By the evening of February 27, almost the entire composition of the Petrograd garrison - about 160 thousand people - went over to the side of the rebels. The commander of the Petrograd Military District, General Khabalov, is forced to inform Nicholas II: “Please report to His Imperial Majesty that I could not fulfill the order to restore order in the capital. Most of the units, one after another, betrayed their duty, refusing to fight against the rebels.”

The idea of ​​a “cartel expedition”, which provided for the removal of individual military units from the front and sending them to rebellious Petrograd, also did not continue. All this threatened to result in a civil war with unpredictable consequences.
Acting in the spirit of revolutionary traditions, the rebels released from prison not only political prisoners, but also criminals. At first they easily overcame the resistance of the “Crosses” guards, and then took the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The uncontrollable and motley revolutionary masses, not disdaining murders and robberies, plunged the city into chaos.
On February 27, at approximately 2 o'clock in the afternoon, soldiers occupied the Tauride Palace. The State Duma found itself in a dual position: on the one hand, according to the emperor’s decree, it should have dissolved itself, but on the other, the pressure of the rebels and the actual anarchy forced it to take some action. The compromise solution was a meeting under the guise of a “private meeting.”
As a result, a decision was made to form a government body - the Temporary Committee.

Later, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government P. N. Milyukov recalled:

"Intervention State Duma gave the street and military movement a center, gave it a banner and a slogan, and thereby turned the uprising into a revolution, which ended with the overthrow of the old regime and dynasty.”

The revolutionary movement grew more and more. Soldiers capture the Arsenal, the Main Post Office, the telegraph office, bridges and train stations. Petrograd found itself completely in the power of the rebels. The real tragedy took place in Kronstadt, which was overwhelmed by a wave of lynching that resulted in the murder of more than a hundred officers of the Baltic Fleet.
On March 1, the chief of staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, General Alekseev, in a letter begs the emperor “for the sake of saving Russia and the dynasty, put at the head of the government a person whom Russia would trust.”

Nicholas states that by giving rights to others, he deprives himself of the power given to them by God. The possibility of peaceful transformation of the country into constitutional monarchy was already missed.

After the abdication of Nicholas II on March 2, a dual power actually developed in the state. Official power was in the hands of the Provisional Government, but real power belonged to the Petrograd Soviet, which controlled the troops, railways, mail and telegraph.
Colonel Mordvinov, who was on the royal train at the time of his abdication, recalled Nikolai’s plans to move to Livadia. “Your Majesty, go abroad as soon as possible. “Under current conditions, even in Crimea there is no way to live,” Mordvinov tried to convince the tsar. "No way. I wouldn’t like to leave Russia, I love it too much,” Nikolai objected.

Leon Trotsky noted that the February uprising was spontaneous:

“No one outlined the path for a coup in advance, no one from above called for an uprising. The indignation that had accumulated over the years broke out largely unexpectedly for the masses themselves.”

However, Miliukov insists in his memoirs that the coup was planned soon after the start of the war and before “the army was supposed to go on the offensive, the results of which would radically stop all hints of discontent and would cause an explosion of patriotism and jubilation in the country.” “History will curse the leaders of the so-called proletarians, but it will also curse us, who caused the storm,” wrote the former minister.
British historian Richard Pipes calls the actions of the tsarist government during the February uprising “fatal weakness of will,” noting that “the Bolsheviks in such circumstances did not hesitate to shoot.”
Although the February Revolution is called “bloodless,” it nevertheless claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians. In Petrograd alone, more than 300 people died and 1,200 were injured.

February Revolution began an irreversible process of collapse of the empire and decentralization of power, accompanied by the activity of separatist movements.

Poland and Finland demanded independence, Siberia started talking about independence, and the Central Rada formed in Kyiv proclaimed “autonomous Ukraine.”

The events of February 1917 allowed the Bolsheviks to emerge from underground. Thanks to the amnesty declared by the Provisional Government, dozens of revolutionaries returned from exile and political exile, who were already hatching plans for a new coup d'etat.

The main reasons for the February revolution:

1. Although the autocracy was at the last line, it continued to exist;

The workers sought to achieve better conditions labor;

3. National minorities needed, if not independence, then greater autonomy;

4. The people wanted an end to the terrible war. This new problem added to the old ones;

The population wanted to avoid hunger and impoverishment.

By the beginning of the 20th century. The agrarian question was acute in Russia. The reforms of Emperor Alexander II did not make life much easier for peasants and villages. The village continued to maintain a community, which was convenient for the government to collect taxes.

Peasants were forbidden to leave the community, so the village was overpopulated. Many high personalities of Russia tried to destroy the community as a feudal relic, but the community was protected by the autocracy, and they failed to do this. One of these people was S. Yu. Witte. Later, P. A. Stolypin managed to free the peasants from the community during his agrarian reform.

But the agrarian problem remained. The agrarian question led to the revolution of 1905 and remained the main one by 1917. The ruling circles of Russia saw the main chance to delay the death of the autocracy in the victorious end of the war with Germany. 15.6 million people were put under arms, of which up to 13 million

peasants By this time, the war of 14 was causing discontent among the masses, not without the participation of the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks authorized rallies in the capitals and other cities of Russia.

They also carried out agitation in the army, which negatively affected the mood of soldiers and officers. People in the cities joined the Bolshevik demonstrations. All factories in Petrograd worked for the front, because of this there was a shortage of bread and other consumer goods. In Petrograd itself, the streets stretched long tails queues. By the end of 1916, the tsarist government expanded the issue of money so much that goods began to disappear from the shelves.

The peasants refused to sell food for depreciating money. They took the food to big cities: St. Petersburg, Moscow, etc.

The provinces “closed themselves” and the tsarist government switched to food appropriation, because the financial company's fortunes forced it. In 1914

The state wine monopoly was abolished, this stopped the agrarian drain of money into the agricultural sector. In February 1917, industrial centers were falling apart, Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities were starving, and the system of commodity-money relations was disrupted in the country.

Progress of the revolution of 1917

The workers wanted to support the Duma, but the police dispersed the workers as soon as they began to gather to go to the Duma. Chairman of the State Duma M. Rodzianko obtained a reception from the sovereign and warned that Russia was in danger. The emperor did not react to this. He did not deceive, but he was deceived himself, because the Minister of Internal Affairs ordered that local authorities send telegrams to Nicholas II about “ immeasurable love” of the people to the “adored monarch.”

The ministers deceived the emperor in everything related to domestic politics.

The Emperor believed them unconditionally in everything. Nicholas was more concerned about affairs at the front, which were not going well. in the best possible way. Not a solution internal problems, the financial crisis, the difficult war with Germany - all this led to spontaneous protests that grew into the February Bourgeois Revolution 1917

By mid-February, 90 thousand Petrograd workers went on strike due to bread shortages, speculation and rising prices.

Strikes occurred in only a few factories.

Discontent among the masses arose largely due to the food issue (in particular, the lack of bread) and most of all this worried women, who had to wait in long lines in the hope of getting at least something.

In many workshops groups gathered, read the leaflet distributed by the Bolsheviks, and passed it from hand to hand.

During the lunch break, rallies began at most factories in the Vyborg region and at a number of enterprises in other regions.

Women workers angrily denounced the tsarist government, protested against the lack of bread, the high cost, and the continuation of the war. They were supported by Bolshevik workers at every large and small factory on the Vyborg side. There were calls everywhere for work to stop. The ten enterprises that were on strike on Bolshoy Sampsonievsky Prospekt were joined by others from 10–11 a.m. In total, according to police data, about 90 thousand workers of 50 enterprises went on strike. Thus, the number of strikers exceeded the scope of the strike on February 14.

If there were few demonstrations then, on February 23, the majority of workers remained on the streets for some time before going home and took part in mass demonstrations. Many strikers were in no hurry to disperse, but long time remained on the streets and agreed to the calls of the strike leaders to continue the demonstration and go to the city center. The demonstrators were excited, which anarchist elements did not fail to take advantage of: 15 shops were destroyed on the Vyborg side.

The workers stopped the trams, and if the car drivers and conductors showed resistance, they turned the cars over. In total, the police counted, 30 tram trains were stopped.

From the first hours, the events of February 23 revealed a peculiar combination of organization and spontaneity, so characteristic of everything further development February revolution. Rallies and speeches by women were planned by the Bolsheviks and Mezhrayontsy, as well as the possibility of strikes. However, no one expected such a significant scale.

The call of female workers, following the instructions of the Bolshevik Center, was very quickly and unanimously taken up by all male workers of the striking enterprises. The police were taken by surprise by the events. At about 4 p.m., workers from the outskirts, as if obeying a single call, moved to Nevsky Prospekt.

This was not surprising: just a week ago, on February 14, the workers, following the instructions of the Bolsheviks, also went to Nevsky, a traditional place for political demonstrations and rallies.

A meeting of the State Duma was taking place at the Tauride Palace.

She began working on February 14, in the alarming atmosphere of a major demonstration expected. This was reflected in the restrained position expressed in the speeches of Rodzianko, Miliukov and other speakers of the Progressive Bloc. The progressives who joined at the end of 1916 from the Progressive Bloc, the leader of the Menshevik faction, Chkheidze, spoke sharply.

On February 15, Miliukov declared in the Duma that the government had returned to the course it had pursued before October 17, 1905, “to fight against the entire country.” But he tried to distance himself from the “street”, which Lately encourages the Duma with statements that the country and the army are with it, and expects some kind of “deed” from the Duma. On Saturday and Sunday, February 18 and 19, the Duma did not meet, and on Monday the 20th a very short meeting was held.

The big plenary was scheduled for Thursday, February 23rd. Rumors about the movement that began on the Vyborg side quickly reached the Tauride Palace. Phone calls were heard in the rooms of the press, factions and commissions, and in the secretary of the Duma Chairman. At this time, a discussion of the food issue was taking place in the White Meeting Hall of the Duma. Then they moved on to a debate on the request submitted by the Menshevik and Trudovik factions for strikes at the Izhora and Putilov factories.

Meanwhile, it was during these hours that the movement further demonstrated its anti-government and anti-war orientation.

Information about this continued to flow into the Duma, but it did not change overall assessment events on the part of its members.

Late in the evening of February 23, at a safe house in a remote working-class area of ​​Petrograd, Novaya Derevnya, a meeting of members of the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) and the St. Petersburg Committee took place.

S., Georgiev V. A., Georgieva N. G., Sivokhina T. A. “History of Russia from ancient times to the present day”

They noted with satisfaction that the scope of events that day went far beyond their expectations: clashes with the police, rallies, the number of which on the streets could not even be accurately counted, a demonstration on Nevsky.

The number of strikers, according to their observations and rough estimates, even exceeded the number of those who went on strike on February 14. All this seemed to give the Bolsheviks complete revenge for the day of February 14, when caution was felt in the behavior of the masses and there were few demonstrations.

The next morning, at 7 o'clock, lines of workers again reached the gates of their enterprises.

They were in the most fighting mood. The majority decided not to start work. On February 24, 75 thousand people went on strike. The speakers, many of whom were Bolsheviks, called on the workers to immediately take to the streets. Revolutionary songs were heard everywhere. In some places red flags were flying upward. Tram traffic was stopped again. The entire street was filled with columns of demonstrators moving towards the Liteiny Bridge. Police and Cossacks more than once attacked workers on the approaches to the bridge.

They managed to temporarily interrupt the movement of demonstrators. The workers parted to let the horsemen pass. But as soon as they drove away, the workers moved forward again. They repeatedly broke through the Liteiny (Alexandrovsky) bridge to the left bank of the Neva. The fighting and high spirits of the workers that day intensified even more. The police chiefs of both Vyborg districts repeatedly reported to the mayor A.

P. Balku that they are not able to cope with the movement on their own.

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. The Council of Ministers decided to interrupt the meetings of the Duma and dissolve it for vacation. The moment for the peaceful, evolutionary transformation of the country into a constitutional monarchy was missed. Nicholas II sent troops from Headquarters to suppress the revolution, but a small detachment of General N.

I. Ivanova 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 guide 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.

On February 27, at a meeting of leaders of Duma factions, it was decided to form a Provisional Committee of the State Duma headed by M.

V. Rodzianko. The task of the committee was to “restoration of state and public order” and the creation of a new government.

The temporary committee took control of all ministries. On February 28, Nicholas II left Headquarters for Tsarskoe Selo, but was detained on the way by 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 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.

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, Mikhail abdicated the throne, saying that the future fate of the political system in Russia should be decided by constituent Assembly. The 300-year reign of the House of Romanov ended. Autocracy in Russia finally fell. It was main result revolution.

Results of the February Revolution

The February Revolution was not as swift as they like to describe it. Of course, compared to French Revolution, it was fleeting and almost bloodless.

But it was simply never mentioned that until the end of the revolution, the Tsar had a chance to save the autocracy in the same way as in 1905 - by issuing some kind of constitution.

But that did not happen. What is this – political colorblindness or lack of interest in everything that is happening? And yet, the February Revolution, which led to the overthrow of the autocracy, ended.

However, the peoples of Russia rose up to fight not only and not so much in order to overthrow the Romanov dynasty from the throne. The overthrow of the autocracy in itself did not solve the pressing problems facing the country.

February 1917 did not complete the revolutionary process, but began it new stage. After the February revolution, workers received an increase in wages, but inflation ate it up by the summer.

The lack of wages, housing, food, and basic necessities caused disappointment among the people in the results of the February revolution. The government continued the unpopular war, thousands of people died in the trenches.

Distrust in the Provisional Government grew, which resulted in mass street protests. From February to July 1917 The provisional government experienced three powerful political crises that threatened to overthrow it.

The February was a people's revolution

The February Revolution of 1917 in Russia is still called the Bourgeois-Democratic Revolution. 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...”
(You.

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.

  The 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 an “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 commander in chief was the King of Romania, 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? 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 hugged each other, crying. From the direction of the station came the solemn and jubilant cry of the locomotives (K.

Paustovsky "Restless Youth")

Results of the February Revolution of 1917

• Death penalty abolished
• Political freedoms granted
• The Pale of Settlement has been abolished
• The beginning of the trade union movement
• Amnesty for political prisoners

Russia has become the most democratic country in the world

• The economic crisis has not been stopped
• Participation in the war continued
• Permanent government crisis
• The collapse of the empire along national lines began
• The peasant question remained unresolved

Russia demanded a decisive government and it came in the form of the Bolsheviks

What is liberalism?
Where is the filibuster sea?
What is the League of Nations?

The nature of the revolution: bourgeois-democratic.

Goals: overthrow of the autocracy, elimination of landownership, class system, inequality of nations, establishment democratic republic, ensuring various democratic freedoms, alleviating the situation of workers.

Causes of the revolution: extreme aggravation of all contradictions Russian society, aggravated by war, economic devastation and the food crisis.

driving forces: working class, peasantry, liberal bourgeoisie, democratic strata of the population, intelligentsia, students, employees, representatives of oppressed peoples, army.

Course of events: February: strikes and demonstrations of Petrograd workers caused by dissatisfaction with the economic situation, food difficulties, and war.

14.02 - opening of the State Duma session. Rodzianko and Miliukov are cautious in criticizing the autocracy.

Progressives and Mensheviks are speeding up the confrontation with the government. Result: it was concluded that a change of government was necessary. 20-21.02 - the emperor hesitates, discusses the issue of the responsibility of the ministry, gathers in the Duma, but unexpectedly leaves for headquarters.

23.02 - spontaneous revolutionary explosion - the beginning of the revolution. 24-25.02 - strikes develop into a general strike. The troops remain neutral. There is no order to shoot. 26.02 - clashes with police escalate into battles with troops. 27.02 - the general strike turns into an armed uprising. The transition of troops to the side of the rebels began.

The rebels occupy the most important strategic points of the city and government buildings. On the same day, the Tsar interrupts the Duma session. The rebels come to the Tauride Palace. The authority of the Duma among the people was high. The Duma turned out to be the center of the revolution.

Duma deputies create a temporary committee of the State Duma, and workers and soldiers form the Petrograd Soviet. 28.02 - ministers and senior dignitaries were arrested. Rodzianko agrees to take power into the hands of the temporary Duma committee. The armed uprising was victorious. 2.03 - abdication of Nicholas II from the throne 3.03 - Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich abdicates the throne.

In fact, a republican system is being established in the country. March: The revolution wins throughout the country.

Results of the February Revolution: the overthrow of the autocracy, the beginning of economic and socio-political reform, the formation of dual power, the aggravation of problems in Russia.

February and October revolutions of 1917

Causes, course and results of the February Revolution and its features. Causes of the crises of the Provisional Government. Reasons, course and results October revolution.

The answer should start with analysis reasons for the February Revolution. Then we should note the peculiarity of this revolution, its main events and results.

Considering the events of February-October 1917, it is necessary to analyze in detail the causes of the crises of the Provisional Government and their consequences, causes rapid growth Bolshevik influence among the population. In conclusion, it is necessary to express your own (reasoned) opinion on the question of the inevitability of the Bolsheviks coming to power, as well as the peculiarities of the October events of 1917 (can they be considered a revolution?).

Sample answer plan:

1. February Revolution , its main events and results (February 23-27, 1917).

Causes of the revolution. Economic and political crisis, destabilization of the situation due to the protracted First World War; the decline of the moral authority of tsarism due to “Rasputinism” (what is this? Answer: this refers to the enormous influence of G. Rasputin on royal family, under whose patronage appointments to all top posts took place—an indicator of the decomposition of the regime).

Characteristic February Revolution - its spontaneous nature (not a single party was ready for the revolution).

Main events:

February 23, 1917. - the beginning of a strike at the Putilov plant (in the beginning, economic slogans prevailed: to improve the food supply of St. Petersburg, etc.).

February 26- mass demonstrations in Petrograd under anti-war slogans, clashes with police and troops.

February 27- the transition of the Petrograd garrison to the side of the rebels; formation of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies (Petrosovet) and the Provisional Committee of the State Duma.

2nd of March- Nicholas II’s abdication for himself and for his son Alexei in favor of his brother Mikhail Alexandrovich (this was Nicholas’s trick, since according to the law on succession to the throne he did not have the right to abdicate for his son → apparently he planned to declare his abdication illegal in the near future). At the same time, the Petrograd Soviet and the Temporary Committee of the State Duma agreed to create Provisional Government(should have operated until the convening of the Constituent Assembly) on the basis of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, but under the control of the Petrograd Soviet (the majority of ministerial portfolios were received by the Cadets and Octobrists, from the Petrograd Soviet the right-wing Socialist Revolutionary Kerensky entered the Government as Minister of Justice). The Petrograd Soviet also issued Order No. 1(abolition of honor in the army, introduction of soldiers' committees and elected commanders). Its meaning is that the soldiers fully supported the Petrograd Soviet, but at the same time the disintegration of the army began, a complete decline in military discipline.

March, 3rd- Michael’s abdication of the throne, but Russia was not proclaimed a republic (according to the “party in power” - the Cadets - this could only be done by the Constituent Assembly).

Results of the revolution: overthrow of the monarchy, the actual establishment of a republic (officially proclaimed only on September 1, 1917); Maximum democratic rights and freedoms of the population and universal suffrage were proclaimed. Thus, the February Revolution of 1917 can be considered a completed bourgeois-democratic revolution.

2. Dual power regime. Crisis of the Provisional Government. One of the results of the February Revolution was the establishment dual power(the presence of two alternative centers of power: the Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government). This was one of the reasons for the extreme instability of the political situation, reflected in the crises of the Provisional Government.

First crisis– April: because of the speech of the leader of the cadets, Minister of Foreign Affairs Miliukov, with a note about continuing the war to a victorious end. Result: mass anti-war demonstrations and the resignation of Miliukov and Guchkov (Minister of War, leader of the Octobrists).

Second crisis– June-July. Cause: an unsuccessful offensive at the front, followed by mass anti-war demonstrations; an attempt by the Bolsheviks to seize power under their cover → demonstrations were shot by troops, the Bolsheviks were outlawed as “German spies”; The composition of the Provisional Government changed (it included the leaders of the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries from the Petrograd Soviet, Kerensky became the chairman). Bottom line: the end of dual power, the center of power became the Provisional Government.

Third crisis– August. Cause: an attempt by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief General Kornilov to seize power on August 26-27 (talk in more detail about the features of the “Kornilov rebellion”, the position of Kerensky, the Cadets, the Socialist Revolutionaries and other parties). The rebellion was suppressed with the active participation of the Bolsheviks. Consequence– a sharp increase in their authority, Bolshevization of the Soviets in September 1917).

The general cause of the crises of the Provisional Government is persistent reluctance to solve pressing problems (about war, land, political system) before the convening of the Constituent Assembly. Moreover, elections to the Constituent Assembly were constantly postponed, which led to a decline in the authority of the government. One of the reasons for this government position is the idea of ​​“non-decision” of the cadets (what is its essence?).

Result: catastrophic deterioration of the situation in the country.

Was the Bolsheviks' rise to power inevitable? Most historians currently subscribe to the “two alternatives theory.” Its essence: the situation in the country by the autumn of 1917, due to the inaction of the Provisional Government, had deteriorated so much that it was now possible to get out of the crisis only with the help of tough radical measures, that is, the establishment of a dictatorship either “from the right” (military, Kornilov) or “ on the left" (Bolsheviks). Both of them promised to quickly solve all problems, without waiting for elections to the Constituent Assembly. The attempt to establish a dictatorship “on the right” failed, leaving the only alternative - the dictatorship “on the left” of the Bolsheviks.

Conclusion: the Bolsheviks’ rise to power in those specific historical conditions is logical and natural.

3. October Revolution.

Its feature is this is her almost bloodless character ( minimal amount victims during the storming of the Winter Palace and the capture of key objects in Petrograd).

When describing the events of October 24-25, it is necessary to analyze Lenin’s plan and answer the question of why the seizure of power was timed to coincide with the opening of the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets (the goal is to confront the deputies with the fact of a change of power).

Main events:

October 24– the seizure of key objects in Petrograd by the Red Guard and the Military Revolutionary Committee of the RSDLP(b).

the 25th of October- capture of the Winter Palace, arrest of the Provisional Government, proclamation of Soviet power.

Decisions of the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets and their significance. First events Soviet power in the political, economic, social, national and cultural spheres. Reasons for the “triumphant march” of Soviet power.

When preparing this topic, it is necessary to analyze the first decrees of Soviet power, to identify the reasons for the so-called “triumphal march” of Soviet power in November-December 1917. It is also necessary to characterize new structure authorities; main events in the socio-economic, political and cultural spheres, their results and consequences.

Sample answer plan:

1. II All-Russian Congress of Soviets: the first decrees of Soviet power.

– "decree on peace"“- an announcement of Russia’s withdrawal from the war, an appeal to all warring powers to begin negotiations for peace “without annexations and indemnities.”

– "decree on land“- the socialist-revolutionary land socialization program, popular among the peasants, was actually adopted (abolition of private ownership of land, gratuitous confiscation of landowners’ lands and division of it among the peasants according to labor and consumer standards) → the demands of the peasants were fully satisfied.

– "decree on power» – proclamation of the transfer of power to the Soviets; creation of a new power structure, elimination of the principle of separation of powers as bourgeois.

New system authorities:

It should be noted that initially the Bolsheviks approached all socialist parties with a proposal to join the Council of People's Commissars and the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, but only the Left Socialist Revolutionaries agreed (they received about 1/3 of the seats). Thus, until July 1918, the government was bipartisan.

Reasons for the “triumphant march of Soviet power” those. relatively peaceful (except for Moscow) and rapid establishment throughout the country: the almost instantaneous implementation by the Bolsheviks (albeit in a declarative form) of their promises, which initially ensured the support of the population, especially the peasants.

2. Socio-economic activities:

October-November 1917. – decrees on the introduction of an 8-hour working day and worker control at enterprises; nationalization of banks and large enterprises;

March 1918. – after the loss of grain-producing regions (Ukraine, etc.), the introduction of a food monopoly and fixed food prices.

3. Activities in the region national policy:

November 2, 1917. – "Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia": abolition of national privileges and restrictions; the right of nations to self-determination and the creation of their own states (Poland, Finland and the Baltic peoples immediately took advantage of this right).

Result: growing sympathy for Soviet Russia from colonial and semi-colonial countries, as well as from the national outskirts of Russia itself.

4. Activities in the field of education and culture:

January 1918- a decree on the separation of church from state and school from church, a decree on the abolition of the class-lesson education system, the introduction of a new calendar.

5. Political events:

January 3, 1918. – « Declaration of the Rights of Working and Exploited People"(combined all previous decrees on rights; was considered as an introduction to the Constitution).

January 5-6, 1918. - opening and dispersal of the Constituent Assembly by the Bolsheviks (for refusing to recognize the October Revolution and subsequent decrees of Soviet power as legal).

January 10, 1918. – III Congress of Soviets; approved the “Declaration” on January 3, 1918, proclaimed Russia a federation (RSFSR), confirmed the decree of the Second Congress on the socialization of the land.

July 1918. - Adoption first Constitution of the RSFSR(secured the new power structure of the Soviets), its characteristic feature– pronounced ideologization (course towards world revolution, etc.), deprivation voting rights exploiting classes.

In conclusion, it should be noted that after the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty in March 1918, the Bolsheviks found themselves in an extremely difficult situation and, in order to avoid starvation in the cities, were forced to begin requisitioning grain from the peasants (through the poor peasants' committees created in June 1918). Bottom line: growth of peasant discontent, which was taken advantage of by all counter-revolutionary forces from the Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks to the monarchists.

July 1918- an unsuccessful rebellion of the Left Social Revolutionaries (they opposed the new peasant policy of the Bolsheviks and peace with Germany).

Result: the formation of a one-party, only Bolshevik government and a one-party political system in the country.

The main reasons for the revolution were:

1) the existence in the country of remnants of the feudal-serf system in the form of autocracy and landownership;

2) spicy economic crisis, which struck leading industries and led to the decline of the country's agriculture;

3) heavy financial position countries (decrease in the ruble exchange rate to 50 kopecks; increase government debt 4 times);

4) the rapid growth of the strike movement and the rise of peasant unrest. In 1917, there were 20 times more strikes in Russia than on the eve of the first Russian revolution;

5) the army and navy ceased to be the military support of the autocracy; the growth of anti-war sentiment among soldiers and sailors;

6) the growth of opposition sentiments among the bourgeoisie and intelligentsia, dissatisfied with the dominance of tsarist officials and the arbitrariness of the police;

7) rapid change of government members; the appearance of personalities like G. Rasputin in the environment of Nicholas I, the fall in the authority of the tsarist government; 8) the rise of the national liberation movement of the peoples of the national borderlands.

On February 23 (March 8, New Style) demonstrations took place in Petrograd on the occasion of International Women's Day. The next day, a general strike swept the capital. On February 25, the events were reported to the emperor at headquarters. He ordered to “stop the riots.” The Duma was dissolved for two months by decree of Nicholas II. On the night of February 26, mass arrests of the leaders of revolutionary uprisings took place. On February 26, troops opened fire on demonstrators, killing and wounding more than 150 people. But after this, the troops, including the Cossacks, began to go over to the side of the rebels. On February 27, Petrograd was engulfed in revolution. The next day the city passed into the hands of the rebels. Duma deputies created a Temporary Committee for Restoring Order in Petrograd (chaired by M.V. Rodzianko), which tried to take control of the situation. At the same time, elections to the Petrograd Soviet took place, and its executive committee was formed, headed by the Menshevik N.S. Chkheidze.

On the night of March 1-2, by agreement of the Provisional Committee and the Petrograd Soviet, the Provisional Government was formed (chairman G.E. Lvov).

On March 2, Nicholas II abdicated the throne in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. He renounced the crown and transferred power to the Provisional Government, instructing it to hold elections to the Constituent Assembly, which would determine the future structure of Russia.

Several political groups have emerged in the country, proclaiming themselves the government of Russia:

1) A temporary committee of members of the State Duma formed a Provisional Government, whose main task was to win the trust of the population. The Provisional Government declared itself legislative and executive powers, in which the following disputes immediately arose:

About what the future Russia should be: parliamentary or presidential;

On ways to resolve the national question, land issues, etc.;

On the electoral law;

On elections to the Constituent Assembly.

At the same time, the time to solve current, fundamental problems was inevitably lost.

2) Organizations of persons who declared themselves authorities. The largest of them was the Petrograd Council, which consisted of moderate left-wing politicians and proposed that workers and soldiers delegate their representatives to the Council.

The Council declared itself the guarantor against a return to the past, against the restoration of the monarchy and the suppression of political freedoms.

The Council also supported the steps of the Provisional Government to strengthen democracy in Russia.

3) In addition to the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet, other local bodies of actual power were formed: factory committees, district councils, national associations, new authorities on the “national outskirts”, for example, in Kyiv - the Ukrainian Rada.”

The current political situation began to be called “dual power,” although in practice it was multiple power, developing into anarchic anarchy. Monarchist and Black Hundred organizations in Russia were banned and dissolved. In the new Russia, two political forces remained: liberal-bourgeois and left-wing socialist, but in which there were disagreements.

In addition, there was powerful pressure from the grassroots:

Hoping for a socio-economic improvement in life, the workers demanded an immediate increase wages, the introduction of an eight-hour working day, guarantees against unemployment and social security.

The peasants advocated the redistribution of neglected lands,

The soldiers insisted on easing discipline.

The disagreements of the “dual power”, its constant reform, the continuation of the war, etc. led to a new revolution - the October Revolution of 1917.

CONCLUSION.

So, the result of the February revolution of 1917 was the overthrow of the autocracy, the abdication of the tsar, the emergence of dual power in the country: the dictatorship of the big bourgeoisie represented by the Provisional Government and the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, which represented the revolutionary-democratic dictatorship of the proletariat and peasantry.

The victory of the February revolution was a victory of all active strata of the population over the medieval autocracy, a breakthrough that put Russia on par with advanced countries in the sense of proclaiming democratic and political freedoms.

The February Revolution of 1917 became the first victorious revolution in Russia and turned Russia, thanks to the overthrow of tsarism, into one of the most democratic countries. Originated in March 1917. dual power was a reflection of the fact that the era of imperialism and the world war unusually accelerated the course of the country's historical development and the transition to more radical transformations. The international significance of the February bourgeois-democratic revolution is also extremely great. Under its influence, the strike movement of the proletariat intensified in many warring countries.

The main event of this revolution for Russia itself was the need to carry out long-overdue reforms based on compromises and coalitions, and the renunciation of violence in politics.

The first steps towards this were taken in February 1917. But only the first...

The Great Russian Revolution is the revolutionary events that occurred in Russia in 1917, starting with the overthrow of the monarchy during the February Revolution, when power passed to the Provisional Government, which was overthrown as a result of the October Revolution of the Bolsheviks, who proclaimed Soviet power.

February Revolution of 1917 - Main revolutionary events in Petrograd

Reason for the revolution: Labor conflict at the Putilov plant between workers and owners; interruptions in the food supply to Petrograd.

Main events February Revolution took place in Petrograd. The army leadership, led by the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, General M.V. Alekseev, and the commanders of the fronts and fleets, considered that they did not have the means to suppress the riots and strikes that had engulfed Petrograd. Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the throne. After his intended successor, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, also abdicated the throne, the State Duma took control of the country, forming the Provisional Government of Russia.

With the formation of Soviets parallel to the Provisional Government, a period of dual power began. The Bolsheviks formed detachments of armed workers (Red Guard), thanks to attractive slogans they gained significant popularity, primarily in Petrograd, Moscow, in large industrial cities, the Baltic Fleet, and the troops of the Northern and Western Fronts.

	Demonstrations of women demanding bread and the return of men from the front.
	The beginning of a general political strike under the slogans: “Down with tsarism!”, “Down with autocracy!”, “Down with war!” (300 thousand people). Clashes between demonstrators and police and gendarmerie. The Tsar’s telegram to the commander of the Petrograd Military District demanding “to stop the unrest in the capital tomorrow!”
	Arrests of leaders of socialist parties and workers' organizations (100 people). Shooting of workers' demonstrations. Proclamation of the Tsar's decree dissolving the State Duma for two months. The troops (4th company of the Pavlovsk regiment) opened fire on the police.
	Mutiny of the reserve battalion of the Volyn regiment, its transition to the side of the strikers. The beginning of a massive transfer of troops to the side of the revolution. Creation of the Provisional Committee of Members of the State Duma and the Provisional Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet.
	Creation of a provisional government
	Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II from the throne

Results of the revolution and dual power

October Revolution of 1917 main events

During October revolution Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee, established by the Bolsheviks led by L.D. Trotsky and V.I. Lenin, overthrew the Provisional Government. At the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, the Bolsheviks withstand hard fight with the Mensheviks and Right Socialist Revolutionaries, the first Soviet government is formed. In December 1917, a government coalition of Bolsheviks and Left Socialist Revolutionaries was formed. Signed in March 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany.

By the summer of 1918, a one-party government was finally formed, and the active phase of the Civil War and foreign intervention in Russia began, which began with the uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps. Ending Civil War created the conditions for the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

	Main events of the October Revolution
	The provisional government suppressed peaceful demonstrations against the government, arrests, the Bolsheviks were outlawed, the death penalty was restored, the end of dual power.
	The 6th Congress of the RSDLP has passed - a course has been set for a socialist revolution.
	State meeting in Moscow, Kornilova L.G. they wanted to declare him a military dictator and simultaneously disperse all the Soviets. An active popular uprising disrupted the plans. Increasing the authority of the Bolsheviks.
	Kerensky A.F. declared Russia a republic.
	Lenin secretly returned to Petrograd.
	Meeting of the Bolshevik Central Committee, V.I. Lenin spoke. and emphasized that it is necessary to take power from 10 people - for, against - Kamenev and Zinoviev. The Political Bureau was elected, headed by Lenin.
	The Executive Committee of the Petrograd Council (headed by L.D. Trotsky) adopted the regulations on the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee (military revolutionary committee) - the legal headquarters for preparing the uprising. The All-Russian Revolutionary Center was created - a military revolutionary center (Ya.M. Sverdlov, F.E. Dzerzhinsky, A.S. Bubnov, M.S. Uritsky and I.V. Stalin).
	Kamenev in the newspaper " New life- with a protest against the uprising.
	Petrograd garrison on the side of the Soviets
	The Provisional Government gave the order to the cadets to seize the printing house of the Bolshevik newspaper “Rabochy Put” and arrest the members of the Military Revolutionary Committee who were in Smolny.
	Revolutionary troops occupied the Central Telegraph, Izmailovsky Station, controlled bridges, and blocked all cadet schools. The Military Revolutionary Committee sent a telegram to Kronstadt and Tsentrobalt about calling the ships of the Baltic Fleet. The order was carried out.
	October 25 - meeting of the Petrograd Soviet. Lenin gave a speech, uttering the famous words: “Comrades! The workers’ and peasants’ revolution, the need for which the Bolsheviks were always talking about, has come true.”
	The salvo of the cruiser Aurora became the signal for the assault Winter Palace, The Provisional Government was arrested.
	2nd Congress of Soviets, at which Soviet power was proclaimed.

Provisional Government of Russia in 1917

Heads of the Russian government in 1905 - 1917.

Witte S.Yu.	Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Goremykin I.L.	Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Stolypin P.A.	Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Kokovtsev V.II.	Chairman of the Council of Ministers