Assess The Causes Of The February Revolution

In 1905, Russia was a vast but backwards empire, rather than a single country. Its industry was under-developed and the citizens were poor and uneducated. Nicholas II, who was crowed Tsar in 1896, was committed to the idea of the Tsar being an autocrat – the absolute ruler of Russia. During 1917, two revolutions broke out – February Revolution and October Revolution. There was many causes leading to the outbreaks of these revolutions, including the First World War. The First World War contributed to the February Revolution due to economic strain, military inadequacies and incompetent military leadership. By staying in the war, the continuing defeats and soldier desertions, contributed to the October Revolution.

Nicholas was utterly committed

The industries poorly supported the army. They were short of rifles, ammunition, artillery and shells. The aristocrat officers badly led the army and treated the soldiers appallingly. In September 1915, the Tsar personally took command of the army. This made little difference, since Nicholas wasn’t a particularly able commander. Despite the losses, food productions remained high until 1916. There was fuel and food shortages, although there was enough fuel and food, it couldn’t be transported into the cities. The rail network couldn’t cope with the needs of the army, industry and population of the cities. People held Nicholas responsible for the defeats and blunders, as he was in charge of the

The Dumas were dismissed if they challenged his authority. The first and second Duma was dissolved in 1906 and 1907 because of radical opposition to Nicholas’s government. The third Duma ran full term with a more conservative electoral system, but was dismissed in 1912 and the fourth Duma ended with the revolution in 1917.

In 1917, once Nicholas abdicated from being Tsar, the Provisional Government took over. They promised Russia’s allies they would continue in the war. However, in the second half of 1917, the Provisional Government’s authority was collapsing. The war effect was failing, the Russian army suffered more defeats and soldiers begun deserting the army.

During this time, the Petrograd Soviet had gained the support of workers in industries such as coal mining and water, with support from most of the army. During the crisis months of 1917, the Soviet and Provisional Government worked together. This all changed when Vladimir Ilich Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, heard the news of the February Revolution and returned to Russia from exile. When Lenin arrived at the Petrograd station, he set out his April Theses. His slogans were ‘Peace, Land and Bread’ and ‘All power to the soviets’, increasing support for the Bolsheviks, particularly in the Petrograd Soviet and