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Why Was There A Disaster in 1917?

  

  

Summary

The First World War placed an unbearable strain on Russia's weak government and economy, resulting in mass shortages and hunger. 

In the meantime, the mismanagement and failures of the war turned the people - and importantly the soldiers - against the Tsar, whose decision to take personal command of the army seemed to make him personally responsible for the defeats. 

In March 1917, the Tsar lost control first of the streets, then of the soldiers, and finally of the Duma, resulting in his forced abdication on 15 March 1917.

 

 

Going Deeper

The following links will help you widen your knowledge:

Basic account from BBC Bitesize

Old Bitesize - simple intro (pdf)

February Revolution - notes (pdf)

Kirsten's Thesis

 

   In what ways were the lives of Russian people affected by the First World War?

 

- BBC debate-podcast on the Causes of the Russian Revolution of March 1917

 

Old textbook accounts of the February/March Revolution

Peter Moss, History Alive (1967) - simple account

PJ Larkin, Revolution in Russia (1965)

Reed Brett, European History (1967)

Chris Culpin, Making History (1984) - analyses into long-term and short term

Norman Lowe, Mastering Modern World History (1988)

The February/March Revolution

 

NOTE: Although you will often find it called the 'February' Revolution, because of the Russian calendar, it took place in March!  All the dates on this page are 'New Style' (NS), but if you mouseover those in bold blue you can see the 'Old Style' (OS) date.

In March 1917 crowds rioted on the streets.  The soldiers joined them.  Then the members of the Duma joined the rebellion; they forced the Tsar to abdicate. 

 

1.  Weakness and Problems of the Tsar

Underlay everything (see this webpage):

  • Backward, agricultural economy – continual peasant revolts.

  • Growth of ‘labourism’ among a working class with no rights.

  • Aristocracy demoralised by the abolition of serfdom.

  • Church alienated by the Tsar’s attempts to reform it.

  • Weak, oppressive government (Okhrana, Cossacks) overwhelmed by the size of Russia (resulting in the 1905 revolution).

  • Nicholas II was indecisive and stubborn, unwilling to cope with the huge detail of government.

 

2.  World War I

The First World War was the key factor. 

  • The army was badly led and poorly equipped.  Russian defeats at Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes – the Russians lost 200,000 men – lost the government the support of the army. 

  • The war took 15 million men from the farms and trains had to be used for the war (so they could not bring food to the cities) so there were food shortages and food prices rose, all of which created anger and unrest in Petrograd.

  • The railway system collapsed under the strain of the millions of soldiers using it.

  • Discovery of munitions scandals in 1915 caused a wave of national anger.

  • To finance the war, government spending increased by 650 percent.  Nicholas, therefore, abandoned the Gold Standard, restraining him from printing money;  this led to inflation, causing public discontent.

  • The winter of 1916–17 was severe.  Food shortages got worse – there was a famine in the cities:

    Source A

    Petrograd at the beginning of 1917

    The industrial workers are very discontented because of the impossibility of obtaining goods, the endless queuing, the poor housing and the lack of fuel. 

    All these conditions have created a desperate situation in which savage hunger riots are likely to break out. 

    from a Tsarist police report (early 1917)

 

 

How WWI caused the Revolution - Open University text by Emsley and Englander

 

3.  Tsar's mistakes

  • In September 1915, the Tsar took personal command of the army – which did not help the war effort and meant he was blamed for the defeats. 

  • He left the Tsarina in charge.  She was incompetent (she let Rasputin run the government), and (because she was a German) rumours circulated that she was trying to help Germany to win. 

  • By February 1917 the government was in chaos. 

  • Finally, in the crisis, Nicholas went to pieces and failed to do anything:

    Source B

    On 12 March 1917 Rodzianko, the President of the Duma, telegraphed the Tsar:

    The situation is getting worse.  Something has to be done immediately.  Tomorrow is too late.  The last hour has struck.  The future of the country and the royal family is being decided. 

    The Tsar read it and said:

    Again, that fat-bellied Rodzianko has written me a load of nonsense, which I won’t even bother to answer. 

    On 15 March the Duma forced Nicholas to abdicate. 

 

 

Rasputin - his impact

 

 

Source C

By no means was Nicholas II completely faultless in the downfall of the Romanovs – in fact, he was quite a considerable catalyst to his own undoing. However, to say that he was ultimately accountable would be ignorant to the more pressing factors at hand, such as those of the economic and political nature. Thus, it was only to a limited extent that Tsar Nicholas II was responsible for the collapse of the Romanov dynasty in 1917.

from an Australian educational website.

 

4.  Army abandoned the Tsar

  • On 8 March 1917, there were riots in Petrograd about the food shortages and the war. 

  • On 12 March the Army abandoned the Tsar – the soldiers mutinied and refused to put down the riots.  The government lost control of the country. 

 

Did You Realise

The Russian Army in 1917 was not the same army as that which had saved the Tsar in 1905.  It had conscripted millions of peaants into its ranks, and then subjected them to the horrors of the War.
The First World War had handed the peasantry armed, military power.

 

5.  Duma abandoned the Tsar

  • On 15 March members of the Duma went to Nicholas to tell him to abdicate. 

 

 

  

Events of the Revolution

7 March

Steelworkers go on strike. 

8 March

International Women’s Day – demonstrations/ bread riots. 

9-10 March

More demonstrations/strikes – Tsarina calls in the army. 

11 March

Troops fire on crowds.  The Duma urges action – Tsar orders the Duma to dissolve, but is ignored. 

12 March

Soldiers in Petrograd (St Petersburg) mutinied and joined the riots. 

Soldiers and workers set up the ‘Petrograd Soviet’ of 2,500 elected deputies as an alternative government

13 March

Duma sets up a ‘Provisional Government’, led by Kerensky. 

The Tsar gets on the train to return to Petrograd, and orders the Army to re-establish control

14 March

The Tsar's train is halted because rebelling troops have control of the line.  Instead he goes to Army HQ in Pskov; there he is told that Army Chief of Staff General Alexeev has cancelled the order, that a Duma government should be appointed, and that the Tsar should abdicate.

15 March

Two deputies from the Duma travel to Pskov and intruct Ncholas to abdicate.  He signs saying: "If it is necessary for the good of Russia, then I am ready for it".

 

Consider:

1.  Using Section 2 of this webpage and reading the link to the comments by Emsley and Englander, make a list of all the ways the First World War weakened the Tsar's government.  For each, explain HOW it weakened it.

2.  Using the link to Rasputin, make a list of all the ways Rasputin weakened the Tsar's position.  For each, explain HOW it weakened it.

3.  Read Section 3 of this webpage.  How far was the Tsar the cause of his own downfall?

4.  Read the 'Events of the Revolution'.  Make an argument that, whilst losing the support of the Duma, Church and public was bad, losing the support of the army was crucial.

5.  Use this page and your wider knowledge to make a spidergram of ALL the factors contributing to the Tsar's abdication. 

 
  • AQA-style Questions

      4.  Describe two problems faced by the Tsar during the First World War.

      5.  In what ways were the lives of Russian people affected by the First World War?

      6.  Which of the following was the more important reason for the end of Tsardom in Russia:
        •  economic reasons
        •  political reasons?

 

  • Edexcel-style Questions

      2.  Explain why there was a revolution in Russia in February 1917.

      3d.  How far do you agree with Source C about Nicholas's blame for 1917 revolution?

 

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