The Februrary/March Revolution of 1917

Question 1

Why was there an increase in urban unrest, strikes and protests that occurred in major cities by 1916?

Answer 1

WW1 had created extreme economic hardship
As the war continued goods became increasingly scarce
Inflation = value of workers wages cut by half

Question 2

How many workers were on strike in Russia in 1914 and 1916?

Answer 2

1914=10,000

1916=880,000

Question 3

What were the primary causes of peasant unrest?

Answer 3

War brought hardship to rural areas - young male peasants conscripted in large numbers - dramatic drop in rural workforce .
Horses requisitioned to help with war
Grain prices kept low but rising inflation = fall of standards of living in the countryside

Question 4

What was the Tsar’s initial response to the unrest?

Answer 4

Complacent - despite the Okhrana and Army leadership being aware of the unrest he assumed that after 1905 the government could survive even severe unrest

Question 5

What happened in February when the Government announced that bread would be rationed from 1st of March?

Answer 5

Panic buying, food shortages and mood strikes
On 23rd February thousands of women took to streets in Petrograd to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Women in major textile factories in Petrograd went on strike in protest of bread rationing and appealed to male workers of Putilov Engineering Works to join the strike.

Question 6

In the last days of February how did the Tsar’s power crumble?

Answer 6

By 25th of February 200,000 people protested on streets of Petrograd, workers established soviets to put forward their demands, Cossack troops instructed to supress protest refused to stop the rebellion and reports reached the Tsar that his own troops were handing out rifles and bread to people of Petrograd
Major factories and most shops closed

Question 7

Why did the capital of Russia change it’s name three times between 1894 and 1924?

Answer 7

Originally called St Petersburg - changed to Petrograd in 1914 when Government decided it sounded too Germanic
Changed again in 1924 to Leningrad in honour of Lenin

Question 8

Who suggested the Tsar’s abdication and when did he agree?

Answer 8

Representatives from the Duma met the Tsar on his train and requested his abdication - he agreed to abdicate on March 2nd

Question 9

Apart from himself who did the Tsar abdicate for?

Answer 9

His son who suffered from haemophilia, The Tsar believed he was too ill to assume the government of Russia (His brother then refused to take power)

Question 10

What two things were different for Nicholas II in 1905 than in 1917, meaning he could not reassert power?

Answer 10

In 1905 he had support of the army, in 1917 senior generals indicated they were not willing to help him
In 1905 he was able to compromise with the middle class, by 1917 they had lost faith in the Tsar due to rumours of corruption and incompetence of his wartime government

Question 11

Was the revolution popular?

Answer 11

By the time of Nicholas’s abdication support for him had universally collapsed and few people wanted him to continue running the country

Question 12

What caused further discontent?

Answer 12

The introduction of bread rationing

Question 13

What happened on Thursday the 23rd of February?

Answer 13

International Women’s day march - women marched towards the centre and went to the factories in Petrograd calling men cowards if they would not join them. Many striked including women tram drivers who overturned trams into the street
90,000 workers on strike and 50 factories closed - joined the womens day march = 240,000 on the streets - order restored by desperate police force - no loss of life

Question 14

What happened over the next few days?

Answer 14

Demonstrations grew taking on a more political nature - demands for bread turned into demands for an end to war and an end to the Tsar .
People from all classes joined and by Saturday it was virtually a general strike - major factories, shops and restaurants closed

Question 15

Why couldn’t the International Women’s day march be dealt with effectively like previous demonstrations?

Answer 15

The soldiers had joined the demonstration as they often identified more with the people on the street and their discontent

Question 16

In what way did Nicholas II initiate the mutiny of his own soldiers upon hearing of the trouble in Petrograd?

Answer 16

He ordered the troops to end the disorder - on Sunday 26th February some regiments open fired on crowds killing a number of demonstrators as the crowd grew hostile the soldiers had to decide whose side they were on with many regiments choosing the people

Question 17

What was the Bolsheviks role in the demonstration?

Answer 17

Initially local Bolshevik leaders encouraged women to go home but they didn’t listen
Eventually Bolsheviks were active in spreading protest and getting people on the streets with red flags

Question 18

Why did soldiers begin to fight police?

Answer 18

Police had taken main role in attacking demonstrators - putting snipers on rooftops and firing down so soldiers started throwing them off rooftops as well as attacking police stations - prisoners released

Question 19

What happened on the anniversary of bloody Sunday in January 1917?

Answer 19

A demonstration of 150,000 Petrograd workers showed the pent up frustration of the unemployed, starving and desperate

Question 20

What catalysed the revolution?

Answer 20

The shortage of bread

Question 21

What happened on Monday 14th February?

Answer 21

100,000 workers from 58 different factories were on strike in Petrograd
news that bread would be rationed from March 1st brought round the clock queues, violence and police being attacked

Question 22

What happened on 24th Feb?

Answer 22

200,000 workers on strike and crowds overturned tsarists statues, waved red flags, shouted revolutionary slogans
No obvious organisation from any radical political parties but some radicals distributed banners with political demands on

Question 23

What is a Cossack?

Answer 23

People of Ukraine and southern Russia noted for their military skills who formed military units and were fiercely loyal to the Tsar

Question 24

What happened on 26th Feb?

Answer 24

The duma president warned the Tsar of the serious situation in Petrograd through a telegram - Nicholas ignored the duma and ordered the duma to dissolve the next day

Question 25

What happened on the 26th-27th of Feb?

Answer 25

Tsar ordered the Commander of the Petrograd Military district to restore order through military force - 40 demonstrators in city centre killed
Mutiny began when a sergeant shot his commanding officer. 66,000 soldiers mutinied and joined protestors arming them with 40,000 rifles
Police headquarters attacked and prisoners released

Question 26

Who held a meeting later on the 27th of Feb and what was the outcome?

Answer 26

The Duma (despite the Tsar's order)- they set up a 12 man provisional committee o take over government 
The army's high command which had already ordered troops to the capital to restore order changed their minds and told them to halt and support the duma committee 
The same evening revolutionaries set up a Soviet which also intended to take over government and it began to organise food supplies for the city

Question 27

What happened on 28th of Feb?

Answer 27

Nicholas II began to make his way back to Petrograd

He sent a telegram to Rodzianko offering to share power with the Duma but the reply was that it was too late

Question 28

Who were many of the mutineers?

Answer 28

Many were from a peasant or working class background, they were young and newly enlisted and their junior officers included men from the middle-ranking ‘intellectual’ class rather than noble. These man had joined army from a sense of patriotism and their sympathies, like those they commanded, lay with the masses

Question 29

Why did the disturbances of Petrograd appear spontaneous and leaderless?

Answer 29

The Major Bolshevik leaders who had long awaited this opportunity were absent. Social democrats like Lenin and Trotsky were abroad
It has been suggested Milyukov and Guchkov with others were planning a coup but were alarmed by Feb events and feared it might get out of hand
There were revolutionary activists in Feb 1917 but whether they instigated the trouble or influenced the progression isn’t clear

Question 30

How have soviet historian interpreted the event of Feb?

Answer 30

The result of an inevitable class struggle between the bourgeoise-proletarian forces on one side and traditional aristocratic forces on the urban workers in St Petersburg 
Since there was no direct Bolshevik leadership they accepted the idea of a spontaneous rising driven by the oppressed working class

Question 31

Why was the emergence of soviets in Petrograd and other cities significant?

Answer 31

It suggests some organisation by socialist leaders in Petrograd and the Soviet set up by revolutionary leaders in the capital on 27th of Feb was to play a major role

Question 32

What did the Petrograd soviet agree under pressure from the soldiers and mutineers at the Kronstadt naval base?

Answer 32

That each regiment should elect committees and send representatives to the Soviet
The ‘Order No.1’ - a charter of soldiers rights was produced on March 1st

Question 33

What did order number 1 promise?

Answer 33

All units to elect a deputy to the soviet and agree to the political control of the Petrograd soviet
The Military Commission of the duma to be obeyed, only if it agreed with the soviets orders
All weapons to be controlled by elected soldiers committees - not officers
All soldiers to enjoy full citizens’ rights when off duty
No honorific titles to be used for officers
Officers were not to address soldiers in the ‘ty’ form

Question 34

What did the Petrograd Soviet take the official title of and how many members did it have?

Answer 34

Soviet of workers and soldiers deputies - by 10th March had 3000 members - as it was so large most of its work was done by executive committee which was dominated by socialist intellectuals like Kerensky

Question 35

Why did Nicholas’ never return to Petrograd?

Answer 35

His train was diverted by rebellious railway workers and forced to stop at Pskov 200 miles south

Question 36

What was the Tsar’s response to this demand?

Answer 36

He agreed - but fearing his son’s health was too delicate he named his brother as the new Tsar (despite not having consulted him) and stated Mikhail (his brother) should lead the country in complete union with the representatives of the people

Question 37

What happened by the time members of the Duma committee reached Pskov on 2nd March and what happened afterwards?

Answer 37

The terms of Nicholas’ abdication had already been arranged (although his brother refused the throne)
The Tsar and his family were placed under house arrest as were most of the Tsar’s council of ministers
The 304 years of the Romanov dynasty came to an end

Question 38

What are examples of revolutionary disturbances spreading beyond Petrograd?

Answer 38

Kronstadt naval base as well as Moscow and other industrial cities + rural areas
In cities workers seized controls of their factories, set up their own soviets
Provinces such as Finland + Poland+ Ukraine - national minorities declared their independence
The army (technically under control of Petrograd soviet) disintegrated into semi-independent bodies
Peasants formed peasant soviets and attacked landlords properties
An all Russian Congress of Soviets met in Petrograd in June 1917, with representatives from 350 towns villages and military bases throughout Russia