On 23rd February 1917 (Julian calendar), the women in Petrograd started a good-humored march which soon turned into a protest led by furious female textile workers. The scale of the protest grew larger and became more serious as they started to call for help from the men workers and also overturned trams, blocked streets. At the end of the day, they were heading to the centre of Petrograd despite the prevention from the local Bolshevik leaders. In order to comprehend this radical movement of the women textile workers, it is extremely crucial to acquire an understanding of the root of the causes.
Bread was on shortage and people were starving due to numerous reasons: (i) the Russian agricultural method was generally in efficient and backward paired with bad soil in northern Russia and long, harsh winter made lives of the lower classes people extremely difficult. (ii) Russia was a belligerent in World War I which did more harm than good. The total war put enormous strain on the economy which forced all supplies to be transfer to the fronts and thus left the people at home hungry. These two situational causes together created tremendous dissatisfaction among the lower classes and finally led them to the strikes and protests which is an intentional direct cause of the February Revolution.
However, one should notice here that the workers took lead of the strikes and demonstrations, not the peasants which suggested even more extreme discontent from the working class which grew rapidly and became more powerful as Russia was going through industrialization. Furthermore, the urban workers were oppressed by their owners with very low wages, terrible working and conditions. That combined with the shortage of food made them stood up for themselves against the government who failed to keep their citizens full and happy which is an intentional direct cause of the revolution. Not to mention that Marxism and Socialism are well-appreciated in Russia thanks to the industrialization process. Marxism and Socialism boosted the confidence of the workers and also enlightened their path which made the workers insisted on an end to social class divisions and an end to an autocratic, repressive government. Again, this is a direct cause, intentionally aimed at taking the Tsar down.
The next day, the demonstrations grew even more and took on a more political nature because the people were now clamoring for an end to the war and an end to the Tsarist regime. People from all classes united together, gained momentum with some support from the Bolsheviks. As clarified previously, the urban workers and the peasants were furious because of the shortage of food and supplies but now everyone became impatience with the Tsar and his incompetent government. War not only put unbearable pressure on the economy, it took away lives of millions of young men which upset the people at home who never saw their sons and husbands again. For the middle-class citizens, the reason why they could not bear the Tsarist regime any longer was more complicated.
Living a full life, the middle classes wanted more political power through political reforms which meant a move towards a constitutional government and more rights, freedom for the people. However, the way the Russian Empire was set up with no checks and balances allowed the Tsar supreme power over every matter made it a very centralize and highly oppressive government and therefore clashed with the will of the middle classes or the bourgeoisie. And in 1905, the Tsar had already received a serious warning as the people put on countless vigorous protests and demonstrations which forced the Tsar to make concessions in the form of the October Manifesto which marked the victory of the people. However, the Tsar’s failure to carry out the terms in the October Manifesto led to civil unrest once again and this time he deteriorate his image even more in the eyes of the people and it increasingly turned the middle classes against him. This directly caused his throne to be shaken violently though it was unintentional.
In an attempt to restore the nation’s pride after the humiliating loss in the Russo-Japanese war, to protect Serbia as well as Russia’s interest in the Balkans and perhaps to divert domestic attentions, Russia joined the infamous Great War as mentioned early on. Besides the devastative consequences to the economy and to the people, the decision of the Tsar to go to the battle front and directly command was a mistake that cost him dearly. First of all, he refused to let the “Progressive Bloc” to run the government, opted for autocracy and instead, let Tsarina and the “Holy Man” Rasputin to run the government which soon turned into a disaster and thus even more discredits to the Tsar which unintentionally forced him to abdicate later on. And also it put him on the spot because now the Tsar would be personally blamed for any loss. For a second time, his risky moved unintentionally gave bad consequences.
When the Tsar ordered an open-fire on the demonstrators, many soldiers mutinied and stood on the side of the people which was also a consequence of Russia’s heavy loss during World War I. The soldiers had lost faith in its supreme commander and now decided to stand against him, intentionally. Even the commanders now did not promise to protect the Tsar because of the military failures coupled with the Tsar putting himself in trouble by commanding the front directly. The Tsar knew he was losing grip over the situation.
Over the next few days, the situation was chaotic, and finally on 2nd of March, the Tsar abdicated himself and his son in favor of his brother Michael – who refused, realizing the immense hatred for an absolute monarchy in the people therefore the Romanovs came to an end.
