Unit 4- 1917-

Question 1

by late february, how many were on strike in Petrograd?

Answer 1

240,000

Question 2

4 broad causes of the february revolution

Answer 2

•nicholas II
•political
•military
•economic

Question 3

what was the catalyst of the february revolution?

Answer 3

the Tsar took personal command of the army- which did not help the war effort and he was blamed for the defeats

Question 4

when did the Duma establish the ‘Progressive Bloc’ and what was it?

Answer 4

•by 1915
•the beginnings of calls for a constitutional monarchy

Question 5

how did Nicholas II cause the february revolution?

Answer 5

• took personal command of the army
• he left the Tsarina in charge. she was incompetent (she let rasputin run the government) and (because she was German) rumours circulated that she was trying to help Germany win
• he didn’t do anything to stop it, didn’t implement anything

Question 6

what were the political causes of the february revolution?

Answer 6

•opposition parties became more prolific, including socialist activists. On february 27th socialist Duma deputies, mainly Mensheviks and SR’s, took the leads in organising a citywide soviet
•political dissatisfaction spread as soldiers from urban and rural areas fought on the eastern front together
•the state Duma was reassembled but then dissolved again as it was seen to be an instigator of the riots

Question 7

what were the military causes of the february revolution?

Answer 7

•the army was badly led and poorly equipped. Russia had huge defeats in Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes- the Russians lost 200,000 men
•on the 26th of February the Army abandoned the Tsar- the soldiers mutinied and refused to put down the riots. The government lost control of the country

Question 8

what did the army do on the 26th of february 1917?

Answer 8

they abandoned the Tsar, the soldiers mutinied and refused to put down the riots. the government lost control.

Question 9

what were the economic causes of the february revolution?

Answer 9

•towns and factories grew but there was widespread worker poverty and poor living conditions
•the war took 15 million men from the farms and trains had to be used in the war so there was a lack of workers and transportation- which lead to food shortages and rising prices

Question 10

after the war, what percentage did inflation rise to?

Answer 10

300%

Question 11

what did the government ban after the war?

Answer 11

vodka

Question 12

what happened on the 22nd of January 1917?

Answer 12

150,000 workers demonstrated in Petrograd in the anniversary of Bloody Sunday

Question 13

what happened to international woman’s day?

Answer 13

it turned very political and others joined- an estimated 240,000

Question 14

what happened on the 28th of february?

Answer 14

nicholas’ train was diverted and he was forced to abdicate

Question 15

After the abdication of the Tsar, what power system emerged?

Answer 15

a ‘Dual power system’ emerged between the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet

Question 16

what did the Provisional government consist of?

Answer 16

the remains of the Duma, mostly elites, they were led by Prince Lvov
•centre-right in outlook
•they had all the responsibility to rule but no support

Question 17

what did the Petrograd Soviet consist of?

Answer 17

a collection of socialist groups dominated by the Mensheviks
•far left in outlook
•had all the support but no responsibility

Question 18

what were 3 decisions the Provisional Government made that caused them to become unpopular?

Answer 18

•it was clear that they supported the war
• they failed to deal with land distribution so peasants began seizing the land
•they failed to deal with a collapsing economy

Question 19

how did the first few weeks of the Dual power system go?

Answer 19

it went well
•tsarist officials were arrested
•the secret police were disbanded
•freedom of the press was introduced
•elections for the constituent assembly were planned

Question 20

what were the main challenges facing the provisional Government?

Answer 20

•the war
•the land and the peasants
•the national minorities
•social reform
•the deteriorating economic situation

Question 21

what was the general consensus about the war?

Answer 21

that it should be a defensive one

Question 22

why was War an issue for the PV?

Answer 22

•political parties were divided on whether to end the war or not
•the war put a huge strain on the economy and prevented the PV from dealing with social reform, amongst other issues

Question 23

how did the PV manage the War situation?

Answer 23

•there were anti war demonstrations
•mass desertions
•the problem was not resolved
•they launched a major offensive which led to widespread anger

Question 24

what was the issue with Land and Peasants?

Answer 24

they wanted land distributed, but the landed classes did not wish to see their properties simply handed over

Question 25

what happened regarding distribution of land to peasants?

Answer 25

•during the summer there were land seizures along with increased violence and armed robberies
•the PV tried to fix grain prices, but with inflation the peasants considered the prices too low and refused to send their grain to towns and cities
•they sent out the army to settle things but it only made the peasants more hostile

Question 26

what did the National minorities want?

Answer 26

•either outright independence or more autonomy
•political parties were divided in this as well

Question 27

how did the PV respond to the demands of the national minorities?

Answer 27

the Ukrainians were granted more independence, this enraged the Kadets and 3 Kadet ministers resigned

Question 28

what was the issue with social reform?

Answer 28

•increasing wages were matched with increasing prices
•workers now saw themselves as citizens worthy of respect
•peasants and workers wanted better conditions
•factories began to close

Question 29

how was the economic situation deteriorating?

Answer 29

•the railway system showed signs of breaking down
•568 factories closed in petrograd Feb-Jul 1917 which lead to the loss of 100,000 jobs
•grain price doubled in this time
•shortages of raw materials

Question 30

what happened as a result of the decline in the economy?

Answer 30

•there was a massive decline in living standards
•people were angry at the PV

Question 31

why did nicholas II’s poor leadership lead to the febuary revolution?