reasons for february 1917 revolution Flashcards
impact of WWI knowledge
the Russians invaded Eastern Germany with two large armies in 1914 and smaller German forces destroyed them entirely at the battles of Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes.
in the Brusilov Offensive in June 1916, Russia gained ground in one of the biggest victories for any of the allies over Austria-Hungary, yet due to their great losses, the Russians couldn’t continue to launch any offensives for the rest of the war.
mutinies spread across the Eastern Front as Russian soldiers left to go home in 1917
impact of WWI analysis
the Tsar’s actions had shown who he truly was to the soldiers on the Eastern Front, causing such a huge drop in morale by 1917 that they began to mutiny. This meant that the Tsar would have to abdicate as without the control he had over the army he knew his power and influence was over.
impact of WWI analysis plus
russia made huge progress in the summer of 1916 when morale rose within the troops during the Brusilov Offensive. This meant that any victories being made were reversing the negative opinions of the Tsar as they restored the people’s faith, pushing them to continue following him as he made them believe he was a capable leader.
incompetence of the Tsar knowledge
the people of Russia were swept up in a rush of patriotic fever after the Tsar declared war on Austria-Hungary.
after the first Duma was broken up just 75 days after its introduction in 1906, the second Duma was elected in 1907 and contained liberals, social Revolutionaries and Social Democrats which was broken up after only three months.
after huge defeats at the start of the war, the Tsar took personal command of the army in 1915.
incompetence of the Tsar analysis
the Tsar made ineffective decisions that proved to the Russian people that he was not fit to be in charge of their country. This meant that the people of Russia became convinced the Tsar needed to be removed from his position as he was clearly an incompetent leader and to show their disapproval, took part in riots, strikes and revolts.
incompetence of the Tsar analysis plus
while the Tsar was making changes across Russia that would quickly fall apart, these faults were overlooked by the excitement and patriotism that took over Russians when the war was declared by their leader. This distracted them from the other issues facing them, and rather they saw the Tsar as someone who was taking action on important issues, meaning his incompetence couldn’t have caused the February 1917 revolution.
role of Tsarina Alexandra knowledge
when Russia declared war on Germany, the Tsarina’s nationality was used against her as rumours began to spread of her being a German spy which caused the distrust many had for her.
alexei, the only son of the Tsar and Tsarina, suffered from haemophilia and fell ill in 1912, causing the Tsarina to call on Rasputin. He performed miracles on the young boy, gaining the trust of the royal family.
as the Tsar left to fight in the war in 1916, rumours began to spread of a romantic relationship between the Tsarina and Rasputin which led to much scrutiny from the public.
role of Tsarina Alexandra analysis
Rasputin had a huge influence over the Tsar and Tsarina, especially when the Tsar left to go to the front. This meant that the aristocracy heavily disliked Rasputin, who was connected with the royal family, meaning more and more people were turning against them.
role of Tsarina Alexandra analysis plus
in December 1916, months before the February Revolution broke out, Rasputin was murdered. This meant that his influence and input over the royal family came to an end, as did his questionable relationship with the Tsarina, before the Revolution occurred.
worker discontent knowledge
as the Tsar diverted vital resources away from the towns and cities, food stopped reaching the cities.
On the 22nd February, over 100,000 workers went on strike at the Putilov Iron Works in Petrograd.
they marched the streets with signs such as ‘Down with the Tsar’ and ‘Bread’.
worker discontent analysis
the worker’s strikes became completely uncontrollable, to the point that the army would no longer put them down and the Tsar was forced to abdicate.
worker discontent analysis plus
the outbreak of WWI almost completely stopped Russia’s workers going on strike as the working class felt a surge of patriotism and united behind the Tsar. This meant that the workers stopped their protesting and speaking against the Tsar as they prioritised the war and were ready to fight and win.
peasant discontent knowledge
the army used conscription to raise the number of soldiers, the vast majority of conscripts came from peasant families. Most peasant families lost young, male workers to conscription to the army.
taxes in rural Russia were raised to raise money for the war.
when Russian troops retreated they operated a ‘scorched earth’ policy and destroyed all the Russian farmland they retreated back over.
peasant discontent analysis
the peasants turned against the Tsar as they began viewing him as the incompetent leader he’d always been after he became responsible for the deaths of their own family members.
peasant discontent analysis plus
the war economy allowed thousands of peasants to escape rural life and find employment in the big cities. This meant that so many people became grateful for the opportunities that were brought to them as a result of the war, so they wouldn’t protest against the Tsar, meaning this couldn’t have been an important reason for the 1917 revolution.
