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The February/ March Revolution of 1917

Contributing factors to the Feb Rev:

PROTESTS –

  • Putilov steel worker’s protest
  • Putilov workers protesting due to being denied a pay rise to be able to afford goods
    • ECONOMY was in collapse
  • 10,000s of workers – supplied army with supplies
  • International Women’s Day protest
  • Against food rationing

POLITICS –

  • Progressive bloc
  • Formed by Milyukov in 1915
  • Alliance of political forces in Russia
  • Around half of Duma were members of Progressive Bloc
  • Put pressure on Tsar to introduce reforms, Tsar didn’t do this
  • They began to criticise the Tsar – Tsar lost support from Duma
  • Tsarina and Rasputin
  • Tsarina was left in charge, unpopular due to her German background
    • People thought she was a spy; SOCIETY was sceptical
    • Tsar’s (as c-i-c) failure to defeat Germany was seen as sympathy for Germany
  • She had limited political understanding, acted on advice of other unsuitable people
  • Rasputin was a religious mystic – had limited influence over Tsarina
    • Due to his ability to appear to control Tsarina’s son Alexis’ haemophilia
  • Rasputin used influence to replace competent ministers with his acquaintances
    • Ministerial leapfrog
    • 12 ministers sacked in 1916
  • Rasputin’s scandalous behaviour with women was also looked down upon
  • Rasputin was unpopular among aristocrats at court – saw their influence over Tsar threatened
  • Government was in chaos
  • Assassinated in 1916 by Prince Yusupov

Nicholas’ personality:

Nicholas believed completely in his divine right to rule

He was stubborn, saw advice as criticism

Undermined ministers to stop anyone challenging his authority

Nicholas did not actively try to solve Russia’s problems, believing instead that they were in God’s hands.

 

  • 12 rebellious Duma members
  • Rodzianko (Duma leader) informs Tsar of issues
  • Duma ordered to disband by tsar on 26 Feb 1917 – most leave
  • 12 rebellious Duma members don’t – form Provisional Committee
    • First act of defiance against Tsar came from within
  • Kerensky (SR) calls for Tsar to disband
  • Not chaos for some elite who were ready to take power
  • Nicholas was forced to allow a State Duma to form in 1906
  • The Duma held meetings to debate politics and legislation
  • Nicholas refused to share any real power with the Duma, frustrating those who were hoping hoping for a more democratic approach to Russia’s government
  • This meant that Nicholas remained responsible for Russia’s problems
  • *Lack of government national control
  • Zemgor and War-Industry committee felt frustrated Tsar would not let them deal with supply
    • To solve Russia’s MILITARY supply/medical issues
  • Tsar used expensive imports instead

Course of the revolution – February 1917

Date Event
9 Jan 150,000 workers demonstrate to commemorate Bloody Sunday
14 Feb Rodzianko warns Tsar that unrest in imminent
18 Feb Strike begins at Putilov Steel Works
19 Feb Bread rationing announced by government
23 Feb International Women’s Day – protest for food. Women joined by Putilov strikers

Around 100,000
25 Feb General strike begins – city paralysed

Around 200,000
26 Feb Duma refuses to disband when ordered by Tsar

Tsar orders troops to put down demonstrations

– General Khabalov wanted martial law to put them down but this was not printed

– Khabalov tries and fails to organise troops

Troops of garrison (city army) join crowds

Rodzianko asks Tsar to make concessions
27 Feb Petrograd Soviet (PS) set up

Provisional Committee set up
28 Feb Crime beginning to grow – order breaks down

Break into prisons, Winter Palace and Okhrana HQ

N II attempts to come back to Petrograd
1 Mar Soviet issues Order No. 1, claiming authority over troops
2 Mar Provisional Government (PG) established

N II abdicates on train to Petrograd in a railway siding
3 Mar PG announces revolution has taken place

EVENTS:

  • Unrest on the streets
  • Desertion of the troops
  • Garrison joined the crowds
  • Duma refused to disband
  • PS formed
  • N II advised to stand down
  • N II attempts to go back to Petrograd from Mogilev by train
  • Only travels 300km, gets stopped at Pskov by military high command (Stavka)
  • Tell him to stand down as a Tsar and make someone else the Tsar
  • Shulgun and Guchkov – old Duma representatives – tell him to abdicate too
    • Liberals, pro-Tsardom but against N II
  • N II abdicates
  • Abdicates in train siding on 2nd March
  • Also withdraws Alexis from the post
  • Appoints Grand Duke Mikhail (N II’s brother)
  • All Romanov family members die within 1½ years
  • PG is established

SUMMARY OF FEB REVOL:

  • Bols were NOT INVOLVED
  • All Bols leaders were in exile e.g. Lenin and Trotsky
  • Knowledge of details of revolution were limited
  • Events in Feb 1917 were surprising
  • Lenin – did not expect to see revolution in his lifetime
  • Petrograd was the main area – everywhere else was just willing to accept
  • 1,500-2,000 killed/wounded – relatively small
  • Trotsky – “people were unwilling to save old regime; people were tired”
  • Lack of direction at top
    • Generals and tsarist politicians were unwilling to fight to save the system
      • Got rid of Tsardom without realising, elite overthrow Tsar
    • Earliest rejection of Tsar came from within
      • High ranking officers stopped N II’s train
      • Duma aristocrats refused to disband
    • N II’s own failure to resist matched Lenin’s pre-condition for revolution
      • Ruling power loses will to survive
      • Very fast collapse of a 300-year-old regime
  • War was too long – a shorter one could have been more bearable
    • Prolonged struggle
  • Millions of deaths and casualties
  • Inflation
  • Limited communication system
  • Hunger, deprivation
  • Incompetent Tsar, ineffectual ministers
    • Consequence – loss of morale, sense of hopelessness
    • Undermined myth of Tsar’s God-given authority
  • Background
    • General unrest and anger in Petrograd
    • Revolution began as challenge by traditional supporters of Tsardom
  • Course
    • Strikes in major factories
    • International Women’s Day protest – riot for bread
    • Police and garrison declared the situation uncontrollable
    • 12 Duma members – PC
    • Mens – PS
    • Army high command – advised N II to step down
    • N II abdicated
    • Dual authority = de facto government
  • Character
    • Not a revolution from below
    • Bols X
    • Started by elite
    • Failure of leadership at top
    • Petrograd
    • Consequence of war

Petrograd Soviet:

  • Group of soldiers, sailors and workers
    • Keep interest of these groups
  • Numbers – 250 (27 Feb), 1,300 (3 Mar), 3,000 (10 Mar) – 2,200 = military, 800 = workers
    • Practical power
      • Control of the post, weapons, factories and railways
      • Ideological power – idea of representation allows people to feel important and gives them hope for a better future
      • Have military – access to weapons and armed soldiers
      • Say Russia should have a constituent assembly (Parliament) – represent every political party
      • Believe in universal suffrage (all can vote)
      • Very left wing, Communist beliefs
      • Limited political power – only Kerensky had a role in the PG
        • Had no responsibilities
      • Decided not to cease power to prevent a civil war
        • Genuinely hoped that PG would rule together – DUAL AUTHORITY
        • Order No. 1 – make sure they are not overlooked
        • PS may have been scared to take control over so much chaos

ORDER NO. 1:

  • PS law – instructed soldiers to obey soviet instructions over PG
  • Don’t give PG weapons
    • Happens on 1st March – quick to act
  • Established small committee for each battalion to decide what was fair
  • Each committee sends one representative to the PS – increase numbers
  • All units must be loyal to the PS – ensure loyalty
  • “Do what PG say unless we say otherwise” – maintain control over soldiers
  • Don’t give weapons even upon insistence – maintain control over PG
  • On duty – soldiers are disciplines, off duty – soldiers are citizens, feel freer
  • No ‘Your Excellency’, just ‘Mr. General’ – equality in army ranks
  • Rudeness towards all soldiers forbidden – makes soldiers feel respected

Provisional Government:

  • 12 men who refused to leave when Tsar dissolved the Duma
  • Leader = Lvov until July 1917, Kerensky took over
  • Job to rule country – had no power to do so

LAWS:

  • Got rid of discrimination based on nationality or religion
  • Political amnesty to revolutionary leaders e.g. Lenin – Switzerland, Trotsky, Bukharin in USA
  • Abolished death penalty
  • Got rid of Okhrana
  • Zemstvos chairmen made commissars – officials
  • Got rid of too much power – can’t punish criminals
  • Eventually reversed due to increased trouble makers encouraging soldiers to disobey orders
  • Both PS and PG meet in Tauride Palace
  • Neither side wanted a further revolution but didn’t see eye to eye

WW1:

  • PG and PS had different stances on what to do about the war

PG – wanted to continue

  • Felt duty bound to triple entente – UK, France – ensure trade + allies for future
  • Nationalistic – to stop fighting = losing to Germany
  • Feared German domination of Europe – powerful, good army
  • War may distract people from further revolution – but keeps people hungry
  • Impact of continuing the war = less focus of socio-economic issues

PS – wanted revolutionary defencism

  • Only fight in self-defence
  • Escalated – 14th March – some were calling for peace
  • PG eventually agreed
  • Milyukov note – Milyukov (Foreign Minister)
    • Told allies that the PG did not believe in the renunciation of imperialist aims
    • Were still going to fight to gain land
    • Causes crisis
    • PG had to have a reshuffle – Milyukov and Guchkov (Minister of War) resigned (temporarily)
  • PG had to include 6 socialists from the PS
    • To represent Soviet interests
    • Coalition government
    • These people will become tainted by PG mistakes
    • Seen as compromising with the bourgeoisie
  • Bols were not in the Petrograd Soviet – won’t be linked to PG – look good

Why did the Provisional Government fail?

  1. Opposition growing stronger
  • Lenin re-emerges in Petrograd due to political amnesty
    • Receives help from Germans – hoped he would cause trouble in Russia
      • So Germany would not have to worry about the Western Front
    • April 1917 – released April Thesis
      • No support for PG
      • No support for revolutionary defencism
      • Peace with Germany
      • Nationalisation of land
      • Soviet control of banks, products and distribution
      • Would be moving towards a second revolution
    • SLOGAN – “Peace, bread, land” – short, memorable slogan
      • Peace – soldiers
      • Bread – workers
      • Land – peasants
    • SLOGAN – “All power to the Soviets”
      • Show opposition to PG
      • Bols themselves had a small following, Mens (trade unionists and soldiers) and SRs (peasants) had more support
    • April Thesis was a radical new agenda, surprise to other Bols