The Dumas became just a hollow shell as the Tsar exercised his power of veto excessively and dissolved Dumas at will. The Dumas were a farce with no real political power which angered the liberal and reformist parties in particular.
Reforming ministers such as Sergei Witte were distrusted by the Tsar with Nicholas II reported to have said, “Curse the Dumas, it is all Witte’s doing”, although these were the very concessions that had helped him survive the 1905 Revolution. Stolypin may have seemed reforming but he was hugely in favor of the Tsarist system. Such were his repressive policies that the hangman’s noose became known as Stolypin’s necktie. Such repression was bound to boil over into revolution eventually.
Thus, before 1914, the policies of Nicholas II had only limited effectiveness. However, it can not be said that the Tsarist system was in danger of collapsing.
However, when World War I started, all of this changed. The Russian army was facing defeat after defeat and Nicholas went on to the frontier to command his forces personally, leaving the capital in the hands of the Tsarina and Rasputin. This was a huge mistake because now the Tsar would have to take all responsibility for subsequent defeats in the war. Further, anti-German sentiments were being targeted against the Tsarina, who was of German descent, with rumors of a mole at the top spreading amongst the people.
At the same time, the liberals, just as corrupt and dishonest as those they were maligning, were desperately anxious to weaken the monarchy in order to get more power through a representative government before the end of the war ruined their chances.
As the war dragged along, the list of maimed, dying and missing became longer and longer, the longing for peace became stronger and stronger. Food shortages had developed in the towns by 1916. These were not due to a lack of production but because of incompetent distribution. The administration of the Tsar was blamed. These food shortages were to release the violence aimed at the Monarchy.
There were nationwide strikes and rioting which led to industrial output reaching a standstill. As the economy crumbled, a smouldering duma became determined to take charge and abolish the monarchy.
To conclude, in the 1905 Revolution, the people did not want to overthrow the Tsar, they simply wanted reforms. Had these been given to them sincerely and acted upon, the February Revolution 1917 would most definitely have been avoided. Despite all the previous repressions, the people were still prepared to have Nicholas II as their father figure. However, the utter contempt with which he treated the Dumas and the way he went back on his word was what convinced the people that revolution was the only way out.
