February Revolution Flashcards
Between 1 January and 22 February 1917, how many strikes and how many strikers were there per day, on average?
Average of 5.6 strikes and 6,000 strikers a day
What was the name of the long street in the middle of Petrograd which was popular for protests?
Nevsky Prospekt
What was the weather like during the February Revolution and why was this significant?
Wintry, freezing weather.
The Vyborg workers who started the revolution crossed the icy River Neva without having to use the bridges into the centre of Petrograd (normally, the authorities would close the bridges)
What did the Octobrist Duma president Mikhail Rodzianko tell Tsar Nicholas on 14 February 1917?
He warned the Tsar of imminent “very serious outbreaks of unrest”
What was introduced in Petrograd on 19 February?
Reduced bread rations
Why did women had a particularly negative experience of the First World War?
They worked up to 13-hour days, their wages were low and could not keep up with prices, and had to queue for hours to get a loaf of bread
What steps did women take on International Women’s Day (23 February) to kick off the February Revolution?
Went to the Vyborg factories and taunted the male workers to go on strike with them
Women tram drivers went on strike and overturned trams
What did the Bolsheviks tell the striking workers on 23 February? What does that reveal about:
(a) the role of the Bolsheviks in the February Revolution;
(b) the nature of the February Revolution?
Bolsheviks told the workers not to strike, but to “maintain restraint and discipline”
(a) the Bolsheviks did not take the women seriously (discounted the idea that bread was a valid goal) and played no role in the revolution
(b) February Revolution was leaderless and spontaneous - the workers came out without being led
How did the protests change in the first three days of the February Revolution?
By 25 February, chants had moved from “Bread!” to “Away with the Autocracy!” and “Down with the War!” - from economic strikes to political demonstrations
What did General Khabalov (chief of the Petrograd garrison) order of the Petrograd garrison on 26 February?
Fire on the demonstrators
How did the Volynsky Regiment respond to General Khabalov’s orders to fire on the demonstrators on 27 February?
Refused to follow them - seized the regiment’s weapons
How many soldiers had joined the strikers by the end of 27 February?
Almost 70,000
Why did the soldiers refuse to fire on the strikers?
Did not want to be sent to the front line
Identified more easily with the people on the streets than their officers
Dissatisfied with the war and living conditions
How did the First and Fourth Don Cossack regiments in Petrograd respond to the striking workers?
Why was this significant?
Refused to disperse the crowds; attacked any police officers who opened fire on the crowds
Cossacks had maintained state authority for centuries but had now turned against the autocracy
How did the Mensheviks respond to the February Revolution?
Created a Petrograd Soviet - organised elections by workers and soldiers for a council
