March 8 - Russia's February Revolution

This Day in History: 8 March 2020

 

8 March 1917

 

103 years ago, today, the February Revolution began in Russia, when riots and strikes occurred due to the food shortages in Petrograd. This would lead to the end of the Tsarist rule in Russia, taking the country a step closer towards communist dictatorship. By 1917, many of the Russian population had lost faith in the Tsarist leader, Nicholas II, as their government was corrupt, and the economy was backwards. However, Russia's involvement in World War One is arguably the immediate cause of the revolution. The nation was no match for Germany, and Russian casualties were greater than ever before, while the economy was obliterated by the costly war effort and calls for the overthrow of the Tsar were great.

 

Demonstrators began demanding for bread in the streets of Petrograd, and were met by police, but they refused to leave. The strike began to spread among all of Petrograd's workers, and police stations were destroyed. Troops of the Petrograd army were called out to end the uprising, and in some cases, they opened fire and killed demonstrators, but usually, the people remained strong, and the troops began to waver. Soon after, the revolution triumphed when regiments of the army began to defect to the protestors' cause. The government was forced to resign, and a provisional government was formed by the Duma with the Petrograd Soviet. On March 15, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in favour of his brother, Michael, who refused the throne, and thus brought an end to the Tsarist autocracy. This meant that Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, could leave his exile and return home to take control of the Russian Revolution.

 

Want to find out more about Russia's February Revolution? Click here for more information, or here for a short video briefly explaining the event.