Question

Write any 3 events leading to the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia

Answer 1

The following were the causes of the February Revolution:

• Weaknesses of Russia

1. the defeat of Russia in the hands of Japan in 1904 had been highly humiliating
2. huge population and the poor infrastructure made it difficult for the Government to carry on it administration effectively
3. the economy was still dependent on the age old farm economy
4. poor working conditions and poverty spread everywhere
5. autocratic rule of Tsar Nicholas II

• First World War

1. The loss of Russia in the Battles of Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes was not only humiliating but it also caused the death of around 200,000 men
2. People now lost all faith in the Government and in the army
3. Most soldiers were actually farmers. There withdrawal from the farms caused acute food shortages in the country

• The autocratic Rule of the Tsar

1. Both the Tsar and the Tsarina were unable to drive the country out of the crisis and thus the country seemed to lose all hopes in the Government