What are the causes of the February Revolution of 1917 briefly. Economic situation on the eve of February

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Sentinels guard the arrested tsarist ministers.

This article is about the events of February 1917 in the history of Russia. For the events of February 1848 in the history of France, see February Revolution of 1848

February revolution(also February bourgeois-democratic revolution) - a revolution in the Russian Empire, the result of which was the fall of the monarchy, the proclamation of the republic and the transfer of power to the Provisional Government.

Causes and prerequisites: economic, political, social

The inability of society to influence the government is the limited capacity of the State Duma and the lack of control of the government (and at the same time, the limited powers of the government).

The emperor could no longer single-handedly resolve all issues, but he could radically interfere with the conduct of a consistent policy without bearing any responsibility.

Under these conditions, politics could not express the interests of not only the majority, but also any significant part of the population, which caused spontaneous discontent, and restrictions on the public expression of protest led to the radicalization of the opposition.

Draft composition of the Provisional Government, represented by representatives of the parties "Kadets", "Octobrists" and a group of members of the State Council. Editing of Emperor Nicholas II.

The February Revolution was not only a consequence of the failures of the Russian government during the First World War. But it was not the war that caused all the contradictions that were then in Russia, the war exposed them and accelerated the fall of tsarism. The war forced the crisis of the autocratic system.

The war struck the system of economic ties - primarily between the city and the countryside. The situation with food became aggravated in the country; Famine began in the country. The highest state power was also discredited by the chain of scandals around Rasputin and his entourage, who were then called "dark forces". By 1916, indignation at Rasputin had already reached the Russian armed forces - both officers and lower ranks. The fatal mistakes of the tsar, combined with the loss of confidence in the tsarist government, led it to political isolation, and the presence of an active opposition created fertile ground for a political revolution.

On the eve of the February Revolution in Russia, against the backdrop of an acute food crisis, the political crisis deepens. For the first time the State Duma demanded the resignation of the tsarist government, this demand was supported by the State Council.

The political crisis grew. On November 1, 1916, P. N. Milyukov delivered a speech at a meeting of the State Duma. "Stupidity or treason?" - with such a question, P. N. Milyukov characterized the phenomenon of Rasputinism on November 1, 1916 at a meeting of the State Duma.

The demand of the State Duma for the resignation of the tsarist government and the creation of a "responsible government" - responsible to the Duma, led to the resignation on November 10 of the chairman of the government, Stürmer, and the appointment of a consistent monarchist, General Trepov, to this post. The State Duma, trying to diffuse discontent in the country, continued to insist on the creation of a "responsible government" and the State Council joins its demands. On December 16, Nicholas II sends the State Duma and the State Council to the Christmas holidays until January 3.

Growing crisis

Barricades on Liteiny Prospekt. Postcard from the State Museum of Political History of Russia

On the night of December 17, Rasputin was killed as a result of a conspiracy of monarchists, but this did not resolve the political crisis. On December 27, Nicholas II dismissed Trepov and appointed Prince Golitsyn as Chairman of the Council of Ministers. During the transfer of cases, he received from Trepov two decrees signed by the tsar on the dissolution of the State Duma and the State Council with unmarked dates. Golitsyn was supposed to find a compromise and resolve the political crisis through behind-the-scenes negotiations with the leaders of the State Duma.

In total, in Russia in January-February 1917, only at enterprises subordinate to the supervision of the factory inspectorate, 676 thousand people went on strike, of which participants political strikes in January were 60%, and in February - 95%).

On February 14, sessions of the State Duma opened. They showed that events in Russia were getting out of the control of the authorities, the State Duma abandoned the demand for the creation of a “responsible government” and limited itself to agreeing to the creation by the tsar of a “government of trust” - a government that the State Duma could trust, the Duma members were completely at a loss.

Subsequent events showed that there were more powerful forces in Russian society that did not want a solution to the political crisis, and deeper reasons for a democratic revolution and a transition from a monarchy to a republic.

Difficulties in supplying the city with bread, rumors about the imminent introduction of bread cards led to the disappearance of bread. Long queues lined up at the bread shops - "tails", as they said then.

February 18 (on Saturday at the Putilov Plant - the largest artillery plant in the country and Petrograd, which employed 36 thousand workers - the workers of the Fire Monitor and Stamping Workshop (workshop) went on strike, demanding a 50% increase in wages. February 20 (Monday) Administration factory agreed to raise wages by 20% on the condition of "immediately start work". The delegates of the workers asked for the consent of the Administration to start work from the next day. The administration did not agree and closed the Fire Monitor and Stamping "workshop" on February 21. In support of the strikers on February 21, they began to stop work and other workshops.On February 22, the Administration of the plant issued an order to dismiss all workers of the Fire Monitor and Stamping "workshop" and close the plant for an indefinite period - announced a lockout. .

As a result, 36 thousand workers of the Putilov factory found themselves in war conditions without work and without armor from the front.

On February 22, Nicholas II leaves Petrograd for Mogilev to the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

The main events

On February 24, demonstrations and meetings of the Putilov workers resumed. Workers from other factories began to join them. 90 thousand workers went on strike. Strikes and political actions began to grow into a general political demonstration against tsarism.

Announcement by the commander of the troops of the Petrograd Military District S. S. Khabalov on the use of weapons to disperse demonstrations. February 25, 1917

On February 25, a general strike began, which involved 240,000 workers. Petrograd was declared under a state of siege, by decree of Nicholas II, meetings of the State Duma and the State Council were suspended until April 1, 1917. Nicholas II ordered the army to suppress the protests of workers in Petrograd
On February 26, columns of demonstrators moved towards the city center. Troops were brought into the streets, but the soldiers began to refuse to shoot at the workers. There were several clashes with the police, by the evening the police cleared the city center of demonstrators.
On February 27 (March 12), an armed uprising of the soldiers of the Petrograd garrison began early in the morning - the training team of the reserve battalion of the Volynsky regiment, consisting of 600 people, rebelled. The soldiers decided not to shoot at the demonstrators and join the workers. The team leader was killed. The Volynsky regiment was joined by the Lithuanian and Preobrazhensky regiments. As a result, a general strike of workers was supported by an armed uprising of soldiers. (On the morning of February 27, there were 10 thousand rebel soldiers, in the afternoon - 26 thousand, in the evening - 66 thousand, the next day - 127 thousand, on March 1 - 170 thousand, that is the whole garrison Petrograd.) The insurgent soldiers marched in formation to the center of the city. On the way, the Arsenal was captured - the Petrograd artillery depot. The workers received 40,000 rifles and 30,000 revolvers in their hands. The city prison "Crosses" was captured, all the prisoners were released. Political prisoners, including the Gvozdev group, joined the rebels and led the column. The City Court was burned down. The rebellious soldiers and workers occupied the most important points of the city, government buildings and arrested ministers. At about 2 pm, thousands of soldiers came to the Taurida Palace, where the State Duma was meeting, and occupied all its corridors and the surrounding area. They had no way back, they needed political leadership.

The Duma faced a choice either to join the uprising and try to control the movement, or to perish along with tsarism. Under these conditions, the State Duma decided to formally obey the tsar's decree on the dissolution of the Duma, but by decision of a private meeting of deputies, it created a Provisional Committee of the State Duma at about 5 pm, chaired by the Octobrist M. Rodzianko, by co-opting 2 deputies from each faction. On the night of February 28, the Provisional Committee announced that it was taking power into its own hands.

After the insurgent soldiers came to the Tauride Palace, the deputies of the left factions of the State Duma and representatives of the trade unions created the Provisional Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' Deputies in the Tauride Palace. He distributed leaflets to factories and soldier units with a call to choose their deputies and send them to the Taurida Palace by 19 o'clock, 1 deputy from every thousand workers and from each company. At 9 pm, meetings of workers' deputies opened in the left wing of the Tauride Palace and the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' Deputies was created, headed by the Menshevik Chkheidze and deputy chairman of the Executive Committee, Trudovik A.F. Kerensky. The Petrograd Soviet included representatives of the socialist parties (Mensheviks, Socialist-Revolutionaries and Bolsheviks), trade unions and non-party workers and soldiers. The Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries played a decisive role in the Soviet. The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' Deputies decided to support the Provisional Committee of the State Duma in creating the Provisional Government, but not to participate in it.
February 28 (March 13) - Chairman of the Provisional Committee Rodzianko negotiates with the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, General Alekseev, on the support of the Provisional Committee from the army, and also negotiates with Nicholas II, in order to prevent a revolution and overthrow the monarchy.

Order number 1 decomposed the Russian army, eliminated the main components of any army at all times - the most severe hierarchy and discipline.

The Provisional Committee formed a Provisional Government headed by Prince Lvov, who was replaced by the socialist Kerensky. The provisional government announced elections to the Constituent Assembly. The Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was elected. A dual power was established in the country.

The development of the revolution in Petrograd after the overthrow of the monarchy:

March 3 (16) - the murders of officers began in Helsingfors, among which were Rear Admiral A.K. Nebolsin, Vice Admiral A.I. Nepenin.
March 4 (17) - two manifestos were published in the newspapers - the Manifesto on the abdication of Nicholas II and the Manifesto on the abdication of Mikhail Alexandrovich, as well as the Political Program of the 1st Provisional Government.

Effects

The fall of autocracy and the establishment of dual power

The peculiarity of the revolution was the establishment of dual power in the country:

bourgeois-democratic power was represented by the Provisional Government, its local bodies (public security committees), local self-government (city and zemstvo), representatives of the Kadets and Octobrist parties entered the government;

revolutionary democratic power - Soviets of workers', soldiers', peasants' deputies, soldiers' committees in the army and navy.

Negative results of the fall of autocracy

The main negative results of the overthrow of the autocracy by the February Revolution in Russia can be considered:

The transition from the evolutionary development of society to development along a revolutionary path, which inevitably led to an increase in the number of violent crimes against the person and infringement of property rights in society.
Significant weakening of the army(as a result of revolutionary agitation in the army and order number 1), a drop in its combat effectiveness and, as a result, its ineffective further struggle on the fronts of the First World War.
Destabilization of society which led to a deep split in the existing civil society in Russia. As a result, there was a sharp increase in class contradictions in society, the growth of which during 1917 led to the transfer of power into the hands of radical forces, which ultimately led to the Civil War in Russia.

Positive results of the fall of autocracy

The main positive result of the overthrow of the autocracy by the February Revolution in Russia can be considered a short-term consolidation of society due to the adoption of a number of democratic legislative acts and a real chance for society, on the basis of this consolidation, to resolve many long-standing contradictions in the country's social development. However, as subsequent events that ultimately led to a bloody civil war showed, the leaders of the country, who came to power as a result of the February revolution, could not take advantage of these real, albeit extremely small (given that Russia was at that moment in a state of war) chances. on this.

Change of political regime

The old state bodies were abolished. The most democratic law on elections to the Constituent Assembly was adopted: universal, equal, direct by secret ballot. On October 6, 1917, by its decree, the Provisional Government dissolved the State Duma in connection with the proclamation of Russia as a republic and the start of elections to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly.
The State Council of the Russian Empire was dissolved.
The Provisional Government formed an Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry to investigate the malfeasance of tsarist ministers and senior officials.
On March 12, a Decree was issued on the abolition of the death penalty, which was replaced in especially serious criminal cases with 15 years of hard labor.
On March 18, an amnesty was announced for those convicted on criminal grounds. 15 thousand prisoners were released from places of detention. This caused a surge in crime in the country.
On March 18-20, a series of decrees and resolutions were issued to abolish religious and national restrictions.
Restrictions in the choice of place of residence, property rights were abolished, complete freedom of occupation was proclaimed, women were equalized in rights with men.
The Ministry of the Imperial Court was gradually liquidated. The property of the former imperial house, members of the royal family - palaces with artistic values, industrial enterprises, lands, etc. in March-April 1917 became the property of the state.

Decree "On the establishment of the police". Already on February 28, the police was abolished and the people's militia was formed. 40,000 people's militia guarded enterprises and urban areas instead of 6,000 policemen. Detachments of the people's militia were also created in other cities. Subsequently, along with the people's militia, fighting workers' squads (the Red Guard) also appeared. According to the adopted resolution, uniformity was introduced into the already created detachments of the workers' militia, the limits of their competence were established.
Decree on Assemblies and Unions. All citizens could form unions and hold meetings without restrictions. There were no political motives for closing the unions; only the court could close the union.
Decree on amnesty for all persons convicted for political reasons.
The Separate Corps of Gendarmes was abolished, including the railway police and security departments, and special civil courts (March 4).

Trade union movement

On April 12, a law on assemblies and unions was issued. The workers restored the democratic organizations banned during the war years (trade unions, factory committees). By the end of 1917, there were more than 2,000 trade unions in the country, headed by the All-Russian Central Council of Trade Unions (chaired by the Menshevik V.P. Grinevich).

Changes in the local government system

On March 4, 1917, a resolution was adopted to remove all governors and vice-governors from office. In the provinces where the Zemstvo worked, the governors were replaced by the chairmen of the provincial zemstvo councils, where there were no zemstvos, the places remained unoccupied, which paralyzed the system of local government.

Preparations for the elections to the Constituent Assembly

Immediately after the February Revolution, preparations began for elections to a constituent assembly. The most democratic law on elections to the Constituent Assembly was adopted: universal, equal, direct by secret ballot. Preparations for the elections dragged on until the end of 1917.

crisis of power

The inability of the Provisional Government to get out of the crisis caused an increase in revolutionary ferment: mass demonstrations took place on April 18 (May 1), in July 1917. The July uprising of 1917 - the period of peaceful development ended. Power passed to the Provisional Government. The duality is over. The death penalty was introduced. The failure of the August speech of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, Infantry General L. G. Kornilov, became prelude to Bolshevism, since the elections to the Soviets that followed shortly after the victory of A.F. Kerensky in his confrontation with L.G. Kornilov brought victory to the Bolsheviks, which changed their composition and their policy.

Church and revolution

Already on March 7-8, 1917, the Holy Synod issued a ruling that ordered all the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church: in all cases, at divine services, instead of commemorating the reigning house, offer prayers for the God-protected Power of Russia and its Blessed Provisional Government .

Symbol

The symbol of the February Revolution was a red bow, red banners. The former government was declared "tsarism" and the "old regime". The word "comrade" was included.

Notes

Bibliography

Archive of the Russian Revolution (edited by G. V. Gessen). M., Terra, 1991. In 12 volumes.
Pipes R. Russian Revolution. M., 1994.
Katkov G. Russia, 1917. The February Revolution. London, 1967.
Moorhead A. The Russian Revolution. New York, 1958.
Dyakin V. S. ABOUT ONE FAILURE ATTEMPT OF TSARISM TO "SOLUTE" THE LAND ISSUE DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR. (Goals and nature of the so-called liquidation of German land ownership in Russia)

Photos and documents

Soldiers' demonstration in the February days.

Demonstration of soldiers demanding imprisonment for Nicholas the bloody. March 1917

Arrest and escort of disguised policemen. February 1917.

Meeting of the Provisional Government in the Mariinsky Palace. From right to left: Minister of Trade and Industry A.I. Konovalov, Minister of Agriculture A.I. Shingarev, Minister of Railways N.V. Nekrasov, Minister of Foreign Affairs P.N. Milyukov; Chairman of the Council of Ministers Prince G.E. Lviv; Minister of Justice A.F. Kerensky; Minister of Finance M.I. Tereshchenko; state controller I.V. Godnev; Minister of Public Education A.A. Manuilov; Deputy Minister of the Interior D.M. Shchepkin; manager of government affairs V.D. Nabokov

The February Revolution is a new starting point in Russian history. During this event, the main goal of the first revolution was achieved - the hated tsarist power was overthrown. Who were its members? What are the reasons for this conflict? And what happened next?

Causes of the February Revolution of 1917

What led to the beginning of a new revolution? Of course, the unresolved labor and agrarian question. These issues have remained pressing and problematic since the beginning of the 20th century. But no one was in a hurry to solve them. Stolypin's attempt aroused indignation among many, for which the prime minister paid with his life. Another cause of the revolution can be called the socio-economic crisis in the country. The First World War also influenced the start of a new Russian revolution. And the food crisis and the lack of any stability intensified the disagreements in society.

February revolution: character, driving forces and tasks

By its nature, the second Russian revolution was bourgeois-democratic. The driving forces continued to be the working class, together with the peasant population. The participation of the intelligentsia made the revolution nationwide. What were the tasks of the revolutionaries? These tasks were standard for the first two Russian revolutions. The people who were in power at that time were in no hurry to solve them, as they were afraid of losing this very power. So,

it was necessary to get out of the war;
come to a unified solution of the agrarian and labor question;
get rid of the autocratic hated royal power;
convene a constituent assembly;
move on to a new state structure: a democratic republic + the adoption of a constitution.

February Revolution: development of events

The reason for a new conflict was the dismissal of a mass of workers in St. Petersburg from the Putilov factory. The growth of social tension in society has reached its global dimensions. The tsar at this time leaves Petersburg and information about the state in the city does not reach him. The February revolution is unfolding too quickly: the very next day after the dismissal, a mass of people appeared on the streets with the slogans “Down with the Tsar”. And two weeks later, Nicholas II, on the advice of his generals, renounces the Russian throne, and also for his son. The next day, the brother of Nicholas II, Mikhail, signed the same document. The Romanov dynasty ceases to exist on the Russian throne. At this time, dual power was established in the country in the person of the Petrograd Soviet and a new authority - the Provisional Government.

Results

The February Revolution of 1917 led to such results as the overthrow of autocratic power, the emergence of democratic freedoms and the spread of democratic values in society, as well as the establishment of dual power in the country. This difficult period in the history of our state brought cardinal changes. It became the crown of all the sufferings of the early 20th century, because the main goal was achieved - the monarchy was overthrown.

Introduction

The history of Russia is one of the richest and most diverse in events in the whole world. After all, what a country, such a history it has. This is despite the fact that much remains unexplored, much is generally unknown. However, with all its greatness, the history of Russia is also one of the most tragic in the world. In each period of the history of our country, sad, sometimes grave in their consequences, sometimes terrible events took place. A considerable number of these happened in the 20th century, especially in its first half, a century that became difficult not only for our country, but practically for the whole of Europe.

The content of this work is a series of tragic events that took place in Russia in the first quarter of the 20th century, in 1917. These events are two revolutions (as well as all the numerous phenomena associated with them) that took place in February and October 1917 and were called bourgeois-democratic and socialist revolutions during the Soviet Union, respectively. These events took place in a fairly short period of time (in fact, the October revolution was a consequence of the February one), but they brought colossal changes to the country, carried out a radical revolution in everything that had been created before that for several centuries. The Russian Empire ceased to exist, and the country began to be built in a new way.

There are a huge number of assessments of all these events: for some, this is a national catastrophe that led to the Civil War and the establishment of a totalitarian system of government in Russia (or, conversely, to the death of Great Russia as an empire); for others - the greatest progressive event in the history of mankind, which had a huge impact on the whole world, and allowed Russia to choose a non-capitalist path of development, eliminate feudal remnants and directly in 1917 rather saved it from disaster. Between these extreme points of view there are many intermediate ones.

Therefore, the purpose and objectives of this work, respectively, is the need to consider the main events associated with this period and describe the role of the Bolsheviks in these events; give an objective assessment and draw conclusions about this period in the history of Russia and its consequences from the point of view of a common, widespread version of the two revolutions of 1917.

Results of the February Revolution

As a result of the February Revolution, a peculiar political situation developed in Russia. At the same time, there were two bodies of power - the Provisional Government and the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. Thus, there was a dual power in the country.

The revolution did not bring the expected renewal of the social atmosphere. By the middle of March, it became obvious that almost no one was satisfied with the results of February:

§ The financial situation of the "lower classes" not only did not improve, but rapidly deteriorated. Unemployment rose, prices for the most necessary products skyrocketed.

§ The war, with its enormous casualties, continued. Millions of soldiers still did not leave the trenches. Many peasant families were left without breadwinners, and for the third year they were in poverty.

§ The middle strata: bureaucracy, officers, intelligentsia - welcomed the political freedom brought by the February Revolution, but they soon discovered that this freedom also had a downside.

§ Political stability fluctuated, which had a bad effect on both the material and moral state of the middle strata. This especially affected the position of the officers, in the conditions of democratization and the progressive disintegration of the army, which felt itself deprived of its usual foundations.

§ The Provisional Government left essentially the entire old state apparatus intact. In all ministries and other central bodies, the old officials and the old order remained. Only some ministers were new.

§ The popular masses who made the revolution hoped that the new government would immediately resolve the land issue, but the Provisional Government only urged the peasants to wait for the convocation of the Constituent Assembly and not resort to forcible seizure of land.

§ The policy of the Provisional Government in resolving the agrarian issue was fully supported by the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries, they condemned the peasants for "agrarian riots" and unauthorized seizure of land.

§ The Provisional Government decisively rejected the demands of the workers for an 8-hour working day. Only the persistent struggle of the St. Petersburg workers led to the fact that the union of Petrograd manufacturers and factory owners signed on March 11, 1917 an agreement on the introduction of an 8-hour working day at the industrial enterprises of Petrograd. But under pressure from the manufacturers from other cities and the government, already on March 16, the Petrograd capitalists declared that their concession was temporary.

§ The government and bourgeois leaders completely rejected the workers' demands for better working conditions and higher wages.

The bourgeois Provisional Government only declared the elimination of national inequality in Russia, but in fact continued to pursue a purely national policy towards non-Russian peoples. It resolutely opposed granting the rights to state independence to Finland, Ukraine and other national regions. At the beginning of its activity, the Provisional Government had to enter into major clashes not only with the working masses of the national borderlands, but also with the local bourgeois sections of the population, who demanded greater political rights for themselves. Such clashes at the Provisional Government soon occurred with Finland during the restoration of the activities of the Finnish Seim and with Ukraine during the formation of the Central Ukrainian Rada. The Provisional Government also pursued a no less sharp anti-democratic course in its policy towards the masses of soldiers, who were the ally of the proletariat in the bourgeois-democratic revolution.

While the masses demanded the immediate start of negotiations for a democratic and just peace, the bourgeois government not only did not want to conduct such negotiations, but also insistently sought to ensure that Russia would continue the imperialist war to a "victorious end".

Foreign Minister Milyukov, immediately upon assuming his duties, told the ambassadors of France, England, Italy and the USA that Russia would remain loyal to its allies and would continue the war until victory over Germany and its allies.

However, the popular movement could not but restrain the bourgeoisie in its military policy. The bourgeois government fully understood that the slogans "Down with the war!" and "Peace to the nations!" were widely popular among the masses and could not be ignored.

“The Russian revolution of February-March 1917,” wrote V.I. Lenin, “was the beginning of the transformation of the imperialist war into a civil war. This revolution took the first step towards ending the war.”

Question 01. What are the prerequisites and causes of the February Revolution of 1917

Answer. The reasons:

1) dissatisfaction was caused by defeats, and, most importantly, huge losses on the fronts (under conditions of universal military service, losses were especially important);

2) dissatisfaction was caused by everyday problems (rising prices, speculation, queues for the most necessary things);

3) the unwillingness of the emperor, even in such difficult conditions, to carry out reforms caused concern (in Great Britain and France, it was the reforms that could defuse the situation and stop the mass protests that had begun);

4) the troops of the city garrisons were worried about the possibility of their transfer to the front.

Prerequisites:

1) a new offensive was planned for the spring of 1917, in the success of which few believed, however, the offensive meant the transfer of new forces from the garrisons to the front and an increase in losses at the front as a result of attacks on enemy trenches;

2) in January-February 1917, only at enterprises subordinate to the supervision of the factory inspection, 676 thousand people went on strike;

4) difficulties with the supply of bread in Petrograd in the last ten days of February 1917 (caused in those days by a disruption in the freight traffic schedule due to snow drifts) and rumors about the imminent introduction of bread cards led to the disappearance of bread, which had never happened before in the capital.

Question 02. Compare the April, June and July crises of power (reasons, reasons, steps of the Provisional Government, influence on the development of revolutionary events).

Answer. Power Crises:

Question 03. List the most important issues of Russian political life in the spring - autumn of 1917. Describe the position taken by the Provisional Government on these issues.

Answer. Questions:

1) The question of power - the Provisional Government sought to concentrate all power in its hands;

2) The question of peace - the Provisional Government advocated the fulfillment of an allied duty, that is, for a war to a victorious end;

3) The question of the state structure of Russia - the Provisional Government believed that only the Constituent Assembly could decide it;

4) The question of land - the Provisional Government believed that only the Constituent Assembly could decide it.

Question 04. What is the role of the army in the February Revolution of 1917? What was the reason for the drop in her combat capability? Use the document when answering.

Answer. The army played a key role in these events. Initially, there were quite a few soldiers among the demonstrators in Petrograd, the troops sent to disperse the demonstrations, for the most part, went over to the side of the revolution, not one of the commanders gave orders to his subordinate units to defend the monarchy. From this it can be seen that the main merit lies not with the whole army, but mainly with units of the Petrograd garrison. Having played such a significant role in the revolution and at the same time feeling their strength, the garrison demanded a reward and decided to get rid of what bothered the soldiers (mostly civilians before the war) in recent years. That is why Order No. 1 of the Petrograd Soviet appeared. In this order, clause 4 read "Orders of the military commission of the State Duma should be executed, except in cases where they contradict the orders and resolutions of the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies", that is, the councils were free to discuss the orders received. And provision 5 read “All kinds of weapons, such as: rifles, machine guns, armored vehicles, etc., must be at the disposal and under the control of company and battalion committees and in no case be issued to officers even according to their requirements,” that is, force in the form of weapons was now on the side of the soldiers, the officers had no physical ability to force them to obey orders. Under these conditions, it is not surprising that decomposition quickly began in the army.

Question 05

Answer. The reasons:

1) the decomposition of the army and the loss of its combat capability;

2) the complete collapse of the economy also due to constant strikes;

3) almost complete anarchy in the country, a situation close to anarchy;

4) the growth of the influence of left-wing parties that advocated the overthrow of the Provisional Government.

Basic goals:

1) the establishment of a military dictatorship;

2) putting things in order in the army;

3) restoring order in the rear;

4) the defeat of the extreme left political forces.

Effects:

1) General L.G. Kornilov was imprisoned;

2) the actual anarchy in the country has intensified;

3) the expansion of the army continued;

4) the Bolsheviks were able to come out of the underground;

5) the influence of the Bolsheviks increased significantly.

Question 06. What was the position of the Bolshevik Party in relation to the Provisional Government and the war?

Answer. The Bolsheviks repeatedly openly declared their desire to take power into their own hands (for which they sought to transfer power from the Provisional Government to the Soviets) and immediately end the war by signing a peace without annexations and indemnities.

Question 07. Prepare a report on the life and work of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.

Answer. message, plan.

1) the conservative policy of Alexander III;

2) the story of the marriage of the heir to the throne, Nicholas;

3) the sudden death of Alexander III, the hopes pinned on Nicholas II;

4) misfortune on the Khadynskoye field during the coronation of Nicholas II;

5) the extremely conservative position of the emperor;

6) the revolution of 1905 and the reaction of the emperor in its first months;

8) the relationship between Nicholas II and P.A. Stolypin;

9) murders by revolutionaries of relatives of Nicholas II and plans to eliminate him himself;

10) Nicholas II's long wait for an heir;

11) the incurable illness of Tsarevich Alexei;

12) Grigory Rasputin as the savior of the Tsarevich;

13) the position of Nicholas II in relation to the war;

14) the beginning of the First World War;

15) the activities of the imperial family at the beginning of the war;

16) Nicholas II as commander in chief;

17) the growth of revolutionary sentiment (the emperor's reaction to reports about this);

18) the events of February 1917 and the abdication of Nicholas II;

19) the life of the former imperial family until October 1917 (her desire to stay in Russia);

20) arrest of the former imperial family and detention;

21) the murder of the former emperor with his family.

February revolution Causes and causes of the revolution

The reasons for the revolution were the whole mass of problems facing Russian society, which were not actually resolved after the First Russian Revolution and became significantly aggravated during the First World War (agrarian, labor and national issues, the preservation of the class and autocratic system, the fall in the authority of the government, which lost support even Dumas and nobility, the economic crisis and the social deprivations associated with it, dissatisfaction with the continuation of the unsuccessful war, the rapid growth of the mass movement, etc.).

Three reasons for the February Revolution:

grain shortages that began in the second half of February 1917 in Petrograd (due to transport difficulties and rumors of a sharp aggravation of the food crisis, which led to a significant increase in demand for bread);
the strike of workers at the Putilov factory in Petrograd, which began on February 18, 1917, demanding higher wages;
February 23, 1917 - spontaneous demonstrations of workers, timed to coincide with International Women's Day, demanding a solution to food problems, an end to the war and the return of their husbands from the front.

Main events of the February Revolution

February 23-26, 1917 - a strike at the Putilov factory and a women's demonstration turned into citywide strikes and clashes with the police, army and Cossacks (red flags and slogans "Down with the Tsar!" and "Down with the war!" appeared at the demonstrations, as a result of clashes people are dying). Nicholas II, who was at that time at the headquarters of the supreme command in Mogilev, gave the order to stop the unrest in the capital.
February 27, 1917 - a turning point in the course of the revolution:

armed uprising in Petrograd: several government regiments killed their officers at night and went over to the side of the rebels, after which during the day the rebels throughout the city freed prisoners from prisons, seized weapons, occupied the Tauride Palace, where the State Duma met, and arrested the tsarist government;
the emergence in the Tauride Palace of two bodies of new power: the Provisional Committee of the State Duma (from the representatives of the Progressive Bloc, headed by the Octobrist M. V. Rodzianko) and the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' Deputies (created on the model of the Soviets of 1905, headed by the Menshevik N S. Chkheidze). Advice

relied on mass support and real military force in the form of the Petrograd garrison 1 . However, the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries who dominated it believed that they should not take power, since the revolution was of a bourgeois nature and the bourgeois parties should rule, while the task of the socialists was to control them.

On the night of March 1-2, the creation of the Provisional Government headed by G. E. Lvov (by agreement between the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the Petrograd Soviet). Leading posts in the government were occupied by representatives of the liberal parties—P. N. Milyukov, A. I. Guchkov, M. V. Rodzianko, and others. The Socialist-Revolutionary Minister A. F. Kerensky was the only socialist. Dual power immediately arose between the Provisional Government (“power without power”, since it did not have authority and trust in society) and the Petrograd Soviet (“power without power”, since it had broad social support from workers, soldiers, peasants, relied on the Petrograd garrison );

Abolition of the monarchy: on the evening of March 2, under pressure from the high military command, Nicholas II signed the Manifesto on abdication in favor of his younger brother Michael, but on March 3, Michael also abdicated in favor of the Constituent Assembly (the question of the future form of government was to be decided at the Constituent Assembly).