February Revolution V summary will help you gather your thoughts before the exam and remember what you remember from this topic and what you don’t. This historical event became a milestone in the history of Russia. It opened the door to further revolutionary upheavals, which will not end soon. Without assimilation of this topic, it is pointless to try to understand further events.

It is worth saying that the events of February 1917 are of great importance for modern Russia. This year, 2017, marks the centenary of those events. I think that the country is facing the same problems as tsarist Russia then: the monstrously low standard of living of the population, the disregard of the authorities for their people, who feed these authorities; the lack of will and desire at the top to change something in a positive direction. But then there were no TVs ... 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 faced by the state during the First World War:

• Transport crisis: due to the extremely short distance railways there was a lack of transport.
• Food crisis: the country had extremely low yields, plus the lack of peasant land and the inefficiency of noble estates led to a disastrous food situation. The country was aggravated by famine.
• Arms crisis: for more than three years, the army has experienced a severe shortage of ammunition. Only by the end of 1916 did Russian industry begin to work on the scale necessary for the country.
• The unresolved worker and peasant question in Russia. The share of the proletariat and the skilled working class has grown many times over in comparison with the first years of the reign of Nicholas II. The issue of child labor and labor insurance was not resolved. The salary was extremely low. If we talk about the peasants, then land shortages persisted. plus in war time extortions from the population increased monstrously, all horses and people were mobilized. The people did not understand what to fight for and did not share the patriotism experienced by the leaders in the first years of the war.
• The crisis of the tops: in 1916 alone, several high-ranking ministers were replaced, which gave rise to the prominent rightist V.M. Purishkevich to call this phenomenon "ministerial leapfrog". This expression has become catchy.

The distrust of the common people, and even members of the State Duma, grew even more because of the presence at the court of Grigory Rasputin. ABOUT royal family shameful rumours. Only on December 30, 1916, Rasputin was killed.

The authorities tried to solve all these crises, but to no avail. The Special Conferences that were convened were not successful. Since 1915, Nicholas II took command of the troops, despite the fact that he himself was in the rank of colonel.

In addition, since at least January 1917, a conspiracy against the tsar had been brewing among the top generals of the army (General M.V. Alekseev, V.I. Gurko, etc.) and the Fourth State Duma (Cadet A.I. Guchkov, etc.). ). The king himself knew and suspected of the impending coup. And even ordered in mid-February 1917 to reinforce the Petrograd garrison at the expense of loyal units from the front. He had to give this order three times, since General Gurko was in no hurry to carry it out. As a result, this order was never carried out. Thus, this example already shows the sabotage of the orders of the emperor by the top generals.

Course of events

The course of events of the February Revolution was characterized by the following points:

• The beginning of spontaneous unrest of the people in Petrograd and a number of other cities, presumably due to an acute shortage of food on International Women's Day (old style - February 23).
• Going over to the side of the rebel army. It consisted of the same workers and peasants who were acutely aware of the need for change.
• The slogans "Down with the tsar", "Down with the autocracy" immediately arose, which predetermined the fall of the monarchy.
• Parallel authorities began to emerge: Soviets 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 was recognized by England and France. On March 2, representatives of the committee went to the tsar, who abdicated in favor of his brother Mikhail Alexandrovich, and on March 3, he abdicated in favor of the Provisional Government.

The 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 has begun. But in reality there was no dual power. There are a lot of nuances that I revealed in my video course “History. Preparation for the exam for 100 points.
• Many see this revolution as the first step .

Sincerely, Andrey Puchkov

The main reasons for the revolution were:

1) the existence in the country of the remnants of the feudal serf system in the form of autocracy and landlordism;

2) an acute economic crisis that hit the leading industries and led to the decline Agriculture countries;

3) the difficult financial situation of the country (the depreciation of the ruble to 50 kopecks; the increase in public debt by 4 times);

4) the rapid growth of the strike movement and the rise of peasant unrest. In 1917 there were 20 times more strikes in Russia than on the eve of the first Russian revolution;

5) the army and navy ceased to be the military backbone of the autocracy; the growth of anti-war sentiment among soldiers and sailors;

6) the growth of opposition sentiments among the bourgeoisie and intelligentsia, dissatisfied with the dominance of tsarist officials and the arbitrariness of the police;

7) rapid change of government members; the appearance in the entourage of Nicholas I of personalities such as G. Rasputin, the fall of the authority of the tsarist government; 8) the rise of the national liberation movement of the peoples of the national outskirts.

On February 23 (March 8, NS) demonstrations took place in Petrograd on the International Day of Women Workers. The next day, a general strike swept the capital. On February 25, the events were reported to the headquarters of the emperor. He ordered to "stop the riots." The Duma, by decree of Nicholas II, was dissolved for two months. On the night of February 26, mass arrests of the leaders of the revolutionary uprisings took place. On February 26, troops opened fire on demonstrators, killing and injuring more than 150 people. But after this, the troops, including the Cossacks, began to go over to the side of the rebels. On February 27, Petrograd was engulfed in revolution. The next day, the city passed into the hands of the rebels. The Duma deputies created a Provisional Committee for the Restoration of Order in Petrograd (Chairman M.V. Rodzianko), which tried to take the situation under control. In parallel, elections were held for the Petrograd Soviet, its executive committee was formed, headed by the Menshevik N.S. Chkheidze.

On the night of March 1-2, by agreement of the Provisional Committee and the Petrograd Soviet, the Provisional Government was formed (chairman G.E. Lvov).

On March 2, Nicholas II abdicated in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. He refused the crown and transferred power to the Provisional Government, instructing him to hold elections to the Constituent Assembly, which would determine the future structure of Russia.

Several political groups have formed in the country, proclaiming themselves the government of Russia:

1) The Provisional Committee of the members of the State Duma formed the Provisional Government, whose main task was to win the confidence of the population. The Provisional Government declared itself the legislative and executive power, in which the following disputes immediately arose:

About what the future Russia should be: parliamentary or presidential;

On the ways of solving the national question, questions about land, etc.;

On the electoral law;

On elections to the Constituent Assembly.

At the same time, the time for solving current, fundamental problems was inevitably lost.

2) Organizations of persons who have declared themselves authorities. The largest of these was the Petrograd Soviet, which consisted of moderate-left politicians and invited the workers and soldiers to delegate their representatives to the Soviet.

The Council declared itself the guarantor against a return to the past, against the restoration of the monarchy and the suppression of political freedoms.

The Council also supported the steps taken by the Provisional Government to strengthen democracy in Russia.

3) In addition to the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet, other bodies of de facto power were formed on the ground: factory committees, district councils, national associations, new authorities in the "national outskirts", for example, in Kiev - the Ukrainian Rada.

The current political situation began to bear the name of "dual power", although in practice it was a multi-power, developing into an anarchic anarchy. Monarchist and Black Hundred organizations in Russia were banned and dissolved. In the new Russia, two political forces remained: the liberal-bourgeois and the left-wing socialist, but in which there were disagreements.

In addition, there was a powerful pressure from the bottom:

Hoping for a socio-economic improvement in life, the workers demanded an immediate increase wages, the introduction of an eight-hour working day, guarantees against unemployment and social security.

The peasants advocated the redistribution of neglected lands,

The soldiers insisted on softening the discipline.

The disagreements of the “dual power”, its constant reform, the continuation of the war, etc., led to new revolution- The October Revolution of 1917.

CONCLUSION.

So, the result of the February Revolution of 1917 was the overthrow of the autocracy, the abdication of the tsar from the throne, the emergence of dual power in the country: the dictatorship of the big bourgeoisie in the person of the Provisional Government and the Council of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies, representing the revolutionary democratic dictatorship of the proletariat and peasantry.

The victory of the February Revolution was a victory for all active sections of the population over the medieval autocracy, a breakthrough that brought Russia on a par with the advanced countries in terms of proclaiming democratic and political freedoms.

The February Revolution of 1917 was the first victorious revolution in Russia and turned Russia, thanks to the overthrow of tsarism, into one of the most democratic countries. Arising in March 1917. the dual power was a reflection of the fact that the era of imperialism and the world war unusually accelerated the course of the country's historical development, the transition to more radical transformations. The international significance of the February bourgeois-democratic revolution is also extremely great. Under its influence, the strike movement of the proletariat intensified in many belligerent countries.

The main event of this revolution for Russia itself was the need to carry out long overdue reforms on the basis of compromises and coalitions, the rejection of violence in politics.

The first steps towards this were taken in February 1917. But only the first...

Since the revolution of 1905-1907. did not solve the economic, political and class contradictions in the country, then it was the prerequisite for the February Revolution of 1917. The participation of tsarist Russia in the First World War showed the inability of its economy to carry out military tasks. Many factories stopped their work, the army felt the lack of equipment, weapons, food. The transport system of the country is absolutely not adapted to the military situation, agriculture has lost ground. Economic difficulties have increased Russia's foreign debt to enormous proportions.

Intending to extract the maximum benefits from the war, the Russian bourgeoisie began to create unions and committees on questions of raw materials, fuel, food, and so on.

True to the principle of proletarian internationalism, the Bolshevik Party revealed the imperialist nature of the war, which was waged in the interests of the exploiting classes, its predatory, predatory nature. The party sought to direct the discontent of the masses into the channel of a revolutionary struggle for the collapse of the autocracy.

In August 1915, the "Progressive Bloc" was formed, which planned to force Nicholas II to abdicate in favor of his brother Mikhail. Thus, the opposition bourgeoisie hoped to prevent the revolution and at the same time preserve the monarchy. But such a scheme did not ensure bourgeois-democratic transformations in the country.

The reasons for the February Revolution of 1917 were anti-war sentiments, the plight of the workers and peasants, political lack of rights, the decline in the authority of the autocratic government and its inability to carry out reforms.

The driving force in the struggle was the working class, led by the revolutionary Bolshevik Party. The allies of the workers were the peasants, who demanded the redistribution of land. The Bolsheviks explained to the soldiers the goals and objectives of the struggle.

The main events of the February Revolution took place rapidly. For several days in Petrograd, Moscow and other cities there was a wave of strikes with the slogans "Down with the tsarist government!", "Down with the war!". On February 25, the political strike became general. Executions, arrests were not able to stop the revolutionary onslaught of the masses. Government troops were put on alert, the city of Petrograd was turned into a military camp.

February 26, 1917 was the beginning of the February Revolution. On February 27, the soldiers of the Pavlovsky, Preobrazhensky and Volynsky regiments went over to the side of the workers. This decided the outcome of the struggle: on February 28, the government was overthrown.

The outstanding significance of the February Revolution is that it was the first people's revolution in history of the era of imperialism, which ended in victory.

During the February Revolution of 1917, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated.

Dual power arose in Russia, which was a kind of result of the February Revolution of 1917. On the one hand, the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies as an organ of people's power, on the other hand, the Provisional Government is an organ of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, headed by Prince G.E. Lvov. In organizational matters, the bourgeoisie was more prepared for power, but was unable to establish autocracy.

The provisional government pursued an anti-people, imperialist policy: the land issue was not resolved, factories remained in the hands of the bourgeoisie, agriculture and industry were in dire need, and there was not enough fuel for rail transport. The dictatorship of the bourgeoisie only deepened the economic and political problems.

Russia after the February Revolution experienced an acute political crisis. Therefore, the need was ripe for the development of the bourgeois-democratic revolution into a socialist one, which was supposed to bring the proletariat to power.

One of the consequences of the February Revolution is the October Revolution under the slogan "All power to the Soviets!".

February to October

The February Revolution ended with the victory of the rebels. The monarchy was overthrown, the old state system was destroyed. Power passed to the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.

Now, questions about the future structure of the state have been added to the problems of the war and the well-being of the working and peasant class.

The period from February to October is usually divided into two stages:

The promises of the Provisional Government made on March 3 (political freedom, amnesty, abolition of the death penalty, prohibition of discrimination) were not fulfilled. The government, on the contrary, preferred to maintain and strengthen its power on the ground. Solutions to urgent problems were delayed. This led to a crisis in April 1917.

P.N. Milyukov made an appeal to the allies that Russia intended to wage the war to a victorious end. This "note" aroused dissatisfaction among the people, exhausted by the war, who were waiting and wanting action on the part of the authorities to solve internal problems. The rebels demanded the withdrawal of the country from the war and the transfer of power to the Soviets. As a result, Milyukov and Guchkov were removed, and on May 6 a new government was created.

The 1st coalition promised to quickly find a peaceful way out of the war for Russia, to deal with the agrarian issue and take production under its control. But the failure at the front caused a new surge of popular unrest, lowered the reputation of the 1st coalition and again raised the authority of the Soviets. In order to reduce the influence of the opposition, the Provisional Government disarmed the demonstrators and returned brutal discipline to the army. From that moment on, the Soviets were removed from power, the government of the country was completely in the hands of the Provisional Government.

On July 24, the 2nd coalition was created, headed by General Kornilov. After an unsuccessful attempt to find a common language between the political forces at the State Conference, Kornilov began an attempt to establish a military dictatorship. The general's troops were stopped, and the balance of power changed again: the size of the Bolshevik party grew rapidly, and their plans became more and more radical.

To pacify the revolutionary moods, they formed the 3rd coalition, proclaimed Russia a republic (September 1), convened the All-Russian Democratic Conference (September 14). But all these actions were not effective, and the authority of the government more and more converged to "no". The Bolsheviks began to prepare for the seizure of power.

On October 24, the main places in the city were occupied (telegraph, railway stations, bridges, etc.). By evening, the government was occupied in the Winter Palace, and the next day the ministers were arrested.

On October 25, the II Congress of Soviets was opened, at which they adopted the Decree on Peace (conclusion of peace on any terms) and the Decree on Land (recognition of land and its subsoil as the property of the people, prohibition of its lease and the use of hired labor)

October Revolution of 1917 in Russia

Causes October revolution 1917:

war weariness;

industry and agriculture of the country were on the verge of complete collapse;

catastrophic financial crisis;

the unresolved agrarian question and the impoverishment of the peasants;

delaying socio-economic reforms;

the contradictions of the dual power became a prerequisite for a change of power.

On July 3, 1917, unrest broke out in Petrograd demanding the overthrow of the Provisional Government. Counter-revolutionary units, by government decree, used weapons to suppress the peaceful demonstration. Arrests began, the death penalty was restored.

The dual power ended with the victory of the bourgeoisie. The events of July 3-5 showed that the bourgeois Provisional Government did not intend to fulfill the demands of the working people, and it became clear to the Bolsheviks that it was no longer possible to seize power by peaceful means.

At the VI Congress of the RSDLP (b), which took place from July 26 to August 3, 1917, the party took a guide to the socialist revolution through an armed uprising.

At the August State Conference in Moscow, the bourgeoisie intended to announce L.G. Kornilov as a military dictator and time the dispersal of the Soviets to coincide with this event. But the active revolutionary uprising frustrated the plans of the bourgeoisie. Then Kornilov on August 23 moved troops to Petrograd.

The Bolsheviks, carrying out great agitation work among the working masses and soldiers, explained the meaning of the conspiracy and created revolutionary centers for the struggle against Kornilovism. The rebellion was suppressed, and the people finally realized that the Bolshevik Party is the only party that defends the interests of the working people.

In mid-September, V.I. Lenin worked out a plan for an armed uprising and ways to carry it out. The main goal of the October Revolution was the conquest of power by the Soviets.

On October 12, the Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) was created - a center for preparing an armed uprising. Zinoviev and Kamenev, opponents of the socialist revolution, gave the terms of the uprising to the Provisional Government.

The uprising began on the night of October 24, the day the II Congress of Soviets opened. The government immediately succeeded in isolating it from the armed units loyal to it.

October 25 V.I. Lenin arrived at Smolny and personally led the uprising in Petrograd. During the October Revolution, the most important objects such as bridges, telegraph, government offices were seized.

On the morning of October 25, 1917, the Military Revolutionary Committee announced the overthrow of the Provisional Government and the transfer of power to the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. On October 26, the Winter Palace was captured and members of the Provisional Government were arrested.

The October Revolution in Russia took place with the full support of the masses of the people. The alliance between the working class and the peasantry, the defection of the armed army to the side of the revolution, and the weakness of the bourgeoisie determined the results of the October Revolution of 1917.

On October 25 and 26, 1917, the II All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held, at which the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) was elected and the first Soviet government, the Council of People's Commissars (SNK), was formed. V.I. was elected Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. Lenin. He put forward two Decrees: the "Decree on Peace", which called on the warring countries to stop hostilities, and the "Decree on Land", expressing the interests of the peasants.

The adopted Decrees contributed to the victory of Soviet power in the regions of the country.

On November 3, 1917, with the capture of the Kremlin, Soviet power also won in Moscow. Further, Soviet power was proclaimed in Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, in the Crimea, in the North Caucasus, in Central Asia. The revolutionary struggle in Transcaucasia dragged on to the end civil war(1920-1921), which was a consequence of the October Revolution of 1917.

The Great October Socialist Revolution divided the world into two camps - capitalist and socialist.

"The main question of any revolution is the question of power. The February Revolution resolved this main question in an unusually bizarre and contradictory way." In Russia, it was caused by the same reasons, had the same character, solved the same tasks and had the same balance of opposing forces as the first, people's revolution of 1905-1907. After the first revolution, the tasks of overthrowing the autocracy, introducing democratic freedoms, and resolving such important issues as agrarian, labor, and national problems continued to remain unresolved. These were the tasks of the bourgeois-democratic transformation of the country. Therefore, the February Revolution of 1917, like the revolution of 1905-1907, had a bourgeois-democratic character.

However, it took place in a different historical setting. On its eve, there was a sharp aggravation of social and political contradictions, aggravated by a long and exhausting world war. The economic devastation caused by the war and, as a result, the aggravation of the needs and calamities of the masses caused acute social tension in the country, the growth of anti-war sentiments and general dissatisfaction with the policy of the autocracy. By the end of 1916, the country was in a state of deep social and political crisis.

Although these prerequisites for the revolution had been taking shape for a long time, it was not organized, but broke out spontaneously and even unexpectedly for all parties and the government itself. This must be taken into account, since in the Soviet period, historians, in particular Dr. historical sciences P.A. Golub, adhered to the point of view that "the revolution of 1905-1907 turned out to be a" dress rehearsal "of the February-October events. The Russian revolution gave what it differs sharply from the revolutions in Western Europe. It produced a revolutionary mass prepared in 1905 for independent action. October revolution. S. 16..

From the modern point of view, the immediate cause was the following events that took place in the second half of February 1917 in Petrograd. In those days, the food supply of the capital deteriorated sharply. There was enough bread in the country, but due to the devastation of transport, it could not be delivered to the cities in a timely manner. There were long queues at the bakeries, which caused growing discontent among the population. In this situation, any act of the authorities or owners of industrial enterprises that irritates the population could serve as a detonator for a social explosion.

On February 18, the workers of the Putilov factory went on strike and demanded an increase in wages. In response, the management fired the strikers and announced the closure of a number of shops for an indefinite period. The victims were supported by workers and other enterprises of the city.

The outcome of any revolution depends on which side the army ends up on. The defeat of the revolution of 1905 - 1907 was largely due to the fact that, despite a series of uprisings in the army and navy, in general, the army remained loyal to the government. In February 1917, a garrison of about 180,000 soldiers was stationed in Petrograd. It mainly consisted of spare parts that were being prepared for shipment to the front. There were many recruits from the cadre workers, mobilized for participation in strikes, many recovered from the wounds of front-line soldiers. The execution of demonstrators on February 26 caused strong indignation among the soldiers of the garrison. This decisively contributed to their going over to the side of the revolution. The transition of the Petrograd garrison to the side of the revolution ensured the victory of the workers of Petrograd on February 27. Tsarist ministers were arrested, and political prisoners were released from prisons.

"Like the revolution of 1905, the February revolution of 1917 caused a real liberation of the word. Workers, soldiers, peasants, Jewish intellectuals, Muslim women, Armenian teachers through their organizations - factory and soldier committees, village and volost gatherings - sent to the soviets, less often to the parties , in newspapers and even personally to A.F. Kerensky, who was perceived as the closest to the "democratic" camp, thousands of resolutions, petitions, appeals and messages - real "notebooks of complaints of the Russian revolution". Werth N. History of the Soviet state. 1900 -1991 M., 1992. - S. 85. These documents reflected the poverty of the people and the great hope generated by the revolution, punished the new government to take urgent radical measures.

The workers basically asked for the immediate implementation of the measures envisaged by the social democratic program - at least:

Introduction of an 8-hour working day;

Job security;

Social insurance;

The right to form factory committees;

Control over the hiring and firing of workers;

Facilitation of their financial situation - salary increase (by 25 - 30%).

The main demands of the peasants were: Werth N. Ibid S. 86.

Transfer of land to those who cultivate it;

Immediate distribution of neglected, uncultivated lands belonging to large owners or the state;

Shared use of inventory by the rural community;

Forest exploitation;

Fair distribution of land.

As for the soldiers, they most wanted the end of the war. They began to openly express anti-war sentiments. The soldiers, as it was formulated in Order No. 1, demanded: Vert N. Ibid. S. 87.

mitigation of discipline;

stop abuse and abuse;

liberalization and democratization of military institutions.

On February 27, 1917, the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' Deputies was formed with 250 members who elected an Executive Committee headed by the Menshevik N.S. Chkheidze. His deputies were the Menshevik M.I. Skobelev and Trudovik A.F. Kerensky. The majority in the executive committee and in the Soviet itself belonged to the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries, at that time the most numerous and influential left parties among the masses.

The Petrograd Soviet began to act as an organ of revolutionary power, adopting a number of important decisions. So, "his first decision was to seize the financial resources of the tsarist government and establish control over them. On March 1, the Council created the famous "Order No. all weapons were at the disposal and under the control of the committees, but most importantly, they removed the Petrograd garrison from subordination to the old command. Moryakov V.I. and others. History of Russia: A manual for high school students and entrants. - M.: Publishing House of Moscow. un-ta, GIS Publishing House, 1996. - P.297.

Simultaneously with the formation of the Petrograd Soviet, the leaders of the bourgeois parties in the State Duma created on February 27 a "Provisional Committee for the Restoration of Order and for Relations with Persons and Institutions" chaired by M.V. Rodzianko.

From the very first days of the revolution, the Bolsheviks and anarchists predicted the collapse of the conciliatory policy pursued by the Petrograd Soviet. By refusing to recognize the agreement concluded between the government and the Soviet, they represented the only opposition to the policy of dual power. Two major Bolshevik leaders, I. Stalin and L. Kamenev, considered, upon their return to Petrograd, the systematic opposition to the Soviet, which at that time enjoyed the confidence of the masses, "futile and untimely." The February days have so far shown the weakness of the Party, including the army. It had first to organize, to win a majority in the Soviets, to gain the confidence of the soldiers, who constituted the still politically undecided mass. And that means criticizing the policy of the Socialist-Revolutionary-Menshevik leadership of the Soviet, playing the role of a minority under a democratic regime.

The immediate task of the party, according to V. Lenin ("Letters from afar", Zurich, March 20-25, 1917) was to expose the government. "instead of the impermissible, illusion-breeding 'demand' that this government of the capitalists cease to be imperialist." quote from the book by Verta N. History of the Soviet state. P. 88. V. Lenin's position also strengthened thanks to the policy of the crisis that shook the government and the Soviet in connection with the main issue of the day - the question of the war.

"The February revolution did not eliminate the main problems in the country. On the contrary, in March and April, the administrative and economic confusion intensified and, together with a further deterioration in the work of transport, led to an aggravation of the supply situation. At the same time, food supplies were declining. Government attempts to establish effective control over food prices and imposing rationing failed to ease the strain caused by the shortage." Rabinovich. A. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: The Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd: Per. from English / Common. ed. And after. G.Z. Ioffe. - M .: Progress, 1989. - S. 21. In the spring of 1917, workers in a number of industries received a significant increase in wages, but rapidly rising prices quickly brought it to naught, so that by the beginning of summer the economic situation of the workers of Petrograd was, generally speaking, not much better than in February.

After the collapse of the old regime, soldiers and sailors removed from command officers who openly opposed the revolution, as well as those who were particularly cruel. One of the most important innovations was the formation in all military units of democratically elected soldiers' and sailors' committees with broad but indefinite powers. The patriotic declarations of the Provisional Government and its extreme concern to prevent the further movement of the revolution and speed up military preparations caused incomprehensible anxiety.

The main causes of the February Revolution:

1. Although the autocracy was at the last line, it continued to exist;

Workers sought to achieve better working conditions;

3. National minorities needed, if not independence, then greater autonomy;

4. The people wanted an end to the terrible war. This new problem has been 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 was deceived, because the Minister of the Interior ordered that the local authorities send 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 solving internal problems, the financial crisis, the 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 on the evening of February 23, in a safe house in a remote working-class district of Petrograd, new village, a meeting of members of the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) and the St. Petersburg Committee was held.

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 accurately counted, 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 the 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 statesman trusted by the society.

However, the king rejected his proposal. Moreover. 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 bodies of workers' political power were born, 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 conduct political activities. 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

The February revolution was not as swift as people like to paint it. Of course, compared to 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 its 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

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 degenerated into 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 we have been living on a volcano ... There was no bread in Petrograd, - 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 point 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")

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, students went on strike
• 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 persons."

• 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, Moscow rebelled, 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 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 king of Romania was actually commander-in-chief, 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")

• 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 - 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, hugged each other. From the side of the station flew the solemn and jubilant cry of locomotives (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

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: extreme aggravation of all contradictions Russian society exacerbated by war, economic disruption 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. 2.03 - abdication of Nicholas II from the throne 3.03 - 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.