Discover how Petrograd's harsh winter of 1917 and the February strikes ignited the Russian Revolution, leading to Tsar Nicholas II's abdication and the rise of the Bolsheviks.

Petrograd's Harsh Winter of 1917: The Spark That Ignited the Russian Revolution

• • The conditions in Petrograd were grim, with a stark division between the workers and the elite.
  • The workers' quarters and factories were located on the right bank of the River Neva, while the left bank housed the fashionable areas, the Winter Palace, and official buildings.
  • In February 1917, food shortages were severely felt in the workers' quarters, compounded by exceptionally cold weather, frost, and heavy snow.
  • The government faced opposition from parliamentarians who were against Tsar's wish to dissolve the Duma.
• February 1917 Strikes

  

  • On 22 February, a lockout took place at a factory on the right bank of the River Neva.
  • The following day, workers in fifty factories went on strike in solidarity.
  • Women workers led many of the strikes, which came to be known as International Women’s Day.
  • Women workers at the Lorenz telephone factory, such as Marfa Vasileva, played a pivotal role in organizing the strikes.
  • Marfa Vasileva initiated the strike by stopping work, and her actions inspired other workers to join in solidarity.
  • Demonstrating workers marched from the factories to Nevskii Prospekt, crossing from the right bank to the heart of the city.
  • At this stage, no political party was organizing the movement.



• Government Response
  • The government imposed a curfew as workers surrounded the fashionable quarters and official buildings.
  • Demonstrators dispersed by evening but returned on 24th and 25th February.
  • The government called out the cavalry and police to monitor the demonstrators.
  • On 25th February, the government suspended the Duma, drawing political opposition from key figures.
  • Demonstrators returned in force on the 26th, and the Police Headquarters were ransacked on 27th February.
  • The streets were full of people raising slogans demanding bread, wages, better hours, and democracy.

  

  • The government called out cavalry again, but the troops refused to fire on the demonstrators.
  • An officer was shot, and three regiments mutinied, joining the striking workers.
• The Petrograd Soviet and the Tsar’s Abdication
  • By the evening of 27th February, soldiers and striking workers formed a 'Soviet' in the Duma building, called the Petrograd Soviet.
  • The next day, a delegation was sent to Tsar Nicholas II, advising him to abdicate.
  • Under pressure from military commanders, the Tsar abdicated on 2 March 1917.
  • A Provisional Government was formed by Soviet leaders and Duma members to govern the country.
  • The future of Russia would be decided by a constituent assembly elected by universal suffrage.
• Women in the February Revolution
  • Women workers were instrumental in leading the strikes, with figures like Marfa Vasileva playing a central role.
  • On Women’s Day, women workers presented red bows to men and later organized a strike at the Lorenz telephone factory.
  • Marfa Vasileva refused to return to work, declaring, “I cannot be the only one who is satiated when others are hungry.”
  • Her actions inspired other workers, and soon the entire factory went on strike, joining the larger movement across the city.
• After February 1917
  • The Provisional Government had significant influence from army officials, landowners, and industrialists, but liberals and socialists worked towards an elected government.
  • Soviets were set up everywhere, although no uniform system of elections was followed.
  • In April 1917, Lenin returned from exile and proposed his 'April Theses,' calling for an end to the war, land redistribution, and the nationalization of banks.
  • Lenin’s 'April Theses' declared that the Bolshevik Party would now be known as the Communist Party to reflect its new radical goals.
  • Many Bolsheviks were initially surprised by Lenin’s stance, thinking the time wasn’t yet ripe for a socialist revolution.
  • Throughout the summer, the workers' movement spread, with factory committees questioning the way industrialists ran factories, and trade unions growing in number.
  • Soldiers' committees were formed in the army, and in June 1917, 500 Soviets sent representatives to an All-Russian Congress of Soviets.
  • As Bolshevik influence grew, the Provisional Government took stern measures against workers' movements, including arresting leaders and suppressing popular demonstrations.

  

• The October Revolution of 1917
  • By September 1917, Lenin feared that the Provisional Government would set up a dictatorship, so he began preparations for an uprising.
  • On 16 October, Lenin persuaded the Petrograd Soviet and the Bolshevik Party to agree to a socialist seizure of power.
  • A Military Revolutionary Committee, led by Leon Trotskii, was appointed to organize the seizure of power.

  

  • The uprising began on 24 October 1917 with the Military Revolutionary Committee ordering its supporters to seize government offices and arrest ministers.
  • Pro-government troops attempted to seize Bolshevik newspapers and protect the Winter Palace.
  • The Bolsheviks responded by capturing government offices, and the ship Aurora shelled the Winter Palace.
  • By nightfall, Petrograd was under the control of the Bolsheviks, and the ministers surrendered.
  • The All-Russian Congress of Soviets approved the Bolshevik actions, and uprisings spread to other cities, with heavy fighting in Moscow.
  • By December 1917, the Bolsheviks had consolidated control over Petrograd and Moscow.