happened on the 23rd of February?
Striking workers joined the traditional International Women’s Day march
Students and workers from the bread queues joined the march
The city fell into chaos and order not restored until evening
When did the Tsar start to lose control of the military and why/how?
27th of February
Ordered the Commander of the Petrograd Military District to restore order by military force and about 40 demonstrators were killed
A mutiny began in one regiment in response to this and soldiers joined the protesters, arming them with rifles
What was the Provisional Committee, when was it set up and who were they supported by?
A group of 12 members of the Duma who planned to take over the government after the Tsar’s abdication
Set up on the 27th of Feb
Supported by the army’s High Command
When was the Petrograd Soviet set up and what did it do?
Set up of the 27th of February by revolutionaries who intended to take over the government
Began to organise food supplies for the city
When did Nicholas begin to return to Petrograd and what did he do?
On the 28th of February, sent a telegram offering to share power with the Duma
Where was Lenin during the revolution?
Switzerland
Where was Stalin during the revolution?
Siberia
What happened during and after the revolution?
Local socialist groups helped to set up soviets (councils)
Most important was the Petrograd Soviet
Who did the Petrograd Soviet represent?
Workers and soldiers
How many members did the Petrograd Soviet have by the 10th March?
3000
When did the PS produce ‘Order No.1’ and what was it?
On 1st March, a charter of soldier’s rights
What did ‘Order No.1’ state?
- all military units were to elect a deputy to the PS and agree to be under the control of the PS
- the Military Commission of the Duma was only to be obeyed if its orders agreed with the PS’s orders
What did ‘Order No.1’ aim to do?
Improve the rights and respect given to soldiers
e.g by giving them full citizen’s rights when off duty
When did Nicholas agree to abdicate?
2nd March
Where did the PS and PG meet?
PS: left wing of the Tauride Palace
PG: right wing of the Tauride Palace
The executive committee of the PS
Made up of socialist intellectuals (mainlys Mensheviks and SRs)
Members were elected
How did people view the PS?
Generally considered by workers, soldiers and peasants to be a more democratic, less elitist organisation than the PG
Who was the PG comprised of?
Headed by Prince Lvov, an aristocrat and zemstvo leader
Made up of former supporters of the constitutional monarchy
Who supported the PG?
The old tsarist civil service, army officers and the police
Who was the only member of both the PG and the PS and what did he do?
Alexander Kerensky, he was a member of the SRs and the State Duma
He helped negotiate the ‘Dual Authority’, the uneasy alliance between the PS and PG
What were the areas of conflict between the PS and PG?
- Order No.1
- Elections to the Constituent Assembly
- Discipline in the army and order in the countryside
- WWI
- Their methods
How was Order No.1 an area of conflict?
It said that soldiers and workers should obey the PG but only where the PS agreed with the PG’s decisions. Essentially gave the PS total power over the army and workforce
How were elections to the Constituent Assembly an area of conflict?
The PG was committed to holding elections to the CA but any elections held in 1917 would clearly be won by SRs, which liberals of PG were desperate to avoid so the elections were repeatedly delayed
How was discipline in the army and order in the countryside an area of conflict?
The PG wanted improved discipline to stop more desertations and to restore order in the countryside. The PS encouraged soldiers, workers and peasants to defy authority and assert their rights
How was WWI an area of conflict?
The PG wanted an all out effort to win the war, the PS wanted to end Russian involvement ASAP (as long as it didn’t mean giving up territory to the Germans)
How was methodolgy an area of conflict?
The PS was essentially reactive, it saw its role as being to protect the workers’, soldiers’ and peasants’ rights
This was an obstacle to the PG being able to get anything done and the PS didn’t offer alternative leadership of its own
