History
For over 300 years, the Romanov family ruled Russia as tsars. By 1917, the tensions between the
monarchy and Russian citizens exploded. Many of Tsar Nicholas II’s policies such as the
dissolution of the Russian parliament also known as the Duma, the poor management of armies
in World War I, and mishandling of the food scarcity crisis angered the Russian people. When
Tsar Nicholas II opted to fix the incompetence of the Russian military and serve as
Commander-in-Chief, he left the post of Tsar vacant. He appointed his wife, Tsarina Alexandra,
to serve as interim governess. Both of them proved to be incapable authority figures, which
severely damaged the economic and global reputation of the country.
In February, violent protests over food scarcity broke out in Petrograd. The riots became so
extreme that Tsar Nicholas II ended up abdicating the throne in March, ending the ruling power
of the Romanov dynasty. The following regime was a “Dual Power” arrangement of a
Provisional Government appointed by the Duma, which was supposed to replace the Tsar, and
the Petrograd Soviet, a democratic workers’ council. The Provisional Government was made up
of all highly capitalist liberal ministers with the exception of socialist revolutionary Alexander
Kerensky. The 2,500 Petrograd Soviet delegates were chosen from factories and military units in
the greater Petrograd area.
The Petrograd Soviet quickly became more powerful than the Provisional Government. In
March, it issued its famous Order No. 1, which told the military to obey them exclusively. The
Provisional Government was not powerful enough to stop the order. The only thing stopping the
Petrograd Soviet from declaring itself as the official government of Russia was the possibility of
violent conservative backlash.
After a short period of exile, Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia in April following the February
Revolution to continue to organize with the Bolshevik party. Although the official party stances
align with revolutionary Marxism, there is still disagreement within the party as to what actions
should be taken.
Questions to Consider
1. Should the Bolshevik party embrace its revolutionary nature or advocate for peaceful
reforms?
2. How will the party increase its membership and spread its message to workers all over
Russia?
3. How will the Bolshevik faction unify the Russian left in pursuit of one agenda?
4. What other allies and resources can the party use to help achieve its goals?
