Why did the Tsar fall from power?

Anna Bidmead 10s.3

In 1917, Russia had been under Romanov rule for 304 years and although many people were unhappy about the situation, the prospect of change had seemed remote. However, on March 2, Tsar Nicholas signed an act of abdication, which effectively ended autocratic rule in Russia. There were many long-term and short-term causes which eventually lead to the downfall of the Tsar and put pressure on him to abdicate, including food and fuel shortages, cold weather, strikes, rationing, poor economy and bad working living conditions.

The Tsarist system meant that the Tsar had complete autocratic rule. He was the head of the state and had control over the Russian Orthodox Church. All the important decisions were made in St. Petersburg, without the consultation of the people of Russia. Communication in Russia was very poor as it was such a vast country and the Tsar was completely out of touch with his people. Nearly 90% of people were peasants, working with the most basic tools. In the cities and countryside the government, bureaucrats and the Okhrana (secret police) appeared to be in control, but nearly all Russian citizens were discontented, living and working in terrible conditions.

Russia almost had a complete revolution in 1905. This was trigged by many factors, including Russia's defeat by Japan. This almost overthrew the Tsar and he was forced to introduce a Duma. This supposed 'parliament' was ignored - members who opposed the Tsar were executed or imprisoned. The Tsar still kept the majority of political power but it did weaken his authority.

This is a preview of the whole essay

The main group opposing Tsarism was the Socialist Revolutionaries, who had a lot of support from peasants. Another was the Russian Social Democratic party, founded in 1898 which appealed to many town workers but then split in 1903 to the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. These two groups followed the teachings of Karl Marx. The Bolsheviks allowed only fully committed members to join in with opposing the Tsarist system. The Mensheviks were more co-operative and stood in elections for Duma parties and organized strikes against the Tsar. Working conditions did not improve under the provisional government, which therefore meant there was more support for the Marxists who made preparations for the revolution.

In July 1914 Russia entered the First World War on the side of France and Britain, fighting Germany and Austria-Hungary. This outbreak of war at first helped the Tsar. Initially, all the social classes rallied together and wanted to help the Tsar and looked to him for leadership, but then after their first defeat at Tannenburg, everything changed after the Tsar began to make some fatal mistakes.

In August 1915, the Tsar left Petrograd to command the Russian army. He therefore received the blame personally for all their defeats and lost control of his troops as he left Russia under the rule of the Tsarina and Rasputin. The Russian army was undersized and poorly equipped as Russia had little finances for a war. Russia was doing badly in the war, and the Tsar was being blamed.

Meanwhile, Russia was left under control of the Tsarina and Rasputin, who heavily influenced her. The Russians trusted neither of them, as the Tsarina was German and Rasputin was despised for his rebellious background and the rumours surrounding him. The Tsarina and Rasputin only made the situation in Russia worse. They dismissed able ministers, replacing them with hopeless ones and rumours began to spread about Tsarina and Rasputin being lovers. The situation in Russia was worse than ever.

The terrible state of the Russian economy was also a major long-term problem that helped contribute to the revolution. Industry was also a big failure; there were large numbers of peasants who owned no land and worked long hours with low wages, living in appalling slums. Karl Marx wrote of Russian workers in 'The Communist Manifesto' in 1848: 'they have nothing to lose but their chains'. The Tsar seemed only concerned for the well being of the higher social classes. However, it would have been difficult for the Tsar to rule over Russia as it was so large. Transport and communication were terrible and it took a week to travel from one side of Russia to the other. People were starving because food was left to rot as it travelled to them. There were severe food shortages in the year leading up to the 1917 Revolution, which caused unrest among the people. There were also many worker strikes in 1916. This was because of the ridiculously low wages and long hours the working peasants had to endure. All this was made even worse by the long-term war.

From this account on the events of the First World War we can see that strikes and food shortages were brought on by the war. Without it, the opposition parties would have not had such a great impact on Russia. Also, the Tsar would not have made those fatal mistakes he made in commanding the army. War helped all the Russian people realise that a complete reform in the practices and lives of the Russians was needed. Prices of goods were constantly rising but wages were not going up at all. Families were distraught and workers asked for more hours to make end meet. Peasants were constricted into the army, which meant fewer workers that caused food shortages and a drop in the living standards of the peasants. Without the war, these things would have carried on getting more and more out of control. We can see that the main triggers of the Russian 1917 revolution were brought on by the war, or made worse because of it. Nicholas knew there that Russia would do better in the war if he abdicated.