Advanced history - February revolution

what are the 3 main historiography for the introduction of the Feb revolution?

Traditional Soviets - argue that the revolution was driven by revolutionary nature of the Russian proletariat and view that history is a process of change, this perspective faced significant criticism.

Liberal historians - Richard Pipes suggests the revolution resulted from “pressure stemming exclusively from the ranks, politicians and general”.

Revisionist historians - Orlando Figes view it as “an expression of the people’s long-standing hatred for the old regime,” emphasising social and economic problems being a primary cause of the feb revolution

What are knowledge points to argue for the military being a factor for the Feb revolution?

K1 = In 1917, the armed forces joined the uprising, 170,000 soldiers were in mutiny and revolted against the Tsar, which was seen as a fundamental turning point, portraying a critical loss of government control.

A1 = This led to the military high command urging the Tsar to abdicate. While the military determined the revolutions, its role in the revolution’s causes more indirect, acting as a catalyst for existing social tensions.

K2 = With the outbreak of WW1 in 1914, a wave of patriotism swept through Russia.

A2 = However, this enthusiasm waned as military performance deteriorated, and conditions worsened both on the front lines and at home

K3 = Public morale suffered due to defeats, such as the disastrous Battle of Tannenberg, where 100,000 Russian soldiers were taken prisoner. Shortages of food and military supplies exposed the Tsar’s inability to address pressing issues, eroding public confidence in his leadership.

A3 = Desertion rates soared as discipline and morale within the army disintegrated. These social and economic strains fuelled the widespread discontent and calls for reform.

what are the 2 historians views on the military factor? Give analysis on Lieven?

Shelia Fitzpatrick - argue that the breakdown of military discipline was a pivotal factor

Lieven - provide a more compelling argument, by contextualising soldiers’ discontent within broader domestic pressures. He argues that the revolution began not at the front lines but at home: “In the Russian case, it was the near, not the front, that collapsed first and undermined the war effort”

analysis - Conscipts, predominantly peasants, carried societal grievances into the ranks. The Tsarist regime’s failure to address these domestic challenges alienated both civilians and soldiers, ultimately provoking mutiny. These failures demonstrate that the Feb revolution was driven not by military shortcomings but by the Tsarist regime’s inability to address growing tensions effectively.

what are knowledge points to argue for the incompetence of the Tsar and Romanov regime?

K1 = The Tsarist regime faced mounting challenges long before 1917, relying on repression to maintain power. Rooted in absolute autocracy, the regime wanted modernisation but resisted any independence or organisation outside its control.

K2 = Growing literacy rates and new political ideas fuelled the growth of revolutionary movements, particularly after the famine crisis and the events of 1905. The violent suppression of a peaceful protest during 1905 forced the Tsar to make concessions in the October Manifesto, including the creation of the State Duma.

K3 = Nicholas II’s inability to reform the system or effectively lead further weakened the regime. He lacked the vision to adopt reforms, as illustrated by his dismissal of Stolypin’s pragmatic political strategies, which aimed to balance autocracy with constitutional governance. Nicholas rejected Stolypin’s proposals, such as the Naval General Staff Bill of 1909, fearing they would undermine his sovereignty.

What is the historiography in argue that the incompetence of the Tsar and the Romanov regime was the most important?

Orlando Figes - notes that in its attempts at modernisation, the regime was “digging its own grave”, as it lacked the capacity to accommodate changes that threatened its power.

Robert service - observes that “it seemed that autocracy was announcing its demise”, as the Duma challenged the regime’s foundational principles.

A2 = However, after revolutionary momentum subsided, the Tsarist government reversed these concessions and reinstated autocracy.

Smith - highlights that as social movements lost their vigour, “spectacular repression would ensue”, revealing the regime’s inflexibility and deepening revolutionary fever.

Rober Service - argue that had Nicholas cooperated with the Duma, he might have eased political tensions and perceived the dynasty

A4 = Instead, Stolypin’s assassination marked the end of serious reform efforts. Nicholas’s unwillingness to compromise sealed the regime’s fate, as popular discontent grew unchecked.

what is the historiography for the social-economic factor + analysis ?

Smith - asserts that industrialisation “eroded the foundations of the autocratic state”

A1 = The regime’s inability to address these societal changes cultivated resentment

Wade - argues that these groups criticism of the government shattered public faith in its capacity

A2 = Ultimately. the Tsarist regime failed to adapt, allowing hostility to evolve into outright rebellion

what are the knowledge points for the socio-economic factor?

K1 = Industrialisation introduced a burgeoning middle class with economic successes but unmet political ambitions, fostering egalitarian ideas and opposition to autocracy.

K2 = Strikes and events such as the Lena Goldfields Massacre exemplified the underlying social tensions. While the war exacerbated these problems, they predated its outbreak.

A2 = Economic strains and public dissatisfaction deepened as the war effort faltered

K3 = Shortages, such as one rifle per three soldiers, symbolised the regime’s incompetence. Non-state organisations like Zemgor emerged to address these failures, further undermining the regime’s authority.

what is the background knowledge for Feb essay introduction?

BK1 = The February Revolution of 1917, which led to the growing of reform and demonstrations, resulted in the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II.

BK2 = There was not one singular factor which led to the February revolution, but rather a long-term period of built-up anger surrounding the Tsars policies and how the regime led to social, economics and political crises, worsen by the First World War.

BK3 = By March 2nd, under pressure from high command, Nicholas II abdicated, singalling the end of the Romanov Dynasty

what is the LOA for the Feb revolution?

This essay argues that the failures of Nicholas II and the Tsarist system were the revolution’s fundamental causes.

Give me Recall regarding the causes of the feb revolution?

Failure of the Tsar and the regime

• In August 1915, the Tsar took personal charge of the Russian army, becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Russian armed forces. Leaving Tsarina and Rasputin in control of the government. These rumours damaged the Royal Family, as Rasputin’s reputation was as a drunk and womaniser.

• The government showed no lack of will. In the winter of 1915-16 it introduced fixed prices for its grain purchases and disbarred sellers from refusing to sell to it. However, the government was less successful in keeping the state warehouse stocked for sale to urban civilians.

• Nicholas II treated liberal leaders of the state Duma with disdain; he rejected their very moderate demand for a government of public confidence.

• The Marxist deputies to the Duma, including both Mensheviks and Bolsheviks, were arrested in November 1914 on the grounds of their opposition to the war effort. And further arrested on the 26th February 1917, revolutionary leaders and members of workers’ organisations, including the Mensheviks.

• Bloody Sunday in the 1905 revolution was the initial hatred for the regime and the Tsar through mass uprisings and strikes due to low wages and poor working conditions, with a lack of interest from the Tsar to improve the needs of the people.

The war/military

• The railway network had barely been adequate for the country’s uses in peacetime; the wartime needs of the armed forces nearly crippled it

• In 1917, the armed forces joined an uprising, 170,000 soldiers were in mutiny and revolted against the Tsar, which was seen as a fundamental turning points, portraying a critical loss of government control.

• Public morale suffered due to defeats, such as the disastrous Battle of Tannenberg, where 100,000 soldiers were taken prisoner. Shortages of food and military supplies exposed the Tsar’s inability to address pressing issues, eroding public confidence and leadership.

• The army was forced to reduce rations from 4,000 to 2,000 calories a day.

Social/Economic

• On 23rd February to mark International Women’s Day.

• 26th February troops had been ordered to fire on demonstrators, and a large number of casualties had resulted. The police had also arrested many of the revolutionary leaders and members of workers’ organisations including the Mensheviks active in the Workers’ Group of the War Industries Committee.

• On the morning of the 27th Kayurov and his associates led a raid on an arsenal, removed its stock of rifles and mounted an attack on the prisons holding the revolutionaries, setting them free.

• The Lena River Massacre refers to a mass shooting of striking gold mines in north-east Siberia due to them going on strikes regarding the poor working conditions

• By 1917, inflation had reached 200 per cent. The price of flour, for example, rose by 500 per cent.

• International Womens day on the 23rd of February

who were the Cossacks?

A social group that had a military lifestyle and played a significant role in culture development in exchange for self governance and land privileges

They were one of the first groups to resist the Tsars government and start strikes on the streets, for the populations best interests.

what happened on the 23rd February?

International Womens Day - female workers in Petrograd’s major textile factories went on strike in protest at bread rationing.

what happened on the 27th February?

Crowds of 25,000 people - many who were soldiers from barracks, had gathered infront of the Tauride Palace. Mensheviks and SR Kerensky had announced that a “Provisional Committee” had been established.

simple terms: Duma had met and formed the Provisional Comittee and Kayurov and his associates led a raid on an arsenal, and mounted an attack on the prisons holding the revolutionaries, setting them free.

what were the events that happened in the 1905 revolution?

Bloody Sunday - in January. What was to be known as a peaceful protest led to a revolutionary crises for the Tsarist government. As it created the initial hatred for the regime and the Tsar through mass uprisings and strikes, which was due to low wages and poor working conditions and lack of interest from the Tsar to improve them.

October Manifesto - This manifesto enshrines certain rights for Russians but also established the Duma, which- in the eyes of the liberals- would formulate legislation and pass laws. The Tsar on the other hand viewed this as an advisory body which he could ignore if necessary.

The Duma - elected by the Public, but between 1905-13, the tsar disassembles the Duma at will if he does not agree with what they were saying. The first Duma was made up of many peasantry- which really frightened the elite monarchists, who historically in Russia fear the Russian peasants. Overtime, the Tsar re-established autocracy which enraged the public.

what happened in 1915 regarding the Duma?

The Tsar adjourned the Duma, and fired the ministers who had made radical suggestions.

It showed the Tsars personality as controlling regarding how the economy and country was going to be run. The Duma being adjourned provoked both strikes from the working class and resolutions of protests.

what was happening in the lead up to 1917 Feb with the Orthodox Church?

The regime was carrying out “Russification” which meant they forced the Church and the Russian language on everyone in the country, as the Tsar suppressed the idea of having a separate national identity.

who was Stolypin and what were his key policies for reforming Russia?

He was Prime Minister from 1906-11. He looked after the welfare of the peasantry but also aimed to subdue their rebellions.

his reforms:

Dismissing the first Duma in July 1906 - as he wanted a determining voice in regard to his agrarian reform (land reform)

Agrarian reform - gave the peasantry the opportunity to leave their communes, acquire private ownership of land and transform themselves to a loyally conservative class of farmers.

Stolypins Necktie - network of courts-martial authorised to try accused rebels and terrorists to execute several citizens.

Dismissed the second Duma - because it refused to endorse the agrarian reform

what are the different types of nature for the February revolution?

• Top-down

• Bottom-up (popular)

• Mixture of both (my view)

Give 3 historiography points that describe it as a ‘Top-down’ revolution?

E.H. Carr - argues that the incompetence of Nicholas II and his refusal to share power with the Duma made revolution inevitable. The Tsar’s resistance to reform, particularly his dissolution of the Duma, alienated moderate liberals who had initially sought change through legal means.

Richard Pipes - Suggests that liberal politicians, particularly the Constitutional Democrats (Kadets), played a destabilising role by pushing for constitutional monarchy but failing to control the broader revolutionary forces.

Counter argument:

Robert Service - emphasises how Alexander Guchkov and others in the provisional government were ultimately too weak to provide stability after the Tsar abdicated.

Give 3 historiography points that describe it as a ‘Bottom-up’ revolution?

Shelia Fitzpatrick - emphasises the popular discontent caused by food shortages, inflation, and poor living conditions in urban centres like Petrograd. She argues that the women’s protests on International Women’s day were spontaneous mass actions rather than being led by political parties.

E.H. Carr - also highlights the failure of wartime economics, where the governments inability to provide basic necessities radicalised workers and soldiers.

Robert Service - notes that the mass protests were not just economic but deeply political, as people lost faith in the Tsarist regime.