Why did Tsardom collapse in 1917?
Why did Tsardom collapse in 1917?
In February 1917, all were stunned when what started off as a demonstration regarding shortages of food and fuel, escalated into a protest attempting to overthrow Tsar Nicholas II. However, nobody could have predicted what the result would have been, as when Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, there was nobody to assume the position of Tsar, and so 300 years of Romanov rule came to an end. Although it came as a surprise, the failure of the tsarist regime happened for a number of reasons. A largely significant factor was the Wars, and the effect they had both on the troops and the Home Front. The First World War in particular put a severe strain on not only the male agricultural labourers, as they were those expected to enrol and fight the war, but it affected almost every aspect of the Home Front; it caused food, fuel and raw material shortages, unemployment and it was a largely significant factor in the Tsar losing the support of his key props; those who had supported him in 1905 deserted him in 1917. In addition to this, the Tsar was fully devoted to preserving autocratic rule, but as demand for political reform was increasing, he often reverted to repressive tactics to control this. The Tsar contributed to his own downfall; he was observed as indecisive and plainly incapable of performing the role of autocratic Tsar successfully. His methods dealing with issues also contributed as he often used violence as a tool of control, which although may have worked in the short run, it created a base for discontent to continue growing. Although I believe these two factors to be the most significant, they do not eliminate other important issues; such as the fact that although the Tsar was perhaps incapable, it could be argued that he inherited hundreds of years of resentment, that, arguably, any fully capable Tsar wouldn’t have been able to deal with. There were also a number of factors occurring before the war began in 1914; such as the
In February 1917, all were stunned when what started off as a demonstration regarding shortages of food and fuel, escalated into a protest attempting to overthrow Tsar Nicholas II. However, nobody could have predicted what the result would have been, as when Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, there was nobody to assume the position of Tsar, and so 300 years of Romanov rule came to an end. Although it came as a surprise, the failure of the tsarist regime happened for a number of reasons. A largely significant factor was the Wars, and the effect they had both on the troops and the Home Front. The First World War in particular put a severe strain on not only the male agricultural labourers, as they were those expected to enrol and fight the war, but it affected almost every aspect of the Home Front; it caused food, fuel and raw material shortages, unemployment and it was a largely significant factor in the Tsar losing the support of his key props; those who had supported him in 1905 deserted him in 1917. In addition to this, the Tsar was fully devoted to preserving autocratic rule, but as demand for political reform was increasing, he often reverted to repressive tactics to control this. The Tsar contributed to his own downfall; he was observed as indecisive and plainly incapable of performing the role of autocratic Tsar successfully. His methods dealing with issues also contributed as he often used violence as a tool of control, which although may have worked in the short run, it created a base for discontent to continue growing. Although I believe these two factors to be the most significant, they do not eliminate other important issues; such as the fact that although the Tsar was perhaps incapable, it could be argued that he inherited hundreds of years of resentment, that, arguably, any fully capable Tsar wouldn’t have been able to deal with. There were also a number of factors occurring before the war began in 1914; such as the