By the evening of February 27, almost the entire composition of the Petrograd garrison - about 160 thousand people - went over to the side of the rebels. The commander of the Petrograd Military District, General Khabalov, is forced to inform Nicholas II: “Please report to His Imperial Majesty that I could not fulfill the order to restore order in the capital. Most of the units, one after another, betrayed their duty, refusing to fight against the rebels.”
The idea of a “cartel expedition”, which provided for the removal of individual military units from the front and sending them to rebellious Petrograd, also did not continue. All this threatened to result in a civil war with unpredictable consequences.
Acting in the spirit of revolutionary traditions, the rebels released from prison not only political prisoners, but also criminals. At first they easily overcame the resistance of the “Crosses” guards, and then took the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The uncontrollable and motley revolutionary masses, not disdaining murders and robberies, plunged the city into chaos.
On February 27, at approximately 2 o'clock in the afternoon, soldiers occupied the Tauride Palace. The State Duma found itself in a dual position: on the one hand, according to the emperor’s decree, it should have dissolved itself, but on the other, the pressure of the rebels and the actual anarchy forced it to take some action. The compromise solution was a meeting under the guise of a “private meeting.”
As a result, a decision was made to form a government body - the Temporary Committee.
Later, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government P. N. Milyukov recalled:
“The intervention of the State Duma gave the street and military movement a center, gave it a banner and a slogan, and thereby turned the uprising into a revolution, which ended with the overthrow of the old regime and dynasty.”
The revolutionary movement grew more and more. Soldiers seize the Arsenal, the Main Post Office, the telegraph office, bridges and train stations. Petrograd found itself completely in the power of the rebels. The real tragedy took place in Kronstadt, which was overwhelmed by a wave of lynching that resulted in the murder of more than a hundred officers of the Baltic Fleet.
On March 1, the chief of staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, General Alekseev, in a letter begs the emperor “for the sake of saving Russia and the dynasty, put at the head of the government a person whom Russia would trust.”
Nicholas states that by giving rights to others, he deprives himself of the power given to them by God. The opportunity to peacefully transform the country into a constitutional monarchy had already been lost.
After the abdication of Nicholas II on March 2, a dual power actually developed in the state. Official power was in the hands of the Provisional Government, but real power belonged to the Petrograd Soviet, which controlled the troops, railways, post office and telegraph.
Colonel Mordvinov, who was on the royal train at the time of his abdication, recalled Nikolai’s plans to move to Livadia. “Your Majesty, go abroad as soon as possible. “Under current conditions, even in Crimea there is no way to live,” Mordvinov tried to convince the tsar. "No way. I wouldn’t like to leave Russia, I love it too much,” Nikolai objected.
Leon Trotsky noted that the February uprising was spontaneous:
“No one outlined the path for a coup in advance, no one from above called for an uprising. The indignation that had accumulated over the years broke out largely unexpectedly for the masses themselves.”
However, Miliukov insists in his memoirs that the coup was planned soon after the start of the war and before “the army was supposed to go on the offensive, the results of which would radically stop all hints of discontent and would cause an explosion of patriotism and jubilation in the country.” “History will curse the leaders of the so-called proletarians, but it will also curse us, who caused the storm,” wrote the former minister.
British historian Richard Pipes calls the actions of the tsarist government during the February uprising “fatal weakness of will,” noting that “the Bolsheviks in such circumstances did not hesitate to shoot.”
Although the February Revolution is called “bloodless,” it nevertheless claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians. In Petrograd alone, more than 300 people died and 1,200 were injured.
The February Revolution began the irreversible process of collapse of the empire and decentralization of power, accompanied by the activity of separatist movements.
Poland and Finland demanded independence, Siberia started talking about independence, and the Central Rada formed in Kyiv proclaimed “autonomous Ukraine.”
The events of February 1917 allowed the Bolsheviks to emerge from underground. Thanks to the amnesty declared by the Provisional Government, dozens of revolutionaries returned from exile and political exile, who were already hatching plans for a new coup d'etat.
At the beginning of 1917, interruptions in food supplies to major Russian cities intensified. By mid-February, 90 thousand Petrograd workers went on strike due to bread shortages, speculation and rising prices. On February 18, workers from the Putilov plant joined them. The administration announced its closure. This was the reason for the start of mass protests in the capital.
On February 23, International Women's Day (according to the new calendar, this is March 8), workers took to the streets of Petrograd with the slogans “Bread!”, “Down with war!”, “Down with autocracy!” Their Political Demonstration marked the beginning of the revolution.
On February 25, the strike in Petrograd became general. Demonstrations and rallies did not stop. On the evening of February 25, Nicholas II from Headquarters, located in Mogilev, sent a telegram to the commander of the Petrograd Military District, S.S. Khabalov, with a categorical demand to stop the unrest. Attempts by the authorities to use troops did not produce a positive effect; the soldiers refused to shoot at the people. However, officers and police killed more than 150 people on February 26th. In response, the guards of the Pavlovsk regiment, supporting the workers, opened fire on the police.
Chairman of the Duma M.V. Rodzianko warned Nicholas II that the government was paralyzed and “there is anarchy in the capital.” To prevent the development of the revolution, he insisted on the immediate creation of a new government headed by a statesman who enjoyed the trust of society. However, the king rejected his proposal. Moreover, he and the Council of Ministers decided to interrupt the meetings of the Duma and dissolve it for the holidays. The moment for the peaceful, evolutionary transformation of the country into a constitutional monarchy was missed. Nicholas II sent troops from Headquarters to suppress the revolution, but a small detachment of General N.I. Ivanov was detained near Gatchina by rebel railway workers and soldiers and was not allowed into the capital.
On February 27, the mass transition of soldiers to the side of the workers, their seizure of the arsenal and the Peter and Paul Fortress, marked the victory of the revolution. The arrests of tsarist ministers and the formation of new government bodies began.
On the same day, elections to the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies were held in factories and military units, drawing on the experience of 1905, when the first organs of workers' political power were born. An Executive Committee was elected to manage its activities. The Menshevik N. S. Chkheidze became the chairman, and the Socialist Revolutionary A. F. Kerensky became his deputy. The Executive Committee took upon itself the maintenance of public order and the supply of food to the population. The Petrograd Soviet was a new form of socio-political organization. He relied on the support of the masses who owned weapons, and his political role was very great.
On March 1, the Petrograd Soviet issued “Order No. 1” on the democratization of the army. Soldiers were given equal civil rights with officers, harsh treatment of lower ranks was prohibited, and traditional forms of army subordination were abolished. Soldiers' committees were legalized. The election of commanders was introduced. Political activities were allowed in the army. The Petrograd garrison was subordinate to the Council and was obliged to carry out only its orders.
In February, at a meeting of leaders of Duma factions, it was decided to form a Provisional Committee of the State Duma, headed by M. V. Rodzianko. The task of the committee was “restoration of state and public order” and the creation of a new government. The temporary committee took control of all ministries.
February Nicholas II left Headquarters for Tsarskoe Selo, but was detained on the way by revolutionary troops. He had to turn to Pskov, to the headquarters of the Northern Front. After consultations with the front commanders, he became convinced that there were no forces to suppress the revolution. On March 2, Nicholas signed a Manifesto abdicating the throne for himself and his son Alexei in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. However, when Duma deputies A.I. Guchkov and V.V. Shulgin brought the text of the Manifesto to Petrograd, it became clear that the people did not want a monarchy. On March 3, Mikhail abdicated the throne, declaring that the future fate of the political system in Russia should be decided by the Constituent Assembly. The 300-year reign of the House of Romanov ended. Autocracy in Russia finally fell. This was the main result of the revolution.
On March 2, after negotiations between representatives of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet, the Provisional Government was formed. Prince G. E. Lvov became the chairman and minister of internal affairs, cadet P. N. Milyukov became the minister of foreign affairs, the Octobrist D. I. Guchkov became the military and naval minister, and the progressive A. I. Konovalov became the minister of trade and industry. From the “left” of the party, the Socialist Revolutionary A.F. Kerensky entered the government, receiving the portfolio of Minister of Justice. The Socialist-Revolutionary-Menshevik leadership of the Petrograd Soviet considered the revolution to be bourgeois. Therefore, it did not seek to take full state power and took a position of supporting the Provisional Government. A dual power system emerged in Russia.
1. February 23 - March 3 (March 8 - 18, new style) 1917 in Russia, the February Revolution took place, as a result of which the tsar was overthrown, the monarchy was abolished, democratic reforms began, which grew into a revolutionary process and civil war.
The driving forces of the February Revolution of 1917 were of a dual nature:
- on the one hand, it was of a massive, spontaneous and popular nature (“revolutions from below”);
- on the other hand, since 1916, conscious preparations were underway for the overthrow of Nicholas II, who had lost his authority - some of the leading leaders of the “Progressive Bloc” of the State Duma, progressive-minded officers of the Petrograd garrison, entered into the conspiracy.
In December 1916, the implementation of the conspiracy began. Rasputin was killed in Yusupov's house, which immediately deprived the tsar of internal support. Work was carried out among the officers of the Petrograd garrison to prepare a military coup. At the beginning of February 1917, a shortage of bread was created in Petrograd (bread was not delivered to the city and was hidden in warehouses, although after the abdication of Nicholas II, the delivery of bread began en masse). The Petrograd garrison did not support the Tsar at the decisive moment. 2. Events began to develop spontaneously:
— the cessation of bread supplies to Petrograd caused acute discontent and spontaneous demonstrations;
- February 23 (March 8, 1917 according to the global calendar), International Women's Day, a major strike began in Petrograd, which is considered the beginning of the revolution - the Putilov plant stopped working, followed by more than 50 enterprises, more than 100 thousand workers took to the streets with the slogans “Bread!”, “Peace!”, “Freedom!”;
- February 26 - riots began - the destruction of police stations, secret police, attacks on government officials, the Chairman of the State Duma M. Rodzianko sends a telegram to the Tsar, who is at headquarters in Mogilev, with a proposal to form a government of national unity;
- February 26, evening - Tsar Nicholas II from Mogilev rejected the proposals of the State Duma deputies and gave the order to the commander of the Petrograd district, General S. Khabalov, to suppress the protests by force and restore order;
- February 27 - a split in the army - the Petrograd garrison refused to carry out the orders of its commander S. Khabalov and went over to the side of the protesting workers; fraternization between the army and the residents of Petrograd begins; The district court, prisons, and police stations are being destroyed; on the same day, the Provisional Committee of the State Duma (leaders: M. Rodzianko, P. Milyukov, G. Lvov, etc.) and the Petrograd Council (chairman - N. Chkheidze, deputies - A. Kerensky and M. Skobelev, G.) are created. Khrustalev-Nosar (leader of the Petrograd Soviet during the 1905 revolution);
— The Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Committee of the State Duma are equally popular among the people and proclaim themselves the highest authority in the country, which laid the foundation for dual power;
- February 28 - power in Petrograd completely passes into the hands of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the Petrograd Council; previously trained officers and units loyal to them, who supported the rebels, take control of mail, telegraph, telephone, bridges; the commander of the Petrograd district, S. Khabalov, also goes over to the side of the rebels and sends a telegram to the Tsar about the impossibility of suppressing the unrest;
- March 1 - Chairman of the State Duma M. Rodzianko arrived in Mogilev to Tsar Nicholas II with a proposal to abdicate the throne in favor of his 14-year-old son Alexei;
- March 2 - after a day's deliberation, changing his decision many times, Nicholas II signs the abdication of the throne for himself and for his son Alexei in favor of his brother, Mikhail Romanov. The abdication of Nicholas II was not voluntary and was obtained after the army refused to come to the defense of the Tsar - and this became the decisive argument;
- on the same day, March 2, the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, together with the Petrograd Soviet, forms the Provisional Government (before the elections to the Constituent Assembly) headed by G. Lvov;
- dual power begins in Russia - the State Duma and the Provisional Government on the one hand, and the councils of workers', peasants' and soldiers' deputies, which are spontaneously created throughout the country, on the other;
- March 3 - Mikhail Romanov, the uncrowned Tsar Michael II, who enjoys a reputation as a liberal and a certain authority in society, abdicates the throne - before the convening of the Constituent Assembly (Mikhail's abdication was also obtained by force - under many hours of pressure from the leaders of the State Duma and the armed sailors who came with them ; Mikhail’s abdication was formalized without succession);
- on the same day, the Provisional Government issues its first document - the Declaration of the Provisional Government to the citizens of Russia, which proclaims fundamental rights and freedoms, the abolition of estates, a general political amnesty, the elimination of the police and gendarmerie, their replacement by the people's militia, and the holding at the end of 1917. general and equal elections to the Constituent Assembly.
As a result of the victory of the February bourgeois-democratic revolution in February - March 1917 in Russia:
- the monarchy was overthrown;
— the 304-year reign of the Romanov dynasty was actually ended;
— fundamental human rights and freedoms were proclaimed and became a reality for a short time;
- dual power began - the activities of the Provisional Government and councils;
— revolutionary transformations began, culminating in the Bolsheviks coming to power.
- revolutionary events that took place in Russia in early March (according to the Julian calendar - at the end of February - beginning of March) 1917 and led to the overthrow of the autocracy. In Soviet historical science it was characterized as “bourgeois”.
Its objectives were to introduce a constitution, establish a democratic republic (the possibility of maintaining a constitutional parliamentary monarchy was not excluded), political freedoms, and resolve land, labor and national issues.
The revolution was led to a significant deterioration in the socio-economic situation of the Russian Empire due to the protracted First World War, economic devastation, and the food crisis. It became increasingly difficult for the state to maintain the army and provide food to the cities; dissatisfaction with the military hardships grew among the population and among the troops. At the front, left-wing party agitators were successful, calling on soldiers to disobey and revolt.
The liberal-minded public was outraged by what was happening at the top, criticizing the unpopular government, the frequent change of governors and ignoring the State Duma, whose members demanded reforms and, in particular, the creation of a government responsible not to the Tsar, but to the Duma.
The aggravation of the needs and misfortunes of the masses, the growth of anti-war sentiment and general dissatisfaction with the autocracy led to mass protests against the government and the dynasty in large cities and primarily in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg).
At the beginning of March 1917, due to transport difficulties in the capital, supplies deteriorated, food cards were introduced, and the Putilov plant temporarily suspended work. As a result, 36 thousand workers lost their livelihood. Strikes in solidarity with the Putilovites took place in all districts of Petrograd.
On March 8 (February 23, old style), 1917, tens of thousands of workers took to the streets of the city, carrying slogans of “Bread!” and “Down with autocracy!” Two days later, the strike had already covered half of the workers in Petrograd. Armed squads were formed at the factories.
On March 10-11 (February 25-26, old style), the first clashes between strikers and the police and gendarmerie took place. Attempts to disperse the protesters with the help of troops were not successful, but only escalated the situation, since the commander of the Petrograd Military District, fulfilling the order of Emperor Nicholas II to “restore order in the capital,” ordered the troops to shoot at the demonstrators. Hundreds of people were killed or injured, and many were arrested.
On March 12 (February 27, old style), the general strike escalated into an armed uprising. A massive transfer of troops to the side of the rebels began.
The military command tried to bring new units to Petrograd, but the soldiers did not want to participate in the punitive operation. One military unit after another took the side of the rebels. Revolutionary-minded soldiers, having seized an armory, helped detachments of workers and students arm themselves.
The rebels occupied the most important points of the city, government buildings, and arrested the tsarist government. They also destroyed police stations, seized prisons, and released prisoners, including criminals. Petrograd was overwhelmed by a wave of robberies, murders and robbery.
The center of the uprising was the Tauride Palace, where the State Duma previously met. On March 12 (February 27, old style), the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was formed here, the majority of which were Mensheviks and Trudoviks. The first thing the Council took up was solving the problems of defense and food supply.
At the same time, in the adjacent hall of the Tauride Palace, the Duma leaders, who refused to obey the decree of Nicholas II on the dissolution of the State Duma, formed the “Provisional Committee of State Duma Members,” which declared itself the bearer of supreme power in the country. The committee was headed by Duma Chairman Mikhail Rodzianko, and the body included representatives of all Duma parties, with the exception of the far right. The committee members created a broad political program for the transformations necessary for Russia. Their first priority was to restore order, especially among the soldiers.
On March 13 (February 28, old style), the Provisional Committee appointed General Lavr Kornilov to the post of commander of the troops of the Petrograd District and sent its commissioners to the Senate and ministries. He began to perform the functions of the government and sent deputies Alexander Guchkov and Vasily Shulgin to Headquarters for negotiations with Nicholas II on the abdication of the throne, which took place on March 15 (March 2, old style).
On the same day, as a result of negotiations between the Provisional Committee of the Duma and the executive committee of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, a Provisional Government was created, headed by Prince Georgy Lvov, which took full power into its own hands. The only representative of the Soviets who received a ministerial post was the Trudovik Alexander Kerensky.
On March 14 (March 1, old style), a new government was established in Moscow, and throughout March throughout the country. But in Petrograd and locally, the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies and the Soviets of Peasants' Deputies gained great influence.
The coming to power simultaneously of the Provisional Government and the Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies created a situation of dual power in the country. A new stage of the struggle for power between them began, which, together with the inconsistent policies of the Provisional Government, created the preconditions for the October Revolution of 1917.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
The February Revolution in a nutshell will help you gather your thoughts before the exam and remember what you remember about this topic and what you don't. This historical event was significant for the history of Russia. It opened the door to further revolutionary upheavals, which will not end soon. Without mastering this topic, it is pointless to try to understand further events.
It is worth saying that the events of February 1917 are very important for modern Russia. This year, 2017, marks the centenary of those events. I think that the country faces the same problems as Tsarist Russia faced then: a monstrously low standard of living of the population, the authorities’ disregard for their people, who feed these authorities; lack of will and desire at the top to change something in a positive direction. But there were no televisions then... What do you think about this - write in the comments.
Causes of the February Revolution
The inability of the authorities to solve a number of crises that the state faced during the First World War:
- Transport crisis: due to the extremely short length of railways, a transport shortage has arisen.
- Food crisis: the country had extremely low yields, plus peasant land shortages and the inefficiency of noble estates led to a disastrous food situation. Hunger has become severe in the country.
- Weapons crisis: for more than three years the army has experienced a severe shortage of ammunition. Only towards the end of 1916 did Russian industry begin to operate on the scale necessary for the country.
- The unresolved worker and peasant question in Russia. The share of the proletariat and skilled working class has increased significantly compared to the first years of the reign of Nicholas II. The issue of neither child labor nor labor insurance was resolved. The salary was extremely low. If we talk about peasants, land shortage remained. Plus, during wartime, taxes on the population increased monstrously, and all horses and people were mobilized. The people did not understand why they were fighting and did not share the patriotism that the leaders experienced in the first years of the war.
- Crisis at the top: in 1916 alone, several high-ranking ministers were replaced, which gave rise to the prominent right-wing V.M. Purishkevich should call this phenomenon “ministerial leapfrog.” This expression has become popular.
The distrust of the common people, and even members of the State Duma, increased even more due to the presence of Grigory Rasputin at the court. Shameful rumors circulated about the royal family. Only on December 30, 1916, Rasputin was killed.
The authorities tried to solve all these crises, but to no avail. The Special Meetings convened were not successful. Since 1915, Nicholas II took command of the troops, despite the fact that he himself held the rank of colonel.
In addition, at least since January 1917, a conspiracy against the tsar was brewing among the highest generals of the army (General M.V. Alekseev, V.I. Gurko, etc.) and the Fourth State Duma (cadet A.I. Guchkov, etc. ). The Tsar himself knew and suspected of the impending coup. And he even ordered in mid-February 1917 to strengthen the Petrograd garrison with loyal units from the front. He had to give this order three times, because General Gurko was in no hurry to carry it out. As a result, this order was never carried out. Thus, this example already shows sabotage of the emperor’s orders by the highest generals.
Course of events
The course of events of the February revolution was characterized by the following points:
- The beginning of spontaneous popular unrest in Petrograd and a number of other cities, presumably due to an acute shortage of food on International Women's Day (according to the old style - February 23).
- Switching to the side of the rebel army. It consisted of the same workers and peasants who keenly understood the need for change.
- The slogans “Down with the Tsar” and “Down with the Autocracy” immediately arose, which predetermined the fall of the monarchy.
- Parallel authorities began to emerge: Councils of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies, based on the experience of the First Russian Revolution.
- On February 28, the Provisional Committee of the State Duma announced the transfer of power into its own hands as a result of the termination of the Golitsyn government.
- On March 1, this committee received recognition from England and France. On March 2, representatives of the committee went to the tsar, who abdicated in favor of his brother Mikhail Alexandrovich, and he abdicated on March 3 in favor of the Provisional Government.
Results of the revolution
- The monarchy in Russia fell. Russia became a parliamentary republic.
- Power passed to the bourgeois Provisional Government and the Soviets, many believe that dual power began. But in reality there was no dual power. There are a lot of nuances here, which I revealed in my video course “History. Preparation for the Unified State Exam for 100 points.”
- Many see this revolution as the first step
