Chapter two - The February revolution of 1917

Question 1

When did it begin?

Answer 1

Monday 14th February
100,000 workers from 58 different factories went on strike
News that bread would be rationed from the 1st March brought violent exchanges

Question 2

What happened to the workers of Putilov steel works?

Answer 2

20,000 locked out after pay talks collapsed on the 22 February

Question 3

What happened on international women’s day?

Answer 3

23 February
90,000 workers on strike and 50 factories closed
240,000 out on the streets - order was only retored by a desperate police force in the early evening

Question 4

What happened on the 24th?

Answer 4

200,000 workers on strike

Question 5

The 25th?

Answer 5

250,000 - over half the capital’s workforce - on strike
Shalfeev - in charge of the mounted police - was beaten and shot
Cossacks refused to attack strikers

Question 6

How was the Tsar warned?

Answer 6

26 Feb
Duma President sent him a telegram but he ignored it and ordered the Duma to dissolve the next day

Question 7

What happened when soldiers were ordered onto the streets?

Answer 7

27th Feb
40 demonstrators killed
A mutiny began - 66,000 soldiers plus 40,000 rifles
Police headquarters attacked and prisons were opened

Question 8

What did Nicholas finally do to try and stop the riots?

Answer 8

28th Feb
Headed back to Petrograd
Sent telegram to Rodzianko offering to share power with the Duma, but was told he was too late

Question 9

What did order NO.1 promise?

Answer 9

All units to elect a deputy to the Soviet and agree to the political control of the Petrograd Soviet
Military decisions of the Duma to be obeyed if they had the support of the Soviet

Question 10

When did theTsar abdicate?

Answer 10

2 March

Question 11

Who was part of the provisional government?

Answer 11

The liberals, moderate socialists and kadets

Question 12

Who was part of the Petrograd Soviet?

Answer 12

Socialist intellectuals, Mensheviks and SR’s

Question 13

What happened when the provisional government tried to restore order in the countryside?

Answer 13

Soviets encouraged workers and peasants to defy authority and assert their rights

Question 14

What was in Milyukov’s announcement?

Answer 14

April 1917 - the government would continue fighting until just peace had been won
This unleashed protest that forcedMilyukov and Guchkov to resign

Question 15

How many members did the Petrograd Soviet have?

Answer 15

By 10th March it had 3000 members

Question 16

How was the war a problem for the Provisional Government?

Answer 16

The minister of war Milyukov wanted to defend Russia and make territorial gains such as controlling the straits of the Black Sea. This outrages the Soviets and he was forced to resign. 5 May five socialist leaders joined the coalition government, including Chernov. They were now associated with the conduct of the war

Question 17

What was the summer offensive?

Answer 17

June 1917 - rate of desertion was extremely high + soldiers killed their officers rather than fight. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were killed and even more territory was lost.

Question 18

How was land a problem for the provisional government?

Answer 18

May 1917 - peasants began land seizures. PG wanted to wait until a meeting of the Constituent assembly to redistribute the land. SRs joined PG in May but land reform was put off until the CA met. There were 237 cases of land seizure in July

Question 19

How was national minority demands a problem for the PG?

Answer 19

Finns and Poles called for outright independence. Ukraine contained the most valuable farmland and was very near the Front, but they demanded self government. Moderate socialists made concessions which outraged the liberals.

Question 20

How many factories closed?

Answer 20

568 factories closed between February and July with the loss of 100,000 jobs

Question 21

How was the food crisis and issue?

Answer 21

Harvest of 1917 was very poor and grain prices paid to peasants increased by 100% in August

Question 22

How did the price of bread increase

Answer 22

Between 1914 and 1917 - 500% for black bread and 300% for white bread

Question 23

What was the army’s reaction to the Tsar’s abdication?

Answer 23

Generals renounced his authority when he tried to return on the 28th which directly provoked his abdication. However this influence could be given to the Duma as senior members Guchkov and Shulgin were in the train carriage when he abdicated.