In class we listened to the podcast while taking notes.
Here is the link to the audio: http://15minutehistory.org/2012/10/18/episode-1-the-february-revolution-of-1917/
Here is a copy of my notes:
EQ: what were the causes of the February revolution in Russia in 1917?
What were the 2 stages of revolution?
Feb 1917- Czar Nicholas II overthrown
October 1917- Provisional gov overthrown
What were the long term causes?
What were the medium term causes?
Bloody Sunday
WWI
February Revolution
Here is the link to the audio: http://15minutehistory.org/2012/10/18/episode-1-the-february-revolution-of-1917/
Here is a copy of my notes:
EQ: what were the causes of the February revolution in Russia in 1917?
What were the 2 stages of revolution?
Feb 1917- Czar Nicholas II overthrown
October 1917- Provisional gov overthrown
What were the long term causes?
- Agricultural country
- 80-95% poor peasants
- Serbs- lived like slaves
- Treated indifferently by gov.
- Educated elite = conscious of the country
- Organized into political parties
- Wanted more voice in gov
What were the medium term causes?
- Autocracy- centralized power, all political power in the Czar and his advisors
- Idealists- they believed they could improve society
- Many believed gov was mishandling problems
- Socialists wanted to overthrow the gov and distribute wealth equally
- Liberal democrats wanted a constitutional monarch
Bloody Sunday
- 1905- St. Petersburg factory workers led by a priest
- Petition for better working conditions
- Czar refused to meet them and left the city with orders to shoot
- Hundreds left “bleeding in the snow”
- Led to the events in 1917
- Brought constitutional monarchy
WWI
- Brought up the gov. Incompetence
- Disaster for russia- no food, no weapons
- Unpopular war
- Hunger increased, inflation increased
- Czar would not allow philanthropic groups to help
- Political leaders called for end of autocracy
- Nicholas II went to the war front
February Revolution
- February 23, 1917
- Women standing in line for bread met with unemployed workers and soldiers
- Turned into radical demonstrations
- Troops refused to shoot
- Nicholas forced to abdicate
- Hatred of the czar led to destruction of all symbols of the autocracy
- New gov struggled
- War continued
- Extreme parties on both left and right