Uprisings in Russia

             Pressure for social and political change existed in Russia long before the outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914. The involvement in the war brought opposition to an already unpopular Tsarist Nicholas II regime.
             As workers and peasants were forced to join the Russian army, the economy crumbled as the country could not cope with the demands of the war. Enormous casualties suffered in the war brought more unpopular opinions toward the regime.
             In March 1917, food shortages led to riots in Petrograd. On March 8th resistance groups were formed all over the city by people which led to protests and riots against the regime. The crowds demanded food and the step down of Tsar. 90,000 men and women were on strike. Encounters with the police were mounting and the workers continued to occupy the streets as the tension increased with the protestors. The next day, the protestors were back on the streets but were yelling out different demands: "Give us bread and we will go to work," "Down with the Government," "Down with the Romanoffs," and occasionally "Down with the War!".
             More agitation grew as the regime did not meet their demands and on March 10th, there were protests throughout the whole capital. During the 2 days of protests, violence arose against the police which resulted in people dying on each side. When the Cossack troops were called in to disperse the crowds, they refused to fire their weapons and joined in the rioting. The army generals reported that it would be pointless to send in any more troops, because they would only join in with the other protestors. The protestors began to capture and seize police stations and small buildings as they burnt them to the ground. On March 11th, the troops of the Petrograd garrison were called out to suppress the violent riots. Things got really messy in the confrontation and a lot of people were just fired upon and killed by the troops. That still...

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Uprisings in Russia. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 19:44, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/13206.html