Essay: ‘Why the Tsar was forced to abdicate from his throne in March 1917?
When Nicolas II was appointed Tsar in 1894, the crowds of St. Petersburg cheered and applauded their new leader. However, Russia was a vast country, and could not be controlled by one man. The Tsar soon lost authority and the empire descended into chaos. There were many reasons for the Tsar’s abdication, such as failures in the war, mutiny in the army, strikes throughout Russia, rumours of an affair between the Tsarina and Rasputin and the Dumas setting up an alternative government. These can be split into three categories: long, medium and short term factors. Long term factors were things that had been a problem in Russia for a long time, such as the mix of cultures in such a large country and the clash of different religions and views. There was only one medium term factor which was the First World War. The War did not create problems but increased them, making each group of people progressively unsatisfied with the Tsar’s leadership. Short term factors led to an explosion in discontent for all types of people, rich and poor alike. This initiated the 1917 revolution, and eventually led to the resignation of the Tsar.
Long term factors were only the beginning of the Tsar’s problems, and could not be easily resolved. The blend of varied nationalities meant that only 40% of the public spoke Russian as their first language, and had different viewpoints on the Tsar’s way of running things. For example, whilst Cossacks were loyal to the Tsar; Poles and Fins hated Russian rules, and did not support the monarch. This meant that there was conflict between different groups within the country, even leading to violent attacks on groups such as Jews. These attacks were sponsored and supported by the government, encouraging antagonism amid cultures, and between groups and the government. Most of society lived in squalid conditions, either as workers or peasants. There was no education in Russia, and not many peasants could read or write although they were loyal to the Tsar. This was partically because most peasants were religious, and went to church. There, it was preached that the Tsar was chosen by God, and was to be obeyed. However, not all peasants were loyal, and those who weren’t supported the Social Revolutionaries. Peasants discontent was caused mostly by land, as most of it was owned by the church, aristocracy and the Tsar. Factory workers also faced problems, such as overcrowding, terrible food, disease and alcoholism. Working and living conditions were atrocious, and talk of a revolution soon spread through the overfull dormitories and work spaces. After this, things became progressively worse as people became more and more malcontent with the state of the country. There were strikes, protests, and eventually it all came to a head. On Sunday, 22 January 1905 a crowd of 200,000 marched to the Winter Palace to give a petition to the Tsar. Marchers carried pictures of the Tsar out of respect, but their leader had already fled at the first sign of trouble. The protesters were met by soldiers and mounted Cossacks. Without warning, the soldiers opened fire and the Cossacks charged. It was a significant occasion. The people of Russia no longer respected their Tsar.
