At the beginning of 1917, disruptions in food supplies to the major cities Russia. By mid-February, 90 thousand Petrograd workers went on strike due to bread shortages, speculation and rising prices. On February 18, workers from the Putilov plant joined them. The administration announced its closure. This was the reason for the start of mass protests in the capital.

On February 23, International Women's Day (according to the new style, this is March 8), workers and workers took to the streets of Petrograd with the slogans “Bread!”, “Down with war!”, “Down with autocracy!” Their Political Demonstration marked the beginning of the revolution.

On February 25, the strike in Petrograd became general. Demonstrations and rallies did not stop. On the evening of February 25, Nicholas II from Headquarters, located in Mogilev, sent a telegram to the commander of the Petrograd Military District, S.S. Khabalov, with a categorical demand to stop the unrest. Attempts by the authorities to use troops did not produce a positive effect; the soldiers refused to shoot at the people. However, officers and police killed more than 150 people on February 26th. In response, the guards of the Pavlovsk regiment, supporting the workers, opened fire on the police.

Chairman of the Duma M.V. Rodzianko warned Nicholas II that the government was paralyzed and “there is anarchy in the capital.” To prevent the development of the revolution, he insisted on the immediate creation of a new government led by statesman enjoying the trust of society. However, the king rejected his proposal. Moreover, he and the Council of Ministers decided to interrupt the meetings of the Duma and dissolve it for the holidays. The moment for a peaceful, evolutionary transformation of the country into constitutional monarchy was missed. Nicholas II sent troops from Headquarters to suppress the revolution, but a small detachment of General N.I. Ivanov was detained near Gatchina by rebel railway workers and soldiers and was not allowed into the capital.

On February 27, the mass transition of soldiers to the side of the workers, their seizure of the arsenal and the Peter and Paul Fortress, marked the victory of the revolution. The arrests of tsarist ministers and the formation of new government bodies began.

On the same day in factories and military units, based on the experience of 1905, when the first organs were born political power workers, elections were held to the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. An Executive Committee was elected to manage its activities. The Menshevik N. S. Chkheidze became the chairman, and the Socialist Revolutionary A. F. Kerensky became his deputy. The Executive Committee took upon itself the maintenance of public order and the supply of food to the population. The Petrograd Soviet was new uniform socio-political organization. He relied on the support of the masses who owned weapons, and his political role was very great.

On March 1, the Petrograd Soviet issued “Order No. 1” on the democratization of the army. Soldiers were given equal civil rights with officers, harsh treatment of lower ranks was prohibited, and traditional forms of army subordination were abolished. Soldiers' committees were legalized. The election of commanders was introduced. In the army it was allowed to conduct political activity. The Petrograd garrison was subordinate to the Council and was obliged to carry out only its orders.

February, at a meeting of leaders of Duma factions, it was decided to form a Provisional Committee State Duma headed by M.V. Rodzianko. The task of the committee was “restoration of state and public order” and the creation of a new government. The temporary committee took control of all ministries.

February Nicholas II left Headquarters for Tsarskoe Selo, but was detained on the way revolutionary troops. He had to turn to Pskov, to the headquarters of the Northern Front. After consultations with the front commanders, he became convinced that there were no forces to suppress the revolution. On March 2, Nicholas signed a Manifesto abdicating the throne for himself and his son Alexei in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. However, when Duma deputies A.I. Guchkov and V.V. Shulgin brought the text of the Manifesto to Petrograd, it became clear that the people did not want a monarchy. On March 3, Michael abdicated the throne, declaring that future fate The political system in Russia must be decided by the Constituent Assembly. The 300-year reign of the House of Romanov ended. Autocracy in Russia finally fell. It was main result revolution.

On March 2, after negotiations between representatives of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet, the Provisional Government was formed. Prince G. E. Lvov became the chairman and minister of internal affairs, cadet P. N. Milyukov became the minister of foreign affairs, the Octobrist D. I. Guchkov became the military and naval minister, and the progressive A. I. Konovalov became the minister of trade and industry. From the “left” of the party, the Socialist Revolutionary A.F. Kerensky entered the government, receiving the portfolio of Minister of Justice. The Socialist-Revolutionary-Menshevik leadership of the Petrograd Soviet considered the revolution to be bourgeois. Therefore, it did not strive to take all the fullness state power and took a position of support for the Provisional Government. A dual power system emerged in Russia.

February Revolution The year of 1917 in Russia is still called Bourgeois-Democratic. It is the second revolution (the first occurred in 1905, the third in October 1917). The February Revolution began the great turmoil in Russia, during which not only the Romanov dynasty fell and the Empire ceased to be a monarchy, but also the entire bourgeois-capitalist system, as a result of which the elite in Russia completely changed

Causes of the February Revolution

• Russia's unfortunate participation in the First World War, accompanied by defeats at the fronts and disorganization of life in the rear
• The inability of Emperor Nicholas II to rule Russia, which resulted in unsuccessful appointments of ministers and military leaders
• Corruption at all levels of government
• Economic difficulties
• Ideological disintegration of the masses, who stopped believing the tsar, the church, and local leaders
• Dissatisfaction with the tsar's policies by representatives of the big bourgeoisie and even his closest relatives

“...We have been living on the volcano for several days... There was no bread in Petrograd - transport was very bad due to the extraordinary snow, frosts and, most importantly, of course, because of the stress of the war... There were street riots... But this was, of course, not the case in the bread... That was the last straw... The point was that in this entire huge city it was impossible to find several hundred people who would sympathize with the authorities... And not even that... The point is that the authorities did not sympathize with themselves... There was no , in essence, not a single minister who believed in himself and in what he was doing... The class of former rulers was fading away...”
(Vas. Shulgin “Days”)

Progress of the February Revolution

• February 21 - bread riots in Petrograd. Crowds destroyed bread stores
• February 23 - the beginning of a general strike of Petrograd workers. Mass demonstrations with slogans “Down with war!”, “Down with autocracy!”, “Bread!”
• February 24 - More than 200 thousand workers of 214 enterprises, students went on strike
• February 25 - 305 thousand people were already on strike, 421 factories stood idle. The workers were joined by office workers and artisans. The troops refused to disperse the protesting people
• February 26 - Continued unrest. Disintegration in the troops. Inability of the police to restore calm. Nicholas II
  postponed the start of State Duma meetings from February 26 to April 1, which was perceived as its dissolution
• February 27 - armed uprising. The reserve battalions of Volyn, Litovsky, and Preobrazhensky refused to obey their commanders and joined the people. In the afternoon, the Semenovsky regiment, the Izmailovsky regiment, and the reserve armored vehicle division rebelled. The Kronverk Arsenal, the Arsenal, the Main Post Office, the telegraph office, train stations, and bridges were occupied. State Duma
  appointed a Provisional Committee “to restore order in St. Petersburg and to communicate with institutions and individuals.”
• On February 28, night, the Provisional Committee announced that it was taking power into its own hands.
• On February 28 the 180th rebelled infantry regiment, Finnish Regiment, sailors of the 2nd Baltic Fleet Crew and the cruiser Aurora. The insurgent people occupied all the stations of Petrograd
• March 1 - Kronstadt and Moscow rebelled, the tsar’s entourage offered him either the introduction of loyal army units into Petrograd, or the creation of the so-called “responsible ministries” - a government subordinate to the Duma, which meant turning the Emperor into the “English queen”.
• March 2, night - Nicholas II signed a manifesto on the granting of a responsible ministry, but it was too late. The public demanded abdication.

“The Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief,” General Alekseev, requested by telegram all the commanders-in-chief of the fronts. These telegrams asked the commanders-in-chief for their opinion on the desirability, under the given circumstances, of the abdication of the sovereign emperor from the throne in favor of his son. By one o'clock in the afternoon on March 2, all the answers from the commanders-in-chief were received and concentrated in the hands of General Ruzsky. These answers were:
1) From Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich - Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Front.
2) From General Sakharov - the actual commander-in-chief of the Romanian Front (the king of Romania was actually the commander-in-chief, and Sakharov was his chief of staff).
3) From General Brusilov - Commander-in-Chief of the Southwestern Front.
4) From General Evert - Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front.
5) From Ruzsky himself - Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Front. All five commanders-in-chief of the fronts and General Alekseev (General Alekseev was the chief of staff under the Sovereign) spoke out in favor of the Sovereign Emperor’s abdication of the throne.” (Vas. Shulgin “Days”)

• On March 2, at about 3 p.m., Tsar Nicholas II decided to abdicate the throne in favor of his heir, Tsarevich Alexei under the regency of the younger sibling Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. During the day, the king decided to renounce his heir as well.
• March 4 - the Manifesto on the abdication of Nicholas II and the Manifesto on the abdication of Mikhail Alexandrovich were published in newspapers.

“The man rushed towards us - Darlings!” he shouted and grabbed me by the hand. “Did you hear that?” There is no king! There is only Russia left.
He kissed everyone deeply and rushed to run further, sobbing and muttering something... It was already one in the morning, when Efremov usually slept soundly.
Suddenly, at this inopportune hour, a loud and short sound of the cathedral bell was heard. Then a second blow, a third.
The beats became more frequent, a tight ringing was already floating over the town, and soon the bells of all the surrounding churches joined it.
Lights were lit in all the houses. The streets were filled with people. The doors of many houses stood wide open. Strangers, crying, hugged each other. A solemn and jubilant cry of steam locomotives flew from the direction of the station (K. Paustovsky “Restless Youth”)

If it did not resolve the economic, political and class contradictions in the country, it was a prerequisite for the February Revolution of 1917. Participation Tsarist Russia in the First World War showed the inability of its economy to carry out military tasks. Many factories stopped operating, the army experienced a shortage of equipment, weapons, and food. The country's transport system is absolutely not adapted to martial law, agriculture lost its position. Economic difficulties have increased external debt Russia to enormous proportions.

Intending to extract maximum benefits from the war, the Russian bourgeoisie began to create unions and committees on issues of raw materials, fuel, food, etc.

True to the principle of proletarian internationalism, the Bolshevik party revealed the imperialist nature of the war, which was waged in the interests of the exploiting classes, its aggressive, predatory essence. The party sought to channel the discontent of the masses into the mainstream of the revolutionary struggle for the collapse of the autocracy.

In August 1915, the “Progressive Bloc” was formed, which planned to force Nicholas II to abdicate in favor of his brother Mikhail. Thus, the opposition bourgeoisie hoped to prevent revolution and at the same time preserve the monarchy. But such a scheme did not ensure bourgeois-democratic transformations in the country.

The reasons for the February Revolution of 1917 were anti-war sentiments, the plight of workers and peasants, political lack of rights, and a decline in authority autocratic power and its failure to implement reforms.

Driving force in the struggle was the working class, led by the revolutionary Bolshevik party. The allies of the workers were the peasants, demanding the redistribution of land. The Bolsheviks explained to the soldiers the goals and objectives of the struggle.

The main events of the February revolution happened quickly. Over the course of several days, a wave of strikes took place in Petrograd, Moscow and other cities with the slogans “Down with the tsarist government!”, “Down with the war!” On February 25 the political strike became general. Executions and arrests were unable to stop the revolutionary onslaught of the masses. Government troops were brought into combat readiness, the city of Petrograd was turned into a military camp.

February 26, 1917 marked the beginning of the February Revolution. On February 27, soldiers of the Pavlovsky, Preobrazhensky and Volynsky regiments went over to the side of the workers. This decided the outcome of the struggle: on February 28, the government was overthrown.

The outstanding significance of the February Revolution is that it was the first popular revolution in the era of imperialism in history, which ended in victory.

During the February Revolution of 1917, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne.

Dual power arose in Russia, which became a kind of result of the February Revolution of 1917. On the one hand, the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies is a body of people's power, on the other hand, the Provisional Government is an organ of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie headed by Prince G.E. Lvov. In organizational matters, the bourgeoisie was more prepared for power, but was unable to establish autocracy.

The provisional government pursued an anti-people, imperialist policy: the land issue was not resolved, factories remained in the hands of the bourgeoisie, agriculture and industry were in dire need, there was not enough fuel for railway transport. The dictatorship of the bourgeoisie only deepened economic and political problems.

After the February revolution, Russia experienced an acute political crisis. Therefore, there was a growing need for the bourgeois-democratic revolution to develop into a socialist one, which was supposed to lead to the power of the proletariat.

One of the consequences of the February revolution is October Revolution under the slogan “All power to the Soviets!”

Since the revolution of 1905-1907 did not resolve the economic, political and class contradictions in the country, it was a prerequisite for the February Revolution of 1917. The participation of Tsarist Russia in the First World War showed the inability of its economy to carry out military tasks. Many factories stopped operating, the army experienced a shortage of equipment, weapons, and food. The country's transport system is absolutely not adapted to martial law, agriculture has lost ground. Economic difficulties increased Russia's external debt to enormous proportions.

Intending to extract maximum benefits from the war, the Russian bourgeoisie began to create unions and committees on issues of raw materials, fuel, food, etc.

True to the principle of proletarian internationalism, the Bolshevik party revealed the imperialist nature of the war, which was waged in the interests of the exploiting classes, its aggressive, predatory essence. The party sought to channel the discontent of the masses into the mainstream of the revolutionary struggle for the collapse of the autocracy.

In August 1915, the “Progressive Bloc” was formed, which planned to force Nicholas II to abdicate in favor of his brother Mikhail. Thus, the opposition bourgeoisie hoped to prevent revolution and at the same time preserve the monarchy. But such a scheme did not ensure bourgeois-democratic transformations in the country.

The reasons for the February Revolution of 1917 were anti-war sentiment, the plight of workers and peasants, political lack of rights, the decline in the authority of the autocratic government and its inability to carry out reforms.

The driving force in the struggle was the working class, led by the revolutionary Bolshevik Party. The allies of the workers were the peasants, demanding the redistribution of land. The Bolsheviks explained to the soldiers the goals and objectives of the struggle.

The main events of the February revolution happened quickly. Over the course of several days, a wave of strikes took place in Petrograd, Moscow and other cities with the slogans “Down with the tsarist government!”, “Down with the war!” On February 25 the political strike became general. Executions and arrests were unable to stop the revolutionary onslaught of the masses. Government troops were put on alert, the city of Petrograd was turned into a military camp.

February 26, 1917 marked the beginning of the February Revolution. On February 27, soldiers of the Pavlovsky, Preobrazhensky and Volynsky regiments went over to the side of the workers. This decided the outcome of the struggle: on February 28, the government was overthrown.

The outstanding significance of the February Revolution is that it was the first popular revolution in the era of imperialism in history, which ended in victory.

During the February Revolution of 1917, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne.

Dual power arose in Russia, which became a kind of result of the February Revolution of 1917. On the one hand, the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies is a body of people's power, on the other hand, the Provisional Government is an organ of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie headed by Prince G.E. Lvov. In organizational matters, the bourgeoisie was more prepared for power, but was unable to establish autocracy.

The provisional government pursued an anti-people, imperialist policy: the land issue was not resolved, factories remained in the hands of the bourgeoisie, agriculture and industry were in dire need, and there was not enough fuel for railway transport. The dictatorship of the bourgeoisie only deepened economic and political problems.

After the February revolution, Russia experienced an acute political crisis. Therefore, there was a growing need for the bourgeois-democratic revolution to develop into a socialist one, which was supposed to lead to the power of the proletariat.

One of the consequences of the February revolution is the October revolution under the slogan “All power to the Soviets!”

From February to October

The February Revolution ended in victory for the rebels. The monarchy was overthrown, the old political system was destroyed. Power passed to the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.

Now, in addition to the problems of war and the welfare of the working and peasant classes, questions about the future structure of the state have been added.

The period from February to October is usually divided into two stages:

The promises of the Provisional Government made on March 3 (political freedom, amnesty, abolition of the death penalty, prohibition of discrimination) were not fulfilled. The government, on the contrary, preferred to maintain and strengthen its power at the local level. The solution to pressing problems was postponed. This led to the crisis in April 1917.

P.N. Miliukov made an appeal to the allies that Russia intended to wage the war to a victorious end. This “note” caused discontent among the war-weary people, who were waiting and wanting action on the part of the authorities on the decision internal problems. The rebels demanded the country's exit from the war and the transfer of power to the Soviets. As a result, Miliukov and Guchkov were removed, and a new government was created on May 6.

The 1st coalition promised to quickly find a peaceful way out of the war for Russia, deal with the agrarian issue and take control of production. But failure at the front caused a new surge of popular unrest, lowered the reputation of the 1st coalition and again raised the authority of the Soviets. In order to reduce the influence of the opposition, the Provisional Government disarmed the demonstrators and returned harsh discipline to the army. From that moment on, the Soviets were removed from power, and control of the country was completely in the hands of the Provisional Government.

On July 24, the 2nd coalition was created, led by General Kornilov. After unsuccessful attempt find common language between political forces at the State Conference, Kornilov began an attempt to establish a military dictatorship. The general's troops were stopped, and the balance of forces changed again: the number of the Bolshevik party grew rapidly, and their plans became more and more radical

To pacify revolutionary sentiments, they formed the 3rd coalition, Russia was proclaimed a republic (September 1), and the All-Russian Democratic Conference was convened (September 14). But all these actions were ineffective, and the government’s authority was increasingly declining. The Bolsheviks began to prepare to seize power.

On October 24, the main places in the city (telegraph, train stations, bridges, etc.) were occupied. By evening, the government was occupied in the Winter Palace, and the next day the ministers were arrested.

On October 25, the Second Congress of Soviets was opened, at which they adopted the Decree on Peace (making peace on any terms) and the Decree on Land (recognizing the land and its subsoil as the property of the people, prohibiting its rental and the use of hired labor)

October Revolution of 1917 in Russia

Reasons for the October Revolution of 1917:

war fatigue;

the country's industry and agriculture were on the verge of complete collapse;

catastrophic financial crisis;

the unresolved agrarian question and the impoverishment of peasants;

delaying socio-economic reforms;

the contradictions of dual power became a prerequisite for a change of power.

On July 3, 1917, unrest began in Petrograd demanding the overthrow of the Provisional Government. Counter-revolutionary units, by order of the government, used weapons to suppress the peaceful demonstration. Arrests began and the death penalty was reinstated.

The dual power ended in the victory of the bourgeoisie. The events of July 3-5 showed that the bourgeois Provisional Government did not intend to fulfill the demands of the working people, and it became clear to the Bolsheviks that it was no longer possible to take power peacefully.

At the VI Congress of the RSDLP(b), which took place from July 26 to August 3, 1917, the party set its sights on socialist revolution through armed uprising.

At the August State Conference in Moscow, the bourgeoisie intended to declare L.G. Kornilov as a military dictator and to coincide with this event the dispersal of the Soviets. But active revolutionary action thwarted the plans of the bourgeoisie. Then Kornilov moved troops to Petrograd on August 23.

The Bolsheviks, carrying out extensive propaganda work among the working masses and soldiers, explained the meaning of the conspiracy and created revolutionary centers to fight the Kornilov revolt. The rebellion was suppressed, and the people finally realized that the Bolshevik Party is the only party that defends the interests of the working people

In mid-September V.I. Lenin developed a plan for an armed uprising and ways to implement it. The main goal The October Revolution was the conquest of power by the Soviets.

On October 12, the Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) was created - a center for preparing an armed uprising. Zinoviev and Kamenev, opponents of the socialist revolution, gave the terms of the uprising to the Provisional Government.

The uprising began on the night of October 24, the opening day of the Second Congress of Soviets. The government was immediately isolated from the armed units loyal to it.

October 25 V.I. Lenin arrived in Smolny and personally led the uprising in Petrograd. During the October Revolution, important objects such as bridges, telegraphs, and government offices were captured.

On the morning of October 25, 1917, the Military Revolutionary Committee announced the overthrow of the Provisional Government and the transfer of power to the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. On October 26 it was captured Winter Palace and members of the Provisional Government were arrested.

The October Revolution in Russia took place with the full support of the people. The alliance of the working class and the peasantry, the transition of the armed army to the side of the revolution, and the weakness of the bourgeoisie determined the results of the October Revolution of 1917.

On October 25 and 26, 1917, the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held, at which the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) was elected and the first Soviet government, the Council of People's Commissars (SNK), was formed. V.I. was elected Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. Lenin. He put forward two Decrees: the “Decree on Peace,” which called on the warring countries to stop hostilities, and the “Decree on Land,” which expressed the interests of the peasants.

The adopted Decrees contributed to the victory of Soviet power in the regions of the country.

November 3, 1917 with the capture of the Kremlin Soviet power won in Moscow too. Further, Soviet power was proclaimed in Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Crimea, the North Caucasus, Central Asia. The revolutionary struggle in Transcaucasia dragged on until the end of the civil war (1920-1921), which was a consequence of the October Revolution of 1917.

The Great October Socialist Revolution divided the world into two camps - capitalist and socialist.

Introduction

The history of Russia is one of the richest and most diverse in events in the whole world. After all, what a country is, such is its history. This is despite the fact that much remains unexplored, much is generally unknown. However, for all its greatness, the history of Russia is also one of the most tragic in the world. In every period of the history of our country, sad, sometimes difficult in their consequences, sometimes terrible events took place. A considerable number of these happened in the 20th century, especially in its first half, a century that became difficult not only for our country, but practically for the whole of Europe.

The content of this work is a series tragic events that occurred in Russia in the first quarter of the 20th century, in 1917. These events are the two revolutions (as well as all the numerous phenomena associated with them), which happened in February and October 1917 and received during Soviet Union names of bourgeois-democratic and socialist revolutions respectively. These events occurred in a fairly short period of time (in fact, the October Revolution was a consequence of the February Revolution), but brought colossal changes to the country, carried out a radical revolution in everything that had been created several centuries before. Russian Empire ceased to exist, and the country began to be built in a new way.

There are a huge number of assessments of all these events: for some, it is a national catastrophe that led to Civil War and the establishment of a totalitarian system of government in Russia (or, conversely, to the death Great Russia like empires); for others - the greatest progressive event in the history of mankind, which had a huge impact on the whole world, and allowed Russia to choose a non-capitalist path of development, eliminate feudal remnants and, in 1917, most likely saved it from disaster. Between these extreme points There are also many intermediate ones.

Therefore, the purpose and objectives of this work are accordingly the need to consider the main events associated with this period and describe the role of the Bolsheviks in these events; give an objective assessment and draw conclusions about this period in the history of Russia and its consequences from the point of view of the general, widespread version of the two revolutions of 1917.

Results of the February Revolution

As a result of the February revolution, a unique political situation developed in Russia. At the same time, there were two authorities - the Provisional Government and the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. Thus, there was dual power in the country.

The revolution did not bring the expected renewal of the social atmosphere. By about mid-March, it became obvious that almost no one was happy with the results of February:

§ Financial situation The "lower classes" not only did not improve, but quickly deteriorated. Unemployment grew, prices for the most necessary products increased abruptly.

§ The war with its enormous casualties continued. Millions of soldiers still did not leave the trenches. Many peasant families were left without breadwinners and had been in poverty for three years.

§ The middle strata: bureaucrats, officers, intelligentsia - welcomed the political freedom brought by the February Revolution, but they soon discovered that this freedom also had a downside.

§ Political stability hesitated, which had a bad effect on both the material and moral state of the middle strata. This especially affected the position of the officers, in the conditions of democratization and the progressive decomposition of the army, who felt themselves deprived of their usual foundations.

§ The Provisional Government left essentially the entire old state apparatus intact. The old officials and the old order remained in all ministries and other central bodies. Only one minister was new.

§ The masses who carried out the revolution hoped that new government would immediately resolve the land issue, but the Provisional Government only called on the peasants to wait for the convocation Constituent Assembly and not resort to violent land acquisition.

§ The policy of the Provisional Government in resolving the agrarian question was fully supported by the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries; they condemned the peasants for “agrarian unrest” and unauthorized seizure of land.

§ The provisional government decisively rejected workers' demands for an 8-hour working day. Only the persistent struggle of St. Petersburg workers led to the fact that the union of Petrograd factory owners and factory owners signed an agreement on March 11, 1917 on the introduction of an 8-hour working day at industrial enterprises in Petrograd. But under pressure from factory owners from other cities and the government, already on March 16, the Petrograd capitalists declared that their concession was temporary.

§ The government and bourgeois leaders completely rejected the workers' demands for improved working conditions and higher wages.

The bourgeois Provisional Government only declared the destruction of national inequality in Russia, but in fact continued to carry out purely national policy in relation to non-Russian peoples. It strongly opposed granting the rights to state independence to Finland, Ukraine and others national regions. In the early days of its activities, the Provisional Government had to enter into major clashes not only with the working masses of the national outskirts, but also with the local bourgeois strata of the population, who demanded expanded political rights for themselves. Such clashes between the Provisional Government soon occurred with Finland during the restoration of the activities of the Finnish Sejm and with Ukraine during the formation of the Central Ukrainian Rada. The Provisional Government followed an equally sharp anti-democratic course in its policy towards the mass of soldiers, who were the ally of the proletariat in the bourgeois-democratic revolution.

While the masses demanded to immediately begin negotiations on concluding a democratic and just peace, the bourgeois government not only did not want to conduct such negotiations, but also persistently sought to ensure that Russia would continue the imperialist war until the “victorious end.”

Foreign Minister Miliukov immediately upon assuming his duties told the ambassadors of France, England, Italy and the United States that Russia would remain faithful to its allies and would continue the war until victory over Germany and its allies.

However, the nationwide movement could not help but restrain the bourgeoisie in its military policy. The bourgeois government fully understood that the slogans “Down with war!” and "Peace to the peoples!" were widely popular among the masses and could not be ignored.

“The Russian Revolution of February-March 1917,” wrote V.I. Lenin, “was the beginning of the transformation of the imperialist war into a civil war. This revolution took the first step towards ending the war.”