Reasons for the February Revolution 1917 in Russia

Question 1

Give a brief introduction to what happened during the 1917 Revolution in Russia?

Answer 1

• Tsar Nicholas II ruled the Russian Empire between 1894-1917 and during his reign the country floundered with violence, food shortages and demonstrations
• Eventually in February 1917 he was overthrown as a result of a revolution by the populous.

Question 2

What factors contributed to the February 1917 revolution in Russia?

Answer 2

• the Tsarina and Rasputin
• the Great War
• the Tsar’s mistakes
• working class discontent
• peasant discontent
• national minorities

Question 3

What happened during the Great War which contributed to the February 1917 revolution?

Answer 3

• tsar took personal command of the army and eventually blamed for 1.8 million dead soldiers, 2.8 million casualties, and 2.4 million taken prisoner
• food shortages, rationing imposed on population and shortages of supplies like munition and rifles

Question 4

Why was the Great War an important factor?

Answer 4

• despite riding a wave of initial popular support where crowds gathered singing the national anthem, military defeats led to increased dissatisfaction with the tsar’s rule as the nation was losing so many men, land was lost to German invaders and the tsar was to blame for this as he was in personal command of the army from 1915 onwards
• more important as it led to a widespread decline in the tsar’s authority and prestige as he was blamed personally for these losses by the whole of Russia

Question 5

How did the Tsarina and Rasputin contribute to the February 1917 revolution?

Answer 5

• with the tsarina being German, she was mistrusted by population who see her as an enemy
• her incompetence while being left in charge of the government while the tsar took command of army during the Great War was a result of the tsarina taking advice from Rasputin who was corrupt, being bribed by those who wanted positions of power
• led to incompetent ministers being appointed and frequently changed

Question 6

Why was the Tsarina and Rasputin an important factor?

Answer 6

• disastrous for Russia as it resulted in lack of trust from the Duma, politicians, army generals and the Russian public which was a result of the tsarina mishandling the government
• less important than the Great War as without the opportunities created by the Great War, the tsarinas influence would have been minimal and Rasputin’s ability to take advantage of that influence would have been minimised

Question 7

How did the Tsar’s mistakes contribute to the 1917 revolution?

Answer 7

• fundamentally he took personal command of the army and refused to cooperate with the Duma, the Zemgors, and the War Industries Committies. These groups organised supplies for the war and support for the army
• the war created the opportunity for the tsarina to take charge of the government when she did not have the ability. With the tsar focused on the military campaign, the tsarina’s mistakes were not resolved and devastated the economy

Question 8

How were the tsar’s mistakes important as a cause for the February 1917 revolution?

Answer 8

• these organisations were made up of competent individuals who could have helped the tsar had he used them. As a result the tsar was leading his country to decay and ruin
• More important than Great War as the tsar had the chance to resolve the country’s issues but instead went against the advice of his ministers and generals to continue his rule leading Russia to chaos

Question 9

Why were the workers unhappy?

Answer 9

• during the Great War, although wages doubled, prices tripled resulting in mass poverty, food shortages, and a breakdown of the transport system
• 12-14 hour waits in bread queues were common

Question 10

Why was workers discontent important as a cause of the February 1917 revolution?

Answer 10

• workers blamed the tsar for their lack of food, the living conditions and the deaths of Russian soldiers
• less important than the Great War but important nevertheless as the workers joined the women in the initial strikes and demonstrations in the beginning of the February 1917 revolution

Question 11

Why were the peasants unhappy?

Answer 11

• suffering during the war, grievances contributed to revolution
• they did most of the fighting as most of the army was made up of conscripted peasants
• the peasants lost a lot of horses to the war and there was a lack of goods like metal
• reluctant to sell grain which triggered the food shortages for the workers

Question 12

Why was peasant discontent important as a cause for the February 1917 revolution?

Answer 12

• this was the crucial reason for the workers in Petrograd to be alienated from tsarist government
• if food supplies had been plentiful then the initial strikes and marches would not have taken place and the tsar’s regime would have lasted
• less important than defeat in the war as it affected the whole country and not just the peasantry

Question 13

Why were the national minorities unhappy?

Answer 13

• groups like the Finns and the Poles were unhappy with place in the tsarist empire, demanding more autonomy and independence from Russian rule
• been conscripted to fight in the war, suffered huge casualties, by 1917 were deserting in large numbers from the army

Question 14

Why were national minorities discontent an important factor as a cause for the February 1917 revolution?

Answer 14

• some of the army units that rebelled against the tsar were part of the national minorities
• FInland regiment was one of the first to rebel against the order to shoot the strikers and demonstrators

Question 15

What was the most important factor and why?

Answer 15

• The Great War
• without the Great War the tsar wouldn’t have made the fatal decision to allow the tsarina to run the government as well as ignoring the Duma and Zemgors which could have provided to save Russia