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Why did the Tsarist autocracy collapse in 1917?
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- At the beginning of the twentieth century unlike other European rulers, the Tsar was not subject to parliament . Liberals in Russia campaigned to end this state of affairs with the Social Democrats and Socialist Revolutionaries.
- When the procession of workers led by Father Gapon reached the Winter Palace it was attacked by the police and the Cossacks . Over 100 workers were killed and about 300 wounded . The incident , known as Bloody Sunday , started a series of events that became known as the 1905 Revolution .
- During the 1905 Revolution , the Tsar allowed the creation of an elected consultative Parliament or Duma . But later he dismissed the first two Dumas and packed the third Duma with conservative politicians because he did not want any questioning of his authority or any reduction in his power.
- During the first World War , anti-German sentiments ran high and Tsarina Alexandra’s German origins and poor advisers , especially a monk called Rasputin , made the autocracy unpopular. Tsar Nicholes II did not consult with the political parties in Duma.
- Russia’s armies lost badly in Germany and Austria between 1914 and 1916 . As they retreated , the Russian army destroyed crops and buildings to prevent the enemy from being able to live off the land. The destruction of crops and buildings led to over 3 million refugees in Russia. The situation discredited the government and the Tsar .
- During the winters of 1917 , demonstrations and strikes started in Petrograd with slogans like bread, wages, better hours and democracy. The government called out the cavalry to try to control the situation but the cavalry refused to fire on the demonstrators . Soldiers and striking workers had gathered to form a ‘soviet’ or ‘council’. Tsar abdicated (quit) on the advice of his military general .
(Any Five)
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