In February 1917, the second revolution after the events of 1905 took place in Russia. Today we are talking briefly about the February Revolution of 1917: the causes of the popular uprising, the course of events and the consequences.
The revolution of 1905 was defeated. However, its failure did not destroy the prerequisites that led to the very possibility of its occurrence. It's the same as if the disease receded, but did not go away, hiding in the depths of the body, so that one day it would burst again. And all because the suppressed uprising of 1905-1907 by force is the treatment of external symptoms, while the root causes - social and political contradictions in the country continued to exist.
Rice. 1. The military who joined the insurgent workers in February 1917
After 12 years, at the very beginning of 1917, these contradictions escalated, which led to a new, more serious explosion. The aggravation occurred due to the following reasons:
Rice. 2. Destruction of the monument to Alexander III during the events of February 1917
All of the above points did not exist separately. They were closely interconnected and gave rise to new conflicts: general dissatisfaction with the autocracy, distrust of the reigning monarch, the growth of anti-war sentiment, social tension, and the strengthening of the role of leftist and opposition forces. The latter included such parties as the Mensheviks, Bolsheviks, Trudoviks, Socialist-Revolutionaries, Anarchists, as well as various national parties. Some called on the people to decisively attack and overthrow the autocracy, while others were confronting the tsarist government in the Duma.
Rice. 3. The moment of signing the manifesto on the abdication of the king
In spite of various methods struggle, the goals of the parties were the same: the overthrow of the autocracy, the introduction of a constitution, the establishment of a new system - a democratic republic, the establishment of political freedoms, the establishment of peace, the solution of pressing problems - national, land, labor. Since these tasks of transforming the country were of a bourgeois-democratic nature, this uprising also went down in history under the name of the February bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1917.
The tragic events of the second winter month of 1917 are summarized in the following table:
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Event date |
Description of the event |
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A strike of workers at the Putilov factory, who, due to a jump in food prices, demanded an increase in wages. The strikers were fired, some shops were closed. However, workers from other factories supported the strikers. |
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In Petrograd, a difficult situation arose with the delivery of bread and a rationing system was introduced. On this day, tens of thousands of people took to the streets with various demands for bread, as well as political slogans calling for the overthrow of the king and an end to the war. |
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A multiple increase in the number of strikers from 200 to 305 thousand people. Basically, they were workers, who were joined by artisans and employees. The police failed to restore calm, and the troops refused to go against the people. |
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The meeting of the State Duma was postponed from February 26 to April 1 in accordance with the decree of the emperor. But this initiative was not supported, as it looked more like a dissolution. |
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An armed uprising took place, which was joined by the army (Volynsky, Lithuanian, Preobrazhensky battalions, armored division, Semyonovsky and Izmailovsky regiments). As a result, the telegraph, bridges, railway stations, the Main Post Office, the Arsenal, and the Kronverk Arsenal were captured. The State Duma, which did not accept its dissolution, created a Provisional Committee, which was supposed to be engaged in establishing order on the streets of St. Petersburg. |
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Power passes to the Provisional Committee. The Finnish 180th Infantry Regiment, the sailors of the cruiser Aurora and the 2nd Baltic Naval Crew go over to the side of the rebels. |
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The uprising spread to Kronstadt and Moscow. |
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Nicholas II decided to abdicate in favor of his heir, Tsarevich Alexei. was supposed to be regent Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich is the Emperor's younger brother. But as a result, the king abdicated the throne and for his son. |
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The manifesto on the abdication of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II was published in all the newspapers of the country. The Manifesto on the abdication of Mikhail Alexandrovich immediately followed. |
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Today, the main causes of the February Revolution of 1917, which became the second in a row, since 1905, were considered. In addition, the main dates of the events are named and their detailed description is given.
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The main causes of the February Revolution:
1. Although the autocracy was at the last line, it continued to exist;
The workers strived to better conditions labor;
3. National minorities needed, if not independence, then greater autonomy;
4. The people wanted an end to the terrible war. This new problem added to the old ones;
The population wanted to avoid starvation and impoverishment.
By the beginning of the XX century. the agrarian question was acute in Russia. The reforms of Emperor Alexander II did not make life much easier for the peasants and the countryside. The village continued to maintain a community that was convenient for the government to collect taxes.
Peasants were forbidden to leave the community, so the village was overpopulated. Many high personalities of Russia tried to destroy the community as a feudal relic, but the community was protected by the autocracy, and they failed to do this. One of these people was S. Yu. Witte. P. A. Stolypin managed to free the peasants from the community later in the course of his agrarian reform.
But the agricultural problem remained. The agrarian question led to the revolution of 1905 and remained the main one until 1917. The ruling circles of Russia saw the main chance to delay the death of the autocracy in the victorious conclusion of the war with Germany. 15.6 million people were put under arms, of which up to 13 million
peasants. The war of the 14th year by this time caused discontent among the masses, not without the participation of the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks authorized rallies in the capitals and other cities of Russia.
They also campaigned in the army, which had a negative impact on the mood of soldiers and officers. The people in the cities joined the Bolshevik demonstrations. All the factories of Petrograd worked for the front, because of this there was not enough bread and other consumer goods. In Petrograd itself, long tails of queues stretched along the streets. By the end of 1916, the tsarist government had expanded the issue of money so much that goods began to disappear from the shelves.
Peasants refused to sell products for depreciating money. They took food to big cities: St. Petersburg, Moscow, etc.
The provinces "closed" and the tsarist government switched to surplus appropriation, because. this was forced by the state of the financial company. In 1914
the state wine monopoly was abolished, this stopped the agrarian suction of money into the agricultural sector. In February 1917, industrial centers were falling apart, Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia were starving, the system of commodity-money relations was disrupted in the country.
The course of the 1917 revolution
The workers wanted to support the Duma, but the police dispersed the workers as soon as they began to gather to march towards the Duma. Chairman of the State Duma M. Rodzianko obtained a reception from the sovereign and warned that Russia was in danger. The emperor did not react to this. He did not deceive, but he himself deceived, because the Minister of the Interior ordered that local authorities sent telegrams to Nicholas II about the “immeasurable love” of the people for the “adored monarch”.
The ministers deceived the emperor in everything related to domestic politics.
The emperor implicitly believed them in everything. Nicholas was more concerned about things at the front, which were not going well. Not a solution to internal problems, financial crisis, a difficult war with Germany - all this led to spontaneous uprisings, which grew into the February Bourgeois Revolution of 1917.
By mid-February, 90,000 Petrograd workers went on strike because of a shortage of bread, speculation, and rising prices.
Strikes arose only in a few factories.
The discontent among the masses arose for the most part because of the food issue (in particular, the lack of bread) and most of all this worried the women, who had to stand in long lines in the hope of getting at least something.
Groups gathered in many workshops, read the leaflet distributed by the Bolsheviks, and passed it from hand to hand.
During the lunch break, rallies began at most factories and factories in the Vyborgsky district and at a number of enterprises in other districts.
Women workers angrily denounced the tsarist government, protested against the lack of bread, the high cost, and the continuation of the war. They were supported by Bolshevik workers at every large and small factory in the Vyborg side. Everywhere there were calls for a halt to work. Ten enterprises that were on strike on Bolshoi Sampsonievskiy Prospekt were joined by others as early as 10-11 am. In total, according to police data, about 90 thousand workers and workers of 50 enterprises were on strike. Thus, the number of strikers exceeded the magnitude of the February 14 strike.
If at that time the demonstrations were few, on February 23 most of the workers remained on the streets for some time before going home and participated in mass demonstrations. Many strikers were in no hurry to disperse, but remained on the streets for a long time and agreed to the calls of the strike leaders to continue the demonstration and go to the city center. The demonstrators were excited, which did not fail to take advantage of the anarchist elements: 15 shops were destroyed on the Vyborg side.
The workers stopped the trams, if the carriage drivers, together with the conductors, resisted, they turned the cars over. In total, as the police counted, 30 tram trains were stopped.
In the events of February 23, from the first hours, a peculiar combination of organization and spontaneity was manifested, which is so characteristic of everything further development February Revolution. Rallies and performances by women were planned by the Bolsheviks and the Mezhraiontsy, as was the possibility of strikes. However, no one expected such a significant scope.
The appeal of female workers who followed the instructions of the Bolshevik Center was very quickly and unanimously taken up by all the male workers of the striking enterprises. The police were taken by surprise by the events. At about 4 pm, workers from the outskirts, as if obeying a single call, moved to Nevsky Prospekt.
There was nothing surprising in this: just a week ago, on February 14, the workers, following the instructions of the Bolsheviks, also went to Nevsky, a traditional place for political demonstrations and rallies.
The meeting of the State Duma was going on in the Tauride Palace.
She began to work on February 14, in the alarming atmosphere of the expected large-scale demonstration. This was reflected in the restrained position expressed in the speeches of Rodzianko, Milyukov and other speakers of the Progressive Bloc. The Progressives, who entered at the end of 1916 from the Progressive Bloc, and the leader of the Menshevik faction Chkheidze, came out sharply.
On February 15, Milyukov declared in the Duma that the government had returned to the course it had pursued until October 17, 1905, "to fight the whole country." But he also tried to dissociate himself from the "street", which has recently been encouraging the Duma with statements that the country and the army are with it, and is waiting for some kind of "deed" from the Duma. On Saturday and Sunday, February 18 and 19, the Duma did not meet, but on Monday, the 20th, a very brief meeting took place.
The big plenary meeting was scheduled for Thursday, February 23rd. Rumors about the movement that had begun on the Vyborg side quickly reached the Tauride Palace. Phone calls were heard in the rooms of the press, factions and commissions, at the secretary of the chairman of the Duma. At that time, the food question was being discussed in the White Conference Room of the Duma. Then they moved on to a debate on the request submitted by the Menshevik and Trudovik factions for strikes at the Izhora and Putilov factories.
Meanwhile, just during these hours, the movement showed even more its anti-government and anti-war orientation.
Information about this continued to come to the Duma, but they did not change the general assessment of the events on the part of its members.
Late in the evening of February 23, a meeting of members of the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RSDLP(b) and the St. Petersburg Committee was held in a safe house in a remote workers' district of Petrograd, Novaya Selo.
S., Georgiev V. A., Georgieva N. G., Sivokhina T. A. "History of Russia from ancient times to the present day"
They noted with satisfaction that the scope of events that day went far beyond their expectations: clashes with the police, rallies, the number of which on the streets could not even be counted accurately, a demonstration on Nevsky.
The number of strikers, according to their observations and rough estimates, even exceeded the number of those who were on strike on February 14th. All this, as it were, gave the Bolsheviks a complete revenge on the day of February 14, when caution was felt in the behavior of the masses, there were few demonstrations.
The next morning, by 7 o'clock, the lines of workers again stretched to the gates of their enterprises.
Their mood was the most fighting. Most decided not to work. On February 24, 75,000 people went on strike. The speakers, among whom were many Bolsheviks, urged the workers to immediately take to the streets. Revolutionary songs were heard everywhere. Red flags flew up in places. Trams stopped again. The entire street was filled with columns of demonstrators moving towards Liteiny Bridge. The police and the Cossacks repeatedly attacked the workers on the approaches to the bridge.
They managed to temporarily interrupt the movement of the demonstrators. The workers parted to let the riders through. But as soon as they drove off, the workers again went forward. They repeatedly broke through the Liteiny (Aleksandrovsky) bridge to the left bank of the Neva. The militant and elated mood of the workers that day intensified even more. The police chiefs of both Vyborg districts repeatedly reported to the mayor A.
P. Balku that they are not able to cope with the movement on their own.
Demonstrations and rallies did not stop. On the evening of February 25, Nicholas II from Headquarters, who was 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 the troops did not give a positive effect, the soldiers refused to shoot at the people. However, more than 150 people were killed by officers and police on 26 February. In response, the guards of the Pavlovsky 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 "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 enjoys the confidence of society.
However, the king rejected his proposal. Furthermore. The Council of Ministers decided to suspend the meetings of the Duma and dissolve it for the holidays. The moment for a peaceful, evolutionary transformation of the country into a constitutional monarchy was lost. Nicholas II sent troops from the Headquarters to suppress the revolution, but a small detachment of General N.
I. Ivanov was detained near Gatchina by rebel railroad workers and soldiers and was not allowed into the capital.
On February 27, the mass defection of soldiers to the side of the workers, their capture 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 authorities began.
On the same day in factories and military units, based on the experience of 1905, when the first organs were born political power workers, elections were held for the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.
An Executive Committee was elected to direct its activities. The Menshevik N. S. Chkheidze became 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.
On February 27, at a meeting of the leaders of the 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 to "restore the state and public order", the creation of a new government.
The Provisional Committee took control of all ministries. On February 28, Nicholas II left Headquarters for Tsarskoye 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 commanders of the fronts, he became convinced that there were no forces to suppress the revolution.
On March 1, the Petrograd Soviet issued "Order No. 1" on the democratization of the army. Soldiers were equalized in civil rights with officers, rude treatment of the lower ranks was prohibited, and traditional forms of army subordination were abolished.
Soldiers' committees were legalized. The election of commanders was introduced. The army was allowed to lead political activity. The Petrograd garrison was subordinate to the Soviet and undertook to carry out only its orders.
On March 2, Nicholas signed the Manifesto on abdication 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, Michael abdicated the throne, declaring that further fate the political system in Russia must be decided by the Constituent Assembly. The 300-year rule of the Romanov dynasty ended. Autocracy in Russia finally fell. This was the main outcome of the revolution.
Results of the February Revolution
February Revolution was not as swift as they like to paint her. Of course, compared to the French Revolution, it was fleeting and almost bloodless.
But it was simply never mentioned that until the end of the revolution, the Tsar had a chance to save the autocracy, in the same way as in 1905 - by issuing some kind of constitution.
But that did not happen. What is it - political color blindness or lack of interest in everything that happens? And yet, the February Revolution, which led to the overthrow of the autocracy, ended.
However, the peoples of Russia rose to fight not only and not so much in order to throw the Romanov dynasty off the throne. The overthrow of the autocracy in itself did not remove the pressing problems facing the country.
February 1917 did not complete the revolutionary process, but began it new stage. After the February revolution, the workers received an increase in wages, but inflation ate it up by the summer.
The lack of wages, housing, food, basic necessities caused the people to be disappointed in the results of the February revolution. The government continued the unpopular war, thousands of people died in the trenches.
Growing distrust of the Provisional Government, which resulted in mass street demonstrations. February to July 1917 The provisional government survived three powerful political crises that threatened to overthrow it.
February was a people's revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 in Russia is still called the Bourgeois-Democratic Revolution. It is the second revolution in a row (the first took place in 1905, the third in October 1917).
The February Revolution began a great turmoil in Russia, during which not only the Romanov dynasty fell and the Empire ceased to be a monarchy, but also the entire bourgeois-capitalist system, as a result of which the elite was completely replaced in Russia
“... For several days now we have been living on a volcano ... There was no bread in Petrograd - the transport was very disordered due to unusual snows, frosts and, most importantly, of course, because of the tension of the war ... There were street riots ... But it was, of course, not in bread… That was the last straw… The fact was that in this whole huge city it was impossible to find several hundred people who would sympathize with the authorities… And not even that… The fact is that the authorities did not sympathize with themselves… There was no , in fact, not a single minister who would believe in himself and in what he is doing ... The class of former rulers came to naught .. "
(You.
Shulgin "Days")
Employees and artisans joined the workers. The troops refused to disperse the protesters
In the afternoon, the Semyonovsky regiment, the Izmailovsky regiment, and the reserve armored division revolted. The Kronverk Arsenal, the Arsenal, the Main Post Office, the telegraph office, railway stations, and bridges were occupied.
The State Duma
appointed a Provisional Committee "to restore order in St. Petersburg and to communicate with institutions and persons."
The insurgent people occupied all the stations of Petrograd
The public demanded renunciation.
"The Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief," General Alekseev, requested by telegram all the commanders-in-chief of the fronts. These telegrams asked the commanders-in-chief for their opinion on the desirability under the given circumstances of the abdication of the emperor from the throne in favor of his son.
By one in the afternoon on March 2, all the answers of the commanders-in-chief were received and concentrated in the hands of General Ruzsky. These answers were:
1) From Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich - Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Front.
2) From General Sakharov - the actual commander-in-chief of the Romanian front (the actual commander-in-chief was the king of Romania, and Sakharov was his chief of staff).
3) From General Brusilov - Commander-in-Chief of the South Western Front.
4) From General Evert - Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front.
5) From Ruzsky himself - the commander-in-chief of the Northern Front.
All five commanders-in-chief of the fronts and General Alekseev (gen. Alekseev was the chief of staff under the Sovereign) spoke in favor of the abdication of the Sovereign Emperor from the throne. (Vas. Shulgin "Days")
During the day, the king decided to abdicate also for the heir.
“The man rushed to us - Darlings!” he shouted and grabbed my hand - Heard? There is no king! Only Russia remained.
He kissed everyone warmly and rushed to run on, sobbing and muttering something ... It was already one in the morning when Efremov usually slept soundly.
Suddenly, at this inopportune hour, there was a booming and short strike of the cathedral bell.
Then the second blow, the third.
The blows became more frequent, a tight ringing was already floating over the town, and soon the bells of all the surrounding churches joined it.
Lights were lit in all the houses. The streets were filled with people. Doors in many houses stood wide open. strangers crying, hugging each other. From the side of the station flew the solemn and jubilant cry of locomotives (K.
Paustovsky "Restless Youth")
Russia has become the most democratic country in the world
Russia demanded a decisive government and it came in the form of the Bolsheviks
What is liberalism?
Where is the filibuster sea?
What is the League of Nations?
The nature of the revolution: bourgeois-democratic.
Goals: the overthrow of the autocracy, the elimination of landlordism, the estate system, the inequality of nations, the establishment of a democratic republic, the provision of various democratic freedoms, and the alleviation of the position of the working people.
Causes of the Revolution: the extreme aggravation of all the contradictions of Russian society, aggravated by the war, economic ruin and food crisis.
driving forces: the working class, the peasantry, the liberal bourgeoisie, the democratic strata of the population, the intelligentsia, students, employees, representatives of the oppressed peoples, the army.
Course of events: February: strikes and demonstrations of Petrograd workers, caused by dissatisfaction with the economic situation, food difficulties, war.
February 14 — opening of the session of the State Duma. Rodzianko and Milyukov are cautious in their criticism of the autocracy.
Progressives and Mensheviks are forcing confrontation with the government. Outcome: the conclusion is made about the need to change the government. February 20-21 - the emperor hesitates, discusses the question of the responsibility of the ministry, meets in the Duma, but unexpectedly leaves for headquarters.
February 23 - spontaneous revolutionary explosion - the beginning of the revolution. February 24-25 - Strikes develop into a general strike. Troops keep themselves neutral. There is no order to shoot. 02.26 — Skirmishes with the police escalate into battles with the troops. Feb 27 - The general strike turns into an armed uprising. The transition of troops to the side of the rebels began.
The rebels occupy the most important strategic points of the city and government buildings. On the same day, the tsar interrupts the session of the Duma. The rebels come to the Tauride Palace. The authority of the Duma among the people was high. The Duma turned out to be the center of the revolution.
The deputies of the Duma create a provisional committee of the State Duma, and the workers and soldiers form the Petrograd Soviet. February 28 - Ministers and senior officials are arrested. Rodzianko agrees to take power into the hands of the Provisional Committee of the Duma. The armed uprising won. March 2 - Nicholas II abdicates from the throne March 3 - Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich abdicates the throne.
In fact, a republican system is being established in the country. March: The revolution wins throughout the country.
The results of the February revolution: the overthrow of the autocracy, the beginning of economic and socio-political reform, the formation of dual power, the aggravation of problems in Russia.
Subject: February Revolution. Causes, course of events, consequences.
Performed:
1st year student, group GMU-20z Pozdova A.A. (___________)
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Supervisor:
Kosminykh T.A. (___________)
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Novosibirsk 2010
Content
Introduction……………………………………………………………………… 3
Causes of the February Revolution…………………………………………. 6
Events in Russia from February 23 to 27, 1917…………………………...7
The nature of the February Revolution…………………………………………..8
Victory of the February Bourgeois-Democratic Revolution (February 23 - March 3, 1917)………………………………………………………………………9
The results of the revolution…………………………………………………………………11
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….12
References…………………………………………………………….15
Introduction.
By the beginning of 1917, dissatisfaction with the government and its holders had become almost universal in Russia. The war that dragged on for two and a half years, which cost the country innumerable victims and so far brought only defeats, the progressive collapse of transport, which created difficulties in supply, an incredible increase in the cost of living - all this caused growing fatigue and anger against the regime. At the same time, the highest circles of society were opposed both to the autocratic state and personally to the emperor much sharper than the mass of the population. The influence of the “court camarilla” was incomparably more noticeable for the St. Petersburg aristocracy, the Duma leaders and the metropolitan intelligentsia than for millions of ordinary front-line soldiers or peasants in remote rear provinces. It was the Russian elite, brought out of patience by the revelry of the last times of Rasputinism, that became nutrient medium for various kinds of conspiracies and secret alliances, whose goal is to get rid of the extremely unpopular, if not hated, emperor. The autocracy was blamed for the most disastrous trait for an authoritarian state system: complete inefficiency, impotence and incapacity of power in the presence of an obvious despotism that irritates everyone.
At the end of 1916 - the beginning of 1917, all overt and secret organizations of the Russian elites - Duma factions, aristocratic clubs, high-society salons, Masonic lodges, public committees were seized with a fever of meetings, negotiations and agreements of a wide variety of people, to one degree or another involved in the country's politics . "The current government is not able to overcome chaos, because it is itself a source of chaos, it is not capable of leading Russia to victory in the war, and therefore is inclined towards a separate peace, humiliating capitulation to Germany" - such was the general conclusion of the majority of political forces and groups in Russia by February 1917.
The position at the top of the "great eastern ally" was also watched with growing alarm in the western capitals of the Entente states. By this time, the ruling circles of these countries already had reason to believe that World War won by them - an analysis of the objective balance of forces showed that Germany could not hold out for more than two years. However, the future of the vast Eastern Front, which fettered a significant part of the German forces, caused them obvious anxiety. Russia's ability to continue the war was under serious question, and above all, in the opinion of allied intelligence and diplomacy, through the fault of its own supreme power. Hence the desire to prevent a course of events undesirable for the West, to carry out with the help of Russian friends a kind of "surgical operation" - a change in the bearers of power and the former form of government, so that the new, "free Russia" would become a more reliable ally in the war and a less demanding winner at the post-war table. negotiations. The instrument for the implementation of these far-reaching plans was the numerous allied missions, which by that time had extremely extensive connections in the Russian top.
For both domestic and foreign "friends of freedom" it could only be about changing the political regime with the help of an apex coup, but not about a revolution. The memory of 1905 was too vivid for anyone to want a repetition of those terrible days for "law-conscious citizens". However, as is almost always the case in history, reality very quickly overturned all calculations, and a few months later the times of the first Russian revolution could seem like some kind of idyllic scene. Genuine mechanism February events in many of its details is unclear to this day. The study of them in their entirety is the business of modern and future historians, while their external course has long been known in textbooks. On February 23, 1917, the first demonstrations began on the streets of Petrograd, caused by the past wave of mass layoffs and the beginning of interruptions in the supply of bread. The military authorities of the capital were not able to immediately seize the situation, and three days later it became impossible: the troops refused to obey and fraternized with the demonstrators. The second Russian revolution has become a reality...
Causes of the February Revolution
There is a growing discontent of the masses both in the rear and at the front. This is due to several reasons:
1. The financial situation of the people is deteriorating: the government sets low purchase prices for agricultural products, which leads to its concealment by the peasants and food shortages. As a result, food prices on the "black market" are rising sharply, and, as a result, the prices of all consumer goods. Inflation has begun. The ranks of the dissatisfied were replenished by the bourgeoisie, the intelligentsia, and the peasants;
2. Dissatisfaction in the army is growing: this is caused by the mediocrity of the top military leadership and the defeat on the fronts, the forced transition to a positional war, which requires a good supply of the army with weapons and food, which was impossible due to the general disorganization of the rear.
3. There is a rapid revolutionization of the army: the death of regular officers and the replenishment of the officers of the army with intellectuals who were critical of the government.
There is a "crisis of the top" (the impossibility of the government to govern the country by the old methods and the exit of the processes taking place in the country out of its control). This is due to the growth of corruption, the arbitrariness of officials. A "Progressive Bloc" is being created in the Duma, which is looking for a way out of the current situation through a compromise with the monarchy, which led to the creation of a "government of trust", and the conspiracy and murder of the most odious person in the royal environment - G.E. Rasputin.
Events in Russia from 23 to 27 February 1917.
Summing up all of the above, we can conclude that by February 1917, 3 crises were urgently ripe: economic, political and national. Not surprisingly, this situation led to a revolution. But nothing can happen on its own. The impetus for the February revolution was the transport crisis, which was reflected in the insufficient provision of Petrograd with bread. Thus, a temporary food crisis arose in the capital of Russia, which resulted first in a workers' strike, and then in a coup d'état.
In support of all of the above, we still have to cite some figures. For example, the January import of essential products to Petrograd amounted to 50%, and for butter, livestock and eggs 25% of the norms established by the special meeting on food. In the period from February 5 to February 13, the capital received 5,000 poods of flour instead of the required 60. Only 35,000 poods began to be issued to the bakery, with a norm of 90. On February 19, 1917, there were interruptions in the sale of bread.
Character of the February Revolution.
After the revolution of 1905-1907. The most important tasks continued to be the democratization of the country - the overthrow of the autocracy, the introduction of democratic freedoms, the solution of agrarian, labor, national issues. These were the tasks of the bourgeois-democratic transformation of the country, therefore the February Revolution, like the revolution of 1905-1907. was bourgeois-democratic.
By the end of 1916, the country found itself in a state of deep socio-economic and political crisis. Nicholas II was aware of the danger threatening the autocracy. But he was a deeply religious person, he believed in God's Providence.
The victory of the February bourgeois-democratic revolution (February 23 - March 3, 1917).
The following events served as a pretext for the February Revolution. In Petrograd in the second half of February, due to transport difficulties, the supply of bread worsened. The queues in the stores for bread continuously grew. The lack of bread, speculation, rising prices caused discontent among the workers. On February 18, the workers of one of the workshops of the Putilov factory demanded an increase in wages. The management refused, fired the workers who went on strike, and announced the closure of some shops for an indefinite period. But the dismissed were supported by the workers of other enterprises.
On February 23 (March 8, according to a new style), rallies and meetings dedicated to International Women's Day were held at the enterprises of Petrograd. Workers' demonstrations began spontaneously under the slogan "Bread!". In the evening, the slogans "Down with the war!", "Down with the autocracy!" appeared. It was already a political demonstration, and it marked the beginning of the revolution.
On February 24, demonstrations, rallies, strikes took more greater character. On February 25, other sections of the urban population began to join the workers. The strike in Petrograd became general. Nicholas II at that time was at Headquarters in Mogilev. Having learned about what was happening in the capital, he demanded from the commander of the Petrograd Military District, General S.S. Khabalov immediately restore order in the capital. On Sunday, February 26, in a number of districts, police and troops began shooting at demonstrators. Upon learning of the participation of soldiers in the execution of workers, a riot broke out among the reserve teams of the Volyn, Lithuanian, and Pavlovsky regiments. On February 27, the soldiers of the Petrograd garrison began to cross over to the side of the workers. The workers, united with the soldiers, seized the arsenal, railway stations, stormed the political prison "Crosses", freeing the prisoners. All attempts by General S.S. Khabalov to restore order in the capital did not lead to anything.
Then Nicholas II ordered the Georgievsky battalion from Mogilev and several regiments from the Northern, Western and Southwestern fronts to be sent to Petrograd. At the head of this detachment, the tsar put the former commander of the Southwestern and Western Front, General N.I., who was in reserve. Ivanova. But the detachment of N.I. Ivanov was detained near Gatchina by revolutionary railway workers and could not get through to Petrograd. On February 28, General S.S. Khabalov realized that he had completely lost control over the situation in the capital. He ordered the last defenders of the old system to disperse. The troops simply dispersed, leaving their weapons behind. Government ministers fled, then they were arrested one by one. Nicholas II dissolved the IV State Duma. But by the will of circumstances, the Duma found itself in the very center of events.
results of the revolution.
The second bourgeois-democratic revolution in the history of Russia ended with the fall of the institution of the monarchy and the coming to the leadership of the country of new political forces. It solved the problems of overthrowing the autocracy, opened the way for the development of capitalism in agriculture and industry, the introduction of a constitutional system, and the abolition of national oppression. Political rights and freedom were proclaimed in the country; universal and equal suffrage; estate, national and religious restrictions, the death penalty, courts-martial were abolished, and a political amnesty was declared. Thousands of political, public, cultural societies and associations, trade unions, factory committees, etc. were created on a legal basis.
Conclusion.
So, February 1917 drew a line under the history of the Romanov monarchy, it briefly survived its 300th anniversary. Based on the sources I studied, describing the events in Russia in 1915-1917, one main conclusion can be drawn: due to the inept actions of the tsarist government and Nicholas II in particular, due to its inability to competently manage the state, the February bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1917 became a necessary measure. The dissatisfaction with the tsarist regime of many influential political forces and social groups was too great. The February revolution took place in a different environment than the revolution of 1905-1907. Russia's participation in the exhausting World War I sharply exacerbated all socio-economic and political contradictions. The needs and calamities of the masses, generated by the economic ruin, caused acute social tension in the country, the growth of anti-war sentiment and extreme dissatisfaction with the policy of tsarism, not only among the left and opposition forces, but also among a significant part of the right. The authority of autocratic power and its bearer, the emperor, fell sharply. The war, unprecedented in its scale, seriously shook the moral foundations of society, introduced an unprecedented bitterness into the consciousness and behavior of the masses. The millions of front-line soldiers, who saw death every day, easily succumbed to revolutionary propaganda and were ready to take the most extreme measures. They longed for peace, a return to the earth, and the slogan "Down with the war!" was especially popular at the time. The end of the war was inevitably associated with the liquidation of the political regime. The monarchy was losing its support in the army. The February Revolution was a combination of spontaneous and conscious forces of the revolutionary process, it was carried out mainly by the forces of workers and soldiers.
However, the Provisional Government, which replaced the autocracy, was also unable to solve the most difficult tasks facing society at that time. The Provisional Government had to act in difficult conditions. The First World War continued, society was tired of the war, of the difficult socio-economic situation, and expected the Provisional Government to quickly solve all problems - the end of the war, the improvement of its economic situation, the distribution of land, etc. The bourgeoisie was in power. In my opinion, one of the reasons for her dramatic situation was that she was weak in the political sense, i.e. did not learn how to use power in the interests of the whole society, did not possess the art of socialdemagogy, could not promise a solution to those issues that in those historical conditions were unrealizable.
etc.................
Pavel Milyukov
leader of the cadet party
Alexander Protopopov, who at that time held the post of Minister of Internal Affairs, as it is clear from the memoirs of his contemporaries, and from the transcripts of his interrogations in the commission of inquiry, was a man mental capacity clearly inadequate for such a position. And according to some reports, he did suffer from a psychiatric illness.
Georges Maurice Paleologus quoted Foreign Minister Nikolai Pokrovsky in his diary: “I would attach only secondary importance to these riots if my dear colleague had even a glimmer of reason. But what to expect from a man who has lost all sense for many weeks now reality and who confers nightly with the shadow of Rasputin? That night he again spent two hours summoning the ghost of the old man.
A mediocre, if not insane minister, Protopopov made considerable efforts to provoke a procession of workers to the Duma on February 14 (27) and shoot this procession with machine guns. However, the leader of the Kadet Party, Pavel Milyukov, addressed an open letter to the workers in the press, in which he urged them not to fall for Protopopov's provocations, and the procession did not take place. But this was only a delay of the explosion.
Literally a day before the storm broke out, on February 22 (March 7), Emperor Nicholas II left Tsarskoye Selo for Headquarters in Mogilev, as Milyukov wrote, "keeping between himself and the capital only a telegraph and even less reliable railway connection."
The Petrograd garrison of more than 150,000 at that time consisted mostly of reservists and conscripts of the second wave, mostly peasants.
Finally, these days it has sharply warmed by almost 20 degrees, as if nature itself was pushing people to take to the streets.
The conditions for a "perfect storm" have developed in the city.
On February 23 (March 8), International Women's Day, thousands of workers took to the streets of Petrograd. They shouted "Bread!" and "Down with hunger!". About 90,000 workers from fifty enterprises took part in the strike that day. Without fuel, factories stopped one after another. The next day, there were almost 200 thousand workers on strike, and a day later, according to various sources, from 240 to 300 thousand, that is, up to 80% of the total number of workers in the city. Classes at the university also stopped, and students joined the protesters.
Residents of working-class districts, in particular the Vyborg side, were drawn to the city center. At rallies, for example, on Znamenskaya Square (now called Vosstaniya Square), red flags were raised and political slogans were shouted out: "Down with the autocracy!" and "Down with the war!", and also sang revolutionary songs.
The Petrograd authorities tried to avoid the use of force, as they saw that the soldiers and Cossacks were not in the mood to disperse the crowds of protesters. "I strongly did not want to resort to shooting," General Khabalov recalled during interrogation at the commission of inquiry.
From February 23, 2017, our "regular talkers" on all TV channels and numerous media outlets will tell us about the "achievements and delights" of the second bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia.The February Revolution of 1917 in Russia is still called the Bourgeois-Democratic Revolution.
It is the second revolution in a row (the first took place in 1905, the third in October 1917). The February Revolution began a great turmoil in Russia, during which not only the Romanov dynasty fell and the Empire ceased to be a monarchy, but also the entire bourgeois-capitalist system, as a result of which Russia completely the elite has changed. February was a popular revolution.
February Revolution February 23 - March 3, 1917 (old style)
Causes of the February Revolution
The unfortunate participation of Russia in the First World War, accompanied by defeats on the fronts, the disorganization of life in the rear
The inability of Emperor Nicholas II to rule Russia, which was expressed in the unsuccessful appointments of ministers and military leaders
Corruption at all levels of government
Economic difficulties
Ideological decomposition of the masses, who ceased to believe in the king, and the church, and local leaders
Dissatisfaction with the policy of the tsar by representatives of the big bourgeoisie and even his closest relatives
“... For several days now we have been living on a volcano ... There was no bread in Petrograd, - the transport was very disordered due to unusual snows, frosts and, most importantly, of course, because of the tension of the war ... There were street riots ... But it was, of course, not in bread… That was the last straw… The fact was that in this whole huge city it was impossible to find several hundred people who would sympathize with the authorities… And not even that… The fact is that the authorities did not sympathize with themselves… There was no , in fact, not a single minister who would believe in himself and in what he is doing ... The class of former rulers came to naught .. "
(Vas. Shulgin "Days")
The course of the February Revolution
February 21 - Bread riots in Petrograd. Crowds smashed bakery shops
February 23 - the beginning of the general strike of the workers of Petrograd. Mass demonstrations with the slogans "Down with the war!", "Down with the autocracy!", "Bread!"
February 24 - More than 200 thousand workers of 214 enterprises went on strike, students
February 25 - Already 305 thousand people were on strike, 421 factories were standing. Employees and artisans joined the workers. The troops refused to disperse the protesters
February 26 - Continued riots. Decomposition in the troops. The inability of the police to restore calm. Nicholas II
postponed the start of meetings of the State Duma from February 26 to April 1, which was perceived as its dissolution
February 27 - armed uprising. The reserve battalions of Volynsky, Lithuanian, Preobrazhensky refused to obey the commanders and joined the people. In the afternoon, the Semyonovsky regiment, the Izmailovsky regiment, and the reserve armored division revolted. The Kronverk Arsenal, the Arsenal, the Main Post Office, the telegraph office, railway stations, and bridges were occupied. The State Duma appointed a Provisional Committee "to restore order in St. Petersburg and to communicate with institutions and individuals."
On February 28, at night, the Provisional Committee announced that it was taking power into its own hands.
On February 28, the 180th Infantry Regiment, the Finnish Regiment, sailors of the 2nd Baltic Naval Crew and the cruiser Aurora revolted. The insurgent people occupied all the stations of Petrograd
March 1 - Kronstadt and Moscow revolted, the tsar's close associates offered him either the introduction of loyal army units into Petrograd, or the creation of the so-called "responsible ministries" - a government subordinate to the Duma, which meant turning the Emperor into an "English queen".
March 2, night - Nicholas II signed a manifesto on the granting of a responsible ministry, but it was too late. The public demanded renunciation.
"The Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief," General Alekseev, requested by telegram all the commanders-in-chief of the fronts. These telegrams asked the commanders-in-chief for their opinion on the desirability under the given circumstances of the abdication of the emperor from the throne in favor of his son. By one in the afternoon on March 2, all the answers of the commanders-in-chief were received and concentrated in the hands of General Ruzsky. These answers were:
1) From Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich - Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Front.
2) From General Sakharov - the actual commander-in-chief of the Romanian front (the actual commander-in-chief was the king of Romania, and Sakharov was his chief of staff).
3) From General Brusilov - Commander-in-Chief of the Southwestern Front.
4) From General Evert - Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front.
5) From Ruzsky himself - the commander-in-chief of the Northern Front. All five commanders-in-chief of the fronts and General Alekseev (gen. Alekseev was the chief of staff under the Sovereign) spoke in favor of the abdication of the Sovereign Emperor from the throne. (Vas. Shulgin "Days")
On March 2, at about 3 p.m., Tsar Nicholas II decided to abdicate in favor of his heir, Tsarevich Alexei, under the regency of the younger brother of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. During the day, the king decided to abdicate also for the heir.
March 4 - The Manifesto on the abdication of Nicholas II and the Manifesto on the abdication of Mikhail Alexandrovich were published in the newspapers.
“The man rushed to us - Darlings! - He shouted and grabbed my hand - Did you hear? There is no king! Only Russia remained.
He kissed everyone warmly and rushed to run on, sobbing and muttering something ... It was already one in the morning when Efremov usually slept soundly.
Suddenly, at this inopportune hour, there was a booming and short strike of the cathedral bell. Then the second blow, the third.
The blows became more frequent, a tight ringing was already floating over the town, and soon the bells of all the surrounding churches joined it.
Lights were lit in all the houses. The streets were filled with people. Doors in many houses stood wide open. Strangers, crying, hugged each other. From the side of the station, a solemn and jubilant cry of steam locomotives flew (K. Paustovsky "Restless Youth")
Results of the February Revolution of 1917
The death penalty has been abolished
Granted political freedoms
Abolished "Pale of Settlement"
Beginning of the trade union movement
Amnesty for political prisoners
Russia has become the most democratic country in the world
The economic crisis has not been stopped
Participation in the war continued
Permanent government crisis
The collapse of the empire along national lines began
The peasant question remained unresolved
Russia demanded a decisive government and it came in the form of the Bolsheviks.
