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For the 1848 revolution in France, see French Revolution of 1848. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The February 1848 Revolution in France ended the reign of King Louis-Philippe, and led to the creation of the French Second Republic (1848-1852

The February Revolution in 1917 in Russia was the first stage of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them Its immediate result was the abdication of Czar Nicholas II, the collapse of Imperial Russia and the end of the Romanov dynasty. Abdication (from the Latin abdicatio, disowning renouncing from ab, away from and dicare, to declare to proclaim as not belonging to one Tsar csar and tzar redirect here For other uses see Tsar (disambiguation. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya The House of Romanov (Рома́нов rʌˈmanəf was the second and last imperial Dynasty of Russia, which ruled the country from 1613 to 1917 A provisional, non-Communist government under Prince Georgy Lvov replaced the Czar, Prince Lvov being succeeded by Alexander Kerensky after the tumult of the July Days. The Russian Provisional Government was formed in Petrograd in 1917 after the February Revolution and the Abdication Knyaz (Prince Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov (Георгий Евгеньевич Львов Georgy Evgenyevich Lvov) ( November 2, 1861 Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky (Алекса́ндр Фёдорович Ке́ренский Aleksandr Fjëdorovich Kerenskij) ( June 11, 1970) served The July Days refers to events in 1917 that took place in Petrograd, Russia, between July 3 and July 7 ( Julian calendar The Provisional government was an alliance between liberals and socialists who wanted to instigate political reform, creating a democratically-elected executive and constituent assembly. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The All Russian Constituent Assembly (Всероссийское Учредительное Собрание Vserossiiskoe Uchreditelnoe Sobranie was a democratically elected constitutional

The February Revolution took place in March 1917 of the modern calendar (Gregorian calendar). The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today In the calendar Russia was using at the time (Julian calendar), the events occurred in February, which would explain the revolution's name. The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and came into force in 45 BC (709 Ab urbe condita

This revolution appeared to break out spontaneously, without any real leadership or formal planning. The tensions which had for so long been building up finally exploded into a revolution, and the western state of Petrograd (the City of Saint Petersburg prior to the war) became the focal point of activity. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River An illustration of just how large Russia was is that it took some years for eastern parts of the country to realise that a revolution had actually taken place.

The February Revolution was followed in the same year by the October Revolution, bringing about Bolshevik rule and a change in Russia's social structure, while also paving the way for the USSR. The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Two revolutions were required in order to change the composition of the country: the first overthrew the Czar, and the second instituted a new form of government.

Contents

Long-term causes

Despite its occurrence at the height of World War I, the February Revolution traced its roots far beyond the immediate effects of the war. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Chief among these was Imperial Russia’s failure, throughout the 19th century, to satisfactorily address the modernization of its archaic social, economic and political structures. The result was a continuum of low living standards for a majority of the population, high illiteracy rates and an unproductive primary-sector economy[1].

Among the key problems facing Russia in the decades preceding the February Revolution were:

From these conditions sprung considerable agitation among peasants as well as the small working and professional classes. This tension had erupted into general revolt with the 1905 Revolution, and did so again under the strain of total war in 1917. See also Russian Revolution (1917 The 1905 Russian Revolution also known as the Failed Russian Revolution of 1905 was an empire-wide struggle of

Short-term causes

Main article: World War I

It is argued that the 1917 February Revolution occurred largely because of the result of the First World War as well as the dissatisfaction with the manner in which the country was being run by the Tsarina, Alexandra Fyodorovna of Hesse, and Tsar Nicholas's ministers, who were acting on his authority whilst he was away at the Army Headquarters as Commander-in-Chief. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (later Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova ( Императрица Александра Фёдоровна Романова) ( 6 June A telegram from Mikhail Rodzianko to the Tsar on 26 February 1917, in which he begs for a strong, capable minister, serves to illustrate the lack of strong leadership under this arrangement. Mikhail Vladimirovich Rodzianko (Михаи́л Влади́мирович Родзя́нко (1859 &ndash January 24, 1924) was a Russian politician Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

The personal assumption of command by the Tsar in itself was a cause of much tension, for involvement in World War I was seen to be the root of the majority of the problems, (primarily economic) which Russia was experiencing internally, and the Tsar's personal association with the war served only to worsen further his already-wavering position.

Controversy also surrounded the role of Grigori Rasputin in the Russian royal family, with speculation arising regarding his relationship with the Tsarina in particular -- resulting in that most-intriguing assassination of Rasputin by members of the extended royal family. Furthermore, Alexandra's German heritage made her an unpopular figurehead for the Romanovs in Petrograd for the time that Nicholas (at the calling of Rasputin) was away at the front.

All political parties (apart from the Social Democratic Labour Party, divided between the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks) had supported, in August 1914, Russia's participation in World War I, alongside the United Kingdom and France, the three being allied in what was known as the Triple Entente. The Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party, or RSDLP ( Росси́йская Социа́л-Демократи́ческая Рабо́чая The Mensheviks (Minority (Меньшевик) were a faction of the Russian Revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe The Triple Entente (" entente " — French for "agreement" was the name given to the loose alignment of the United Kingdom, the After a few initial victories, the Tsar's armies were confronted with some very serious defeats -- particularly in East Prussia. East Prussia (Ostpreußen; Rytų Prūsija or Rytprūsiai; Prusy Wschodnie Восточная Пруссия or Vostochnaya Prussiya) refers to the main part The factories were not productive enough, the railway system quite insufficient, and the overall logistics poor, all of which explained Russia's considerable losses. A factory (previously manufactory) or manufacturing plant is an industrial Building where workers manufacture goods "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Logistics is the management of the flow of Goods, Information and other resources including Energy and people between the point of origin and the point More than 1,700,000 Russian soldiers were killed, and 5,900,000 injured. Mutinies sprang up often, with general morale at its lowest, and the officers and commanders were at times most incompetent. Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the Military; or the Crew of any ship even Some units, indeed, went to the front line with ammunition that was incompatible with their weapons. Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which Over 140,000 desertions occurred in just one year.

On the home front, the famine was threatening and commodities were becoming scarce. A commodity is anything for which there is demand but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market The Russian economy, which had just seen one of the highest growth rates in Europe, was henceforth blocked from the continent's market. Russia is a unique emerging market in the sense that being the nucleus of a former superpower shows more anomalies Economic growth is the increase in the amount of the goods and services produced by an economy over time The Duma, composed of liberal deputies, warned Tsar Nicholas II of the impending danger and counselled him to form a new constitutional government, like that which he had dissolved after some short-term attempts in the aftermath of the 1905 Revolution. A Duma (Ду́ма is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history See also Russian Revolution (1917 The 1905 Russian Revolution also known as the Failed Russian Revolution of 1905 was an empire-wide struggle of The Tsar ignored the Duma's advice.

Events

February 1917 gathered all the preconditions for a popular uprising: Russia was in the midst of a harsh winter, there was a concerning lack of food and general lassitude towards the war, in the midst of the economic crisis, was prominent. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an The revolution began at the start of February with several strikes and demonstrations from the Petrograd workers. Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. A demonstration is an historically and geographically common form of Nonviolent action by groups of people On February 22 (O. Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne S. ), the major plant of Petrograd, Putilov, announced a strike. The Kirov Plant or Kirov Factory (Кировский Завод Kirovskiy Zavod) is a major Russian machine-building Plant in St The strikers were fired, and some shops closed, resulting in further unrest at other plants. Some demonstrations were organised to demand bread, and these were supported by the industrial working force, finding in them a reason for continuing the strikes. Bread is a Staple food prepared by Baking a Dough of Flour and Water. Although some clashes with the Tsar's forces did occur, no one was injured on the opening day. In the days which followed, the strikes generalized themselves in all of Petrograd, and tension was rising rapidly. On February 23 (O. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable S. ; March 8, N. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. S. ), a series of meetings and rallies were held on the occasion of International Women's Day, which gradually turned into economic and political gatherings. International Women's Day ( IWD) is marked on March 8 every year Slogans, which had been, until this time, very much reserved, became more and more political: "End to the war!" they cried. A slogan is a memorable Motto or Phrase used in a Political, commercial, Religious and other context as a repetitive expression of "End to the autocracy!"

On this occasion, clashes with the police, finding the matter impossible to control, resulted in numerous casualties on both sides, and demonstrators armed themselves by looting the police headquarters. An autocracy is a Form of government in which the Political power is held by a single self-appointed ruler Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force Looting ( Hindi lūṭ akin to Sanskrit luṭhati steals also Latin latro, latronis On February 25 (O. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor S. ), after three days of such riotous anarchy, the Tsar sent a large battalion of soldiers to the city to quell the uprising. Although the soldiers resisted the first attempts at fraternization and killed many demonstrators, they progressively deserted their officers during the evenings and, sympathising with the crowds, joined them instead. Fraternization is "turning people into brothers" - conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and/or of a different class (especially those with whom one In Military terminology desertion is the Abandonment of a " Duty " or post without permission from one's Government or superior Their entry helped to make the revolt more conventionally armed, and many of them were soon firing on the hapless police, who quickly succumbed and joined the demonstrations, too.

The Tsar initially refused to believe the reports sent to him by the Chairman of the Duma, which was still conscious of the massive problem which was developing. The chairman, Rodzianko told the Tsar in a telegram:

"The capital is in chaos. The government is unable to act; the transport service is broken down; the food and fuel supplies are completely disorganised. There is wild shooting on the streets. It is urgent that a new government is formed. There must be no delay. Hesitation is fatal. " Nicholas, however, wrote thus in a telegram to his wife on 27 February: "Again, that fat-bellied Rodzianko has written me a load of nonsense, which I won't even bother to answer. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation "

On March 1, the Tsar decided to take a train to the government capital after hearing that his children, including the Tsarevich Alexei had contracted measles. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov (Цесаревич Алексей Николаевич full title Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke (Наследник-Цесаревич Measles (rubeola is a Disease caused by a virus specifically a Paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. The royal train was instructed to divert by a group of disloyal troops. When the Tsar finally reached his destination, the Army Chiefs, his remaining ministers (ie, those who had not fled on February 28 under the pretense of a power-cut) suggested in unison that he abdicate the throne, and this he did on March 2 (O. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good S. ) (March 15, N. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, S. ), for himself and his son, the Tsarevich. Tsarevich (Russian Царевич is a Slavic term for the Tsar 's son Nicholas nominated the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, his brother, to succeed him. Matt Kay, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Romanov (Михаи́л Александрович Рома́нов ( St The Grand Duke realised that he would have little or no support as ruler, so he declined the crown, stating that he would take it only if that was the general consensus of an elected government. The Tsar and his family were later placed in house arrest, and murdered during the civil war.

A provisional government was formed at the initiative of Alexander Guchkov's Progressive Block, and took control of the Russian state apparatus, but the socialists also formed the Petrograd Soviet (or workers' council). The Russian Provisional Government was formed in Petrograd in 1917 after the February Revolution and the Abdication Alexander Ivanovich Guchkov ( October 14 1862, Moscow – February 14 1936) was a Russian politician Chairman of the The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, usually called the Petrograd Soviet, was the soviet (workers' council in Petrograd (Saint The Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government competed for the power over Russia.

Effects: The Provisional Government and Petrograd's Soviet

The immediate effect of the February Revolution was a widespread atmosphere of elation and excitement in Petrograd. [7] Between February and April, the Provisional Government, which replaced the Tsar, cooperated successfully with the Petrograd Soviet. The Russian Provisional Government was formed in Petrograd in 1917 after the February Revolution and the Abdication This was facilitated by the positive spirit throughout the capital, along with considerable cross-over membership between the two bodies. [8] A general consensus to prevent anarchy also prompted a constructive relationship. [9] This arrangement became known as the "Dual Authority". However, the practical supremacy of the Petrograd Soviet was asserted as early as March 1, when the Petrograd Soviet issued Order No. 1:

"All orders issued by the Military Commission of the State Duma [the Provisional Government] shall be carried out, except those which run counter to the orders and decrees issued by the Soviet"[10]

Order No. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Army Order No 1 was established in Russia on March 2nd 1917. During the political turmoil that accompanied the Russian Revolution (1917, volatile 1 thus ensured that the Dual Authority occurred on the Soviet's conditions. As the provisional government was not a publicly elected body (having been self-proclaimed by committee members of the old Duma),[11] it lacked the political legitimacy to question this arrangement.

The Provisional Government was initially chaired by a liberal aristocrat, Prince Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov, a member of the Constitutional Democratic party (KD). Knyaz (Prince Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov (Георгий Евгеньевич Львов Georgy Evgenyevich Lvov) ( November 2, 1861 The Constitutional Democratic Party ( Constitutional Democrats, formally Party of Popular Freedom, informally Kadets) was a liberal Political He stepped down from power after the unrest called the July Days. The July Days refers to events in 1917 that took place in Petrograd, Russia, between July 3 and July 7 ( Julian calendar He was succeeded by a Social Revolutionary, Alexander Kerensky. The Socialist-Revolutionary Party (the PSR the SRs, or Esers; Партия социалистов-революционеров (ПСР эсеры was a Russian Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky (Алекса́ндр Фёдорович Ке́ренский Aleksandr Fjëdorovich Kerenskij) ( June 11, 1970) served Kerensky declared freedom of speech, released thousands of political prisoners and did his best to maintain Russian involvement in World War I, but he faced numerous challenges, most of them related to the war:

To pressure the Government, the Estonian population living in Petrograd organized, on March 26, a massive -- there were 40,000 participants, including 12-15,000 soldiers -- demonstration, where tri-colored flags of blue, black, and white were waved. Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. The Provisional Government confirmed its giving local authority to Estonia on March 30, 1917. Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

Vladimir Lenin, exiled in neutral Switzerland, arrived in Petrograd on April 3. Exile means to be away from one's home (ie city state or country while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. He immediately began to undermine the provisional government, issuing his April's Theses the next month. The April Theses ( Russian: ru апрельские тезисы transliteration:) were a series of directives by Bolshevik leader Vladimir These theses were in favour of "revolutionary defeatism", as opposed to the "imperialist war" (whose "link to the Capital" must be demonstrated to the masses) and the "Social-Chauvinists" (such as Georgi Plekhanov the grandfather of Russian socialism), who supported the war. Imperialism has two meanings one describing an action and the other describing an attitude Georgi Valentinovich Plekhanov (Георгий Валентинович Плеханов ( December 11, 1856 &ndash May 30, 1918;

Lenin also took control of the Bolshevik movement and stirred up the proletariat against the government with simple but meaningful slogans such as "Peace, bread and land", "End the war" and "All land to the peasants". Finally, he announced the necessary creation of a new International to replace the defunct Second International, dissolved in 1916 after the 1915 Zimmerwald Conference. The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow The Second International (1889-1916 was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. The Zimmerwald Conference was held in Zimmerwald, Switzerland, from September 5 through September 8, 1915.

Initially, neither Lenin nor his ideas enjoyed widespread support. In July, the Petrograd garrison refused to follow the army's plans to continue the war against Germany, demonstrating fiercely against them, and Lenin attempted to exploit the mutiny and, by supporting the garrison, arrange a Bolshevik coup. Kerensky, however, still had enough support to bring a halt to the resultant unrest. Faced with exile once more, Lenin fled to Finland. With the Petrograd Soviet (and other socialist movements, based in all large cities) generally opposed to the provisional government and its Prime Minister, Kerensky found himself now with two formidable opponents in the Soviets and the Bolsheviks.

Another trying issue with which Kerensky was faced arose when General Lavr Kornilov, Commander-in-Chief of the army, attempted to seize power by marching with an army toward Petrograd. Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov ( Russian: Лавр Гео́ргиевич Корни́лов ( August 18, 1870 &ndash April 13, 1918 Kerensky asked the Soviets and Bolsheviks for assistance. The Soviets called out their volunteers, the Trotsky-founded "Red Guards". The propaganda efforts by the revolutionaries made Kornilov lose the support of his troops and much of the public, which feared that he would try to restore the Tsar. The army of Kornilov suffered from sabotage and desertions, and capitulated immediately when it reached Petrograd.

Kerensky was unable to deal with the problems that he and Russia faced. Pressure from the right (such as those behind the Kornilov Affair), from the left (mainly the Bolsheviks) and pressure from the Allies, to continue the war against Germany, put the government under increasing strain. The Kornilov Affair (Russian Корниловщина Kornilovshchina) was a confused struggle between Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army General Lavr The conflict between the "diarchy" became obvious, and, ultimately, the regime and the Dual Authority formed between the Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government instigated by the February Revolution was replaced in the October Revolution. The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Lynch, Michael, Reaction and Revolution, 1894-1924, (London, 2005), 6
  2. ^ ibid 9
  3. ^ ibid 6
  4. ^ ibid 9
  5. ^ ibid 7-8
  6. ^ ibid 8
  7. ^ ibid 91
  8. ^ ibid 90
  9. ^ ibid 91
  10. ^ http://www.marxists.org/history/ussr/government/1917/03/01.htm
  11. ^ http://www.marxists.org/glossary/orgs/p/r.htm

External links

See also Russian Revolution (1905 The Russian Revolution of 1916 refers to a series of popular revolutions in Russia, and the events surrounding them See also Russian Revolution (1917 The 1905 Russian Revolution also known as the Failed Russian Revolution of 1905 was an empire-wide struggle of The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution Arthur Mitchell Ransome (born 18 January 1884 in Leeds - died 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All
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