Download The February Revolution

Different causes of the February Revolution.
Czar’s style in government –
 Centralized autocratic monarchy
 outdated – stagnant and decomposing – refused to adapt
 “Dreaming senseless dreams!”
EXAMPLES
 Russification
 Fundamental Laws
 Repression tactics
This factor is of major importance in the February Revolution as due to the nature of the
government’s style and its refusal to adapt and reform to a more modern system the
people may not have demonstrated. If the system had adapted in 1905 revolution in 1917
may not have occurred.
Czar’s weak personality –
 Couldn’t cope with political turmoil
 Refusal to change – centralized autocratic
 He was reactionary – living in the past
 Decisions that he made - Methods of dealing things
EXAMPLES
 “Unfit to run a village post office”
 His own statements he made about being reluctant to govern.
 Decision to go to the front – lead army
 1905, 1915, 1917 – incapable of handling crisis
This has major relative importance as different personalities may have adopted different
policies.
Russia’s feudal society –
 Massive division between the rich and the poor
 Regime has done little to address the problems – supports this system
EXAMPLES
• Peasant Conditions: improvements seen under Stolypin– but not great enough to
satisfy the peasants desires. – 80% 0f population
• Working Class: conditions continued to grow worse.
• Middle class + Upper class (elites) – supporters of Czar BUT failed to satisfy their
WANTS.
With economic change, the feudal society was becoming outdated. People wanted a
system that would not hold them back in a society like that.
The ideas of Karl Marx –
 People look to new ideas – particularly working class.
 Could argue that Marxism gave a focus to change.
 workers becoming more politically aware and motivated
EXAMPLES
 Social Democrats split – Bolsheviks/Mensheviks.
 Revolutionary activity became more apparent from 1905 onwards.
 Factory Soviets
The role of the social democrats and other Marxists groups were limited in February 1917
– The revolution was not a Bolshevik uprising
Rasputin –
 Influence over Russian politics, and Czar/Czarina
 Destroyed trust in Czars government.
 Brought to an end to any support from elites.
 Points out the weakness in the government.
EXAMPLES
 Ministerial leapfrog.
 Murdered in December 1916.
 Propaganda – link with Czarina.
The role of Rasputin and his negative effect on Russian politics and on the Czar/Czarina
broke down the last remaining strand of support they had.
Alexandria –
 Left in control once Czar goes to the front
 Scandal with Rasputin
 She was German born, accused by public as a saboteur
Growth of opposition groups –
 Massive growth of opposition from 1905 onwards.
 Anger at quality of life.
 Socialist groups – not of great significance in February 1917 (however becoming
more active)
 Most important opposition came from the elite groups.
EXAMPLES
 Duma (dismissed) during war – Rodzianko
 Break down of the progressive block.

Duma forced the Czar to abdicate.
This has quite a large relative importance as it explains the timing of the February
revolution.
Russo Japanese war –
 Still in people’s memory
 Comparing that with the Great War Russia was participating in at the time
Agricultural system –
 Could not feed or supply whole nation
 Outdated and not efficient.
 Lead to discontent.
EXAMPLES
 WAR – people in cities, lack of food
 Soldiers – did not get grain.
 Less people working in fields.
 Demonstrations – BREAD RIOTS
The Czar never tackled this long-term problem (attempted by Stolypin, but not continued
after his death in 1911). This short term public demonstrations help provide the spark for
the revolution.
Strikes –
 Caused by under lying economic and social problems.
EXAMPLES
 Strikes turned into riots.
 Examples from 1911 onwards.
 Increasing strike movement.
This is LINKED to short term – and also long term. Strikes were mainly economic rather
than political.
Demonstrations–
 Feature of revolutionary process
 Culmination of long/short term problems.
 Spark for February revolution.
EXAMPLES
 Bloody Sunday 1905
 International woman’s day
 Food demonstrations.
The demonstrations showed that the faith in Czar was gone. Most demonstrations were
for practical/economic reasons, however not all of them (difference from 1905 were they
just looked for reform, rather than a change in government).
Economic impact from the war –
 Prior 1914 – Strong economy
 Economic downfall perhaps due to length and nature of war.
EXAMPLES
 Inflation doubled (300% in some places)
 Food shortages
 Power shortages – FUEL!
 Living standards = HORRENDOUS
 Serious break down in railway communication
 Closure of factories.
The war had a MAJOR effect as it was what knocked the economy down…
It also provided the spark for the February Revolution.
Military impact from war –
 Expectations early on were high – ‘Sledge Hammer’
 Became quickly apparent that there was a supply problem.
EXAMPLES
 Tamenburg – Manchurian Lakes
 Brushov offensive = massive loss of life – 250,000
 Sharing rifles/bullets rations
 Desertion/ low moral
Had the war been shorter, Czarist government may have survived longer.
Without support of the army, Czarist government could not survive. – Relative
importance = GREAT
Political impact from war –
 Obvious – Czarist government collapses and is replaced by provisional
government.
 Revolution in terms of process of outcome.
EXAMPLES
 1914 – National unity (collapsed during war)
 September 1915 Czar at front – Rasputin and Czarina left in charge
 Dismissal of Duma and ministers.
 Progressive block turns against government.
 Winter 1916/17
KEY – shows how the system could not tolerate crisis.
Its weaknesses were apparent before, but they had become more obvious with the war.
Economic change –
 “Good economy” quickly broke down in the war.
 Economic change was not supported by political change. (still feudal, autocratic
government)
EXAMPLES
 Peasants drafted - war input on economy
This had MAJOR relative importance on the February Revolution of 1917 –
Short term – spontaneous economic revolution.
Long term – Czar would not adapt to changing society.
Disappointment from results of 1905 –
 Promised constitutional change – quickly took away…
 The people resented his autocracy.
EXAMPLES
 Fundamental Laws 1905
 All the Dumas
 Czar ignored political advice during the war.
MAJOR importance – had the system adapted in 1905 the revolution may not have
occurred.
HISTORIOGRAPHY – perspectives on February revolution and its reflection on
Czarism.
 “It was a spontaneous outbreak of an exhausted population…the February
revolution was neither wanted or expected by everyone.” Daborn

“It was a culmination of both long term grievances against the Czarist
government and short term protests about the effects of the war.” Culpin and Henig

“Conscious and tempered workers educated for the most part by the party of
Lenin.” Trotsky

“The country had so radically vomited up the monarchy they would never crawl
down the peoples throats again…” Trotsky
 Events were “entirely spontaneous”. JS Lee
 “Czarism had proved to be so rotten that after a mere five days of rioting it had
collapsed.” J. Gooding
TIME LINE OF EVENTS – February Revolution
9th of January 1917
 Commemoration of Bloody Sunday Demonstrations
 150,000 workers involved (Just in Petrograd)
 This was a reminder of why people died, and what they died for – WHAT THE
CAZR DID
o
o
o
The reminder reflects poorly on the Czar
Workers not workers
MEDIAL relative importance – not too significant (yet still a factor)
18th February 1917
 Putilov Works Strikes
 Soviet interventions.
o
o
This was the start of all the strikes which were soon going to all add up together.
In isolation the strikes were of little3 consequence, however it was a cumulative
force.
19th February 1917
 Government announces bread rationing
 General strikes
 People show their discontent (still mainly economic – reflecting on government)
o
o
Spark for the strikes and demonstrations which lead to the Czar’s abdication.
BREAD – spark, short term bases for revolution – ECONOMIC
23rd – 25th February 1917
 International Woman’s Day demonstrations
 25th = General Strikes in Petrograd.
 Joined by Putilov strikers, they demanded for bread,
 25th - TROOPS FIRE
o
By having no bread it unified the people of Petrograd for something to fight for.
o
By firing on the crowd ot just confirmed their lack of support for the government
(people notice similarities with 1905 – Bloody Sunday).
o
Relative importance = LARGE. This was the bases of the united which overthrew
the Czar. WOMANS DAY + STEEL WORKERS + BREAD
26th February 1917
 Duma refused to disband (against Czars orders)
 Troops join crowd
 Duma left a temporary committee behind to monitor development in Petrograd
(did not support)
o
o
o
This signified the end of all the Czar’s support )=(Elites/Duma and the Army)
With no force to suppress people, and no support from the elites and Duma, the
Czar had NOTHING to keep him in power.
MAJOR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE
27th February 1917
 Provisional Government set up (Duma and Rodzianko behind this).
 Planned to overthrow
o
MAJOR RELATIVE IMPORTANCE
1st March 1917
 Troops out of the Czars hands
 Soviet No.1 claimed authority over all Russian troops
o
Czar has nothing left to do but abdicate – no more options
2nd March 1917
 Initiation of Provisional Government
 Czar abdicates – Regime ends after over 300 years.