The February Revolution 1917 Flashcards
What were the economic and social problems that led to Revolution?
- Russian towns = overcrowded and had poor sanitation
- Famine was common(food supplies unreliable)
- Living conditions for workers = cramped and unhealthy
- Men and women worked for long hours with little pay
- Health and education services were poor and created SOCIAL INEQUALITIES
- 1914 Russia’s industrial output ranked 5th out of the 5 greatest powers- smaller countries (BRITAIN/GERMANY) still out-produced Russia
What were the political factors?
- Tsar = reluctant to give the duma more responsibility
- Nicholas’ reluctance to make major reforms DISAPPOINTED many politicians
HOWEVER by 1914, the Duma had become an accepted part of national political life, which shows that the old system of autocracy was changing, the Duma had a lot of potential to develop into a…
powerful force
Why was the Tsarist system a factor which helped lead to revolution?
- Nicholas wasn’t a very effective leader:
- His father said he was ‘girlie’
- Didn’t feel fit to govern after his dad died
- In 1914 Nicholas was strongly influenced by Alexandra and Rasputin: disastrous consequences for the Tsar’s reputation over the next 3 years.
By Jan 1917 war had left Russia in a Critical State as:
- Over a million troops were dead, 4 million wounded
- Workers in cities were suffering, many on the verge of starvation
- The Okhrana warned the government about unrest and indicated that a revolution could happen at any moment
- Rodzianko (Duma President) warned the Tsar that Russia was reaching crisis point - Nicholas ignored the warning
Strikes and demonstrations led to revolution. In 1905 the government had been able to use force to disperse rioters and crush strikes.
In 1917, the situation was different:
- Widespread support for the strikes among ALL CLASSES
- Most of the troops in Petrograd were UNWILLING to open fire on the protestors
- Wealthier classes believed that the monarchy couldn’t be SAVED and WASN’T WORTH saving
Key dates and events leading up to the revolution:
Jan 1917>
Anniversary of Bloody Sunday was commemorated by very large demonstrations in the city
22nd Feb
20,000 workers from Putilov engineering works went on strike and demonstrated in the city
23rd Feb
International Women’s Day was marked with demonstrations and meetings demanding bread and fuel
25th Feb
Petrograd was paralysed by a general strike - industry shut down
27th Feb
The strikes and demonstrations turned into a REVOLUTION:
- Tsar ordered Petrograd troops to SUPPRESS UNREST
- Widespread mutiny among the troops
- Nicholas ordered the Duma to SHUT DOWN, they refused and set up a Provisional Committee
- The army’s High Command ordered all troops to OBEY the orders of the PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE
28th Feb
A group of left-wing parties set up the Petrograd Soviet, which would look after the interests of the workers and soldiers
A chain of events forced Nicholas to…
abdicate
28th Feb, Nicholas travelled by train towards Petrograd, but his train was DIVERTED to Pskov by MUTINOUS TROOPS. Here he met with members of the army’s High Command, some ministers and representatives of the Duma, they told the Tsar to abdicate in favour of his son. Nicholas feared that his haemophilic son wouldn’t be..
strong enough to rule
2nd March Nicholas II abdicated and asked his brother, Grand Duke Michael, to become Tsar. Michael…
refused and Romanov rule ended
