march/feb 1917 revolution

events of march 1917 revolution

jan-feb:

• strikes occur: in all major towns across russian empire due to high unemployment and food/fuel shortages

• bread rations introduced: by government

7th-10th march:

• 40,000 putilov steel workers + thousands of women strike: on international women’s day

  • by 10th march, around 250,000 workers on strike

  • putilov is a munitions factory: strike means russian soldiers have less equipment to use in war

12th march:

• duma prepares: to govern russia

  • forms the Provisional Government instead of ceding to the tsar + allowing him to dissolve it: symbol of its resistance

• tsar orders the army to put down protests:

  • many soldiers refuse and actually join in solidarity with the strikers against the tsar

• petrograd soviet takes over control of supplies in petrograd:

15th march:

• tsar nicholas abdicates the throne

explain 3 ways popular support made the march 1917 revolution successful (PEE)

• known as a ‘revolution from below’: means the workers caused the revolution to happen

desperation

• ww1 caused fuel and food shortages

  • tsar’s bread rationing in jan 1917 is evidence of this

• this made working-class and peasantry desperate for sustenance

• so the people felt like they had no choice but to protest and support the march 1917 revolution

  • e.g putilov mill workers: feb 1917

opposition to war

• popular support was fully against the russian war effort

• because russia suffered huge casualties in ww1

  • e.g brutilov offensive: 500,000 men killed

• population did not support the tsar's decisions as Head of the Army so they were more inclined to protest against it in march 1917

increase in not believing in divine right of kings amongst proletariat:

• because proletariat turned to secular marxist parties which supported the jan-feb 1917 strikes which incited the march revolution

• this meant there was a lower belief in the divine rights of kings

• so they were less afraid to challenge the tsar’s authority as they didn’t think he was gifted the absolute right to rule the country

• also rasputin’s lewd activities meant the orthodox church separated itself from the tsar’s regime

• this meant orthodox christians stopped supporting the tsar as well so they obviously didn’t think he had a right to rule the country

• this made them more likely to strike from march 7th

explain how military support made the march 1917 revolution successful (PEE)

The First World War turned the army against Tsar Nicholas

• they did not respect the tsar's military leadership: because it led them to many casualties e.g brutilov offensive

• this meant the tsar lost his power:

  • he could not extend his autocratic power via repression without the threat of violence + support from the army

• many soldiers joined the soviets instead because of their autonomy from the government

  • e.g Petrograd Soviet: was so powerful it took control over food supplies during march 1917 revolution

  • integral to management after 1917 revolution

how were soviets integral to political management of russia after march 1917 revolution

dual power replaced the tsarist government

• the provisional government and petrograd soviet work together to make and enforce rules

  • petrograd soviet offered: influence over army and workers

    • soviet made up of 2,000 democratically elected deputies

  • provisional government offered: influence over middle classes

    • coalition of bourgeois: lenin thinks it’s a plutocracy

long-term causes of the february revolution (4)

• The discontent caused by the awful living and working conditions of the working class.

• The discontent caused by poverty and the frequent hunger suffered by peasants. There were also continuing issues with land ownership.

• Middle class anger and frustration at not having any real political power.

• The nationalities from the different provinces wanted to be independent from Russian rule.

short-term causes of february revolution: food

On 9th February, there were massive strikes in Moscow and Petrograd.

• The strikes increased when, on 19th January, the Petrograd authorities announced bread would be rationed from 1st March.

Russia was suffering from food and fuel shortages during the winter of 1916-17.

short-term causes of february revolution: ww1

• The First World War caused significant disruption to Russia's economy and eroded the support for Nicholas II from the peasants, the working class, the middle class and the upper class.

• By January 1917, the morale of the Russian Army was very low with 1.5 million deserting in 1916.

short-term causes of february revolution: social

❖On 9th February, there were massive strikes in Moscow and Petrograd.

❖There was a huge march in Petrograd on 23rd February, celebrating International Women's Day, which became an anti-government protest against the war and the tsar.

results of february revolution

• The end of 300 years of Romanov rule and the end of the monarchy.

• This was followed by the end of the empire and the formation of the republic in the spring of 1917.

• The establishment of dual power, or dual authority, between the Russian Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.

list the reasons why the february revolution was successful: russian political climate

• The main reason was the army failed to support Tsar Nicholas II and refused to fire on the protesters.

  • The mutiny meant Nicholas II could no longer rely on the support of the army to prop up his government.

• Aristocrats and key members of his own government lost faith in Nicholas II, withdrew their support, and persuaded Nicholas II to abdicate.

• There was an alternative government to Nicholas II when the fourth Duma created the Provisional Government, which was supported by the Petrograd Soviet.

list the reasons why the february revolution was successful: ww1

• Nicholas II was blamed for Russia's failures in the First World War

  • so he lost the support of many different social classes including the workers, the middle class and the aristocrats.

  • He was left with little support.

• The shortages caused by the First World War significantly increased the amount of discontent in Russia

  • so opposition became much more widespread and more dangerous to Nicholas II's position.

• The reputation of the tsar's government had been fundamentally weakened by:

  1. the failures in the First World War

  2. the influence Rasputin was reputed to have had over Tsarina Alexandra.