Why Did the Russian Tsar Abdicate in March 1917?
Why Did the Tsar Abdicate in March 1917?The Tsar of Russia was known as the Little Father. He was an autocratic ruler of a vast country, which spanned across two continents, Europe and Asia. It had over 16 nationalities and very poor lines of communication; roads were mud tracks and there was only one railway line. All of this made it a very difficult country to rule. The Tsar was greatly respected by his people and he had total control. However, by 1917, this had all changed and the Tsar was forced to abdicate. In this essay I will explore the reasons why such a respected man several years later became a disgrace, was removed from office and killed, along with his family.1917 was not the first revolution Russia had ever seen, 12 years earlier in 1905 there was nearly a whole year of revolution. This revolution broke out for a number of reasons. Firstly, the long term reasons were there; working and living conditions for the peasants were very poor. Then Russia started a war with Japan; this could have been a good thing for if they had won it would have renewed faith in the Tsar. This was not the case, Russia suffered numerous defeats, soldiers got angry and started to mutiny, as on the battleship Potemkin.
If he could have turned the situation around then, things may have been all right. Industry improved by 100%, their oilfields were only challenged by those of Texas. Rasputin was a holy man with healing powers, who was healing Alexis the Tsar's son. Soldiers were very badly equipped, they died without weapons or boots. However, things did not get better, so now the people had him to blame for the defeats. This also meant leaving the Tsarina in charge. Patriotism like this had not been seen for years, people were singing the national anthem and were cheering the Tsar's every word. The soldiers refused to fire upon the crowds, they were angry as well. Although he seemed on the surface to keep these promises, practically speaking he did not. People believed she was working for the Germans against them. Men, women and soldiers now marched on the Duma and demanded they took control. He got the third Duma more power (this was after the first two Dumas had been dissolved). During 1914, Russia had enough food to feed all and to export. In 1906, a man named Peter Stolypin was made Prime Minister by the Tsar. The Duma now sent the Tsar an urgent telegram portraying how desperate the situation was.
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