932 Ch. 23 • Revolutionary Russia and the Soviet Union
The February Revolution
The Russian Revolution that took place in Petrograd in February 1917
grew out of the massive discontent with hunger and deprivation, and amid
mounting frustration at tsarist intransigence against reform. Like most
large European cities, Petrograd’s neighborhoods reflected social segrega
tion. The upper- and middle-class residential districts and the palatial
buildings of imperial government lay on and near a long street called the
Nevsky Prospect. This central artery was lined with banks, hotels, restau
rants, cafes, a giant department store, and offices. The streetcars did not
run as far as the muddy streets of the workers’ districts, nor in many cases
did the city’s water mains or electric power lines. Epidemics were still fre
quent in Petrograd, as in Moscow and other Russian cities, which were
characterized by acute overcrowding and inadequate sanitation.
Revolutionary organizations prepared a massive general strike in early
1917, the anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 1905. During January and Feb
ruary, almost half of the capital’s 400,000 workers went out on strike,
including munitions workers at the Putilov factory—the largest factory in
Europe with 30,000 workers. Yet the Petrograd garrison of about 160,000
soldiers still seemed adequate to the task of maintaining order, even
though most were raw recruits. Demonstrators demanded that a provi
sional government be appointed with the power to enact major reforms.
Food lines stretched longer in Petrograd, Moscow, and other cities in
temperatures that reached forty below zero. Bread riots, in which many
women and young people participated, became a daily occurrence.
On February 23 (all subsequent dates in this chapter refer to the Old
Russian calendar, which was thirteen days behind the Western calendar),
more determined demonstrators took to the streets. Workers in the Putilov
munitions factory tore up factory rule books and created committees to
represent their interests to the company. Female textile workers led the way
out of the factories.
On February 25, a general strike closed down Petrograd. While Petro
grad’s Duma debated ways of dealing with severe food shortages, crowds
of ordinary people poured into Petrograd’s center. Military attention was
focused on the front. Tsar Nicholas then ordered the commander of the gar
rison to suppress demonstrations. Street fighting began and spread in the
city. The attitude of soldiers, most of whom were peasants or workers, now
became crucial. Many were shocked when ordered to fire on insurgents.
When a commanding officer tried to restore order by reading a telegram
from the tsar, he was shot while trying to flee the barracks. Thousands of sol
diers and some officers went over to the insurgent side, and a number of offi
cers and soldiers who continued to resist were summarily executed after
being captured.
Miserable conditions of war, the unpopularity of the officers (who
addressed the rank and file as masters had spoken to serfs), awful food,