Why Did Revolution Break Out In February 1917

Why Did Revolution Break Out In February 1917?

One of the reasons for the 1917 February Revolution was military defeats. In 1914, when Germany was fighting France and Britain in the first world war, the Russians invaded Eastern Germany with two large armies. However the Germans defeated them at the battles of Tannenburg and Masurian Lakes. Also in 1915, Germany turned completely against Russia and launched a series of offensives against the Russian army. By the end of 1915, the Russian forces had been completely driven out of Russian Poland. The Russians were beaten and large areas of Russian territory were overrun. In 1916, the Russians won against the Austrians and regained some territory but the German army attacked Russia in support of their Austrian ally and defeated Russia again. The effort and cost of the war meant terrible suffering for soldiers and civilians. Almost two million soldiers and civilians were killed. At this point during the war, the civilians and soldiers were looking for someone to blame, thus leading to the loss of faith in the Tsar as a leader. Without a trustworthy leader, the people of Russia started to riot and protest more, which eventually led to the outbreak of revolution.

Another reason for the outbreak of the February Revolution in 1917 was the leadership. In 1915, Tsar Nicholas II took personal control of the army. This was a bad decision because the Tsar knew little about the command and organisation of large military forces, thus leading to more defeats. Also, when the Tsar left, he left the Tsarina – Alexandra – and Rasputin in charge. Between 1915 and 1916, the Tsarina made constant ministerial changes and decisions that were influenced by Rasputin. This caused problems in Russia because Alexandra was a German, therefore the peasants and middle class people of Russia suspected her of being a German spy, deeming her untrustworthy. The organisation of the Russian army deteriorated and there were massive shortages of ammunitions, equipment, and medical supplies. Nicholas' decision to take personal charge meant that he was increasingly seen by the Russian people as having personal responsibility for the military disasters inflicted on Russia.

Furthermore, another cause for the outbreak of revolution in February 1917 was Russia's economic problems that were growing steadily worse. By the beginning of 1917, Russia was facing economic collapse. This was because the Russian industry moved into crisis during the war. Raw materials from overseas could no longer reach Russia. The shortages of raw materials and finished goods grew worse. This meant that the army faced major shortages of supplies and weapons. There were also problems with agriculture. Millions of peasant farmers were conscripted into the army thus leading to a very serious shortage of manpower on farms and fall in production. By 1916 there serious food shortages in the city shops and the price of basic foods was rapidly increasing. This eventually led to inflation, meaning that the value of rouble (the basic monetary unit of Russia) had fallen which led to soaring prices. This made it increasingly difficult for the peasants/poorer people to buy food. Transport also added to this problem. The undeveloped Russian railway system now had to cope with the pressures of moving large quantities of troops and supplies to the battlefronts, therefore making it more difficult to keep the cities supplied with food. With all of the food shortages and the lack of supplies for Russia, people (women especially for them and their children) started to protest and riot, demanding more food. This gradually led up to the outbreak of the February revolution.

Additionally, another reason for the outbreak of the revolution was that in February 1917 rioting began in the capital city of Petrograd (St. Petersburg) as crowds attacked bakeries in the desperate search for bread. In the following days, strikes and demonstrations took places and even some soldiers began to join in the protests. When Nicholas II was informed of these events, he dismissed it as a “hooligan movement” which would soon be over. This showed that the Tsar was still unable to be an authoritative figure. In his own capital city, an independent soviet of workers and soldiers was formed that rebelliously refused to acknowledge the authority of the Tsar. Nicholas made an attempt to return from the war front to the capital and reclaim his authority but this was met with total failure. Isolated and powerless without the support of his army, his reign as Tsar was over, thus leading to his abdication.

The social, economic and political impacts of the revolution left Russia without a leader and with many shortages of important supplies such as food. Therefore living conditions in Russia at this time were very difficult for most people. These difficulties led to a series of strikes, mutinies, demonstrations and riots throughout Russia.

Of all of these reasons for the outbreak of the 1917 February Revolution, the most important one is Russia's economic problems and the lack of an authoritative figure. This is because the lack of good transport and industry meant that there was a very short supply of food and ammunition that was needed. The inflation and lack of agricultural workers enhanced these bad living conditions. Without an authoritative figure making decisions that are both reasonable and beneficial for the people of Russia, these economic problems are thus made more serious and vital for living conditions in Russia.