Northern Eurasia 1917: February Revolution
8 March 1917
8 Mar 1917
The Great War and the Revolution
1816–1914 Late Tsarist Russia
1914–1918 The Great War and the Revolution
1918–1921 The Russian Civil War: The White Phase
1921–1927 The Russian Civil War: The Green Phase
1927–1941 The Soviet Union under Stalin
1941–1943 The Great Patriotic War: Germany Invades
1943–1945 The Great Patriotic War: Germany at Bay
1945–1991 Soviet Superpower
1991–pres Successors of the Soviet Union
February Revolution
By February 1917 (according to the old style Julian calendar still in use in Russia), the Tsarist system was on the brink of collapse. Russia's troops were demoralized, its economy was crumbling, and discontent was everywhere. On 8 March (23 February old style), riots broke out in Petrograd, the capital, and within two days the city had been almost completely closed down. Tsar Nicholas II's attempts to end the disorder simply resulted in troop mutinies and the disintegration of the police force. On the 15th, the Tsar abdicated and the Provisional Government of Prince George Lvov, Paul Milivkov and Alexander Kerensky took over.
