Silvapages

February Revolution

February of 1917 brought about great change for the czar and the people of Russia as workers went on strike in the two major cities of Moscow and Petrograd (renamed from St. Petersburg in 1914). Riots broke out as demands for higher food rations during that time of war became more insistent. The army was deployed to quell the unhappy masses. The soldiers mutinied and the army fell apart, for they too agreed with ideals of their fellow peasants. Nicholas II's power was dwindling.
 
Nicholas was quick to dissolve the Duma, but was not quick enough. It was not long before he was forced to abdicate by Lvov, Kerensky, and Milyukov. The people were happy to see the end of the Russian autocracy. Lvov took over as leader of Russia, but things did not go as well as planned as the provisional government was not supported well by the Russian people. That and the soviets of the soldiers were dysfunctional at best. 
 
The Social Revolutionaries and Mensheviks wanted a bourgeois provisional government and election by general suffrage. They forgot to address whether Russia should stay in World War I or not, and they always touchy Russia issue of the distribution of land.
 
In March, peace was demanded, and Lvov was forced to resign in May. Kerensky stepped in as head of the country. Milyukov became foreign minister and Chernov was made the minister of agriculture. Everything was peachy keen until that October.
 
 
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Works Cited
    Trenches on the Web - Timeline 1996-2000 Mike Iavarone, All Rights Reserved
    "February Revolution" Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia  1993-1997: 2.  Microsoft Corporation.  CD-ROM.  Microsoft Corporation. 1997
   "February Revolution" Encyclopedia.com Copyright © 2001 Infonautics Corporation
 
Written & Edited by: Gordon Lathrop
Web Editor: Gordon Lathrop